Effortless Chocolate Tiramisu

We finally made it to the weekend! This week has been great considering Joel and I had a relaxing and fun staycation. Now that the weekend is here, I'm back at work in the kitchen teaching this weekend with some fun classes - Chinese Dim Sum brunch, Sushi dinner and even a Vietnamese culinary tour. So to milk my staycation as much as possible, I'm ending the week with an easy peasy recipe for Effortless Chocolate Tiramisu. Bite sized pieces of chocolate cake soak up coffee before being blanketed in a rich, sweet and creamy mascarpone layer with a final dusting of cocoa for good measure...

This recipe is 'effortless' in the sense that ladyfinger cookies don't need to be dipped in coffee and laid out perfectly in a pan. Instead, homemade or store bought chocolate cake works well. Next up is the mascarpone layer which can be done in minutes before topping the cake. Add a dusting of cocoa, cover in plastic wrap before chilling and then waiting until tomorrow to enjoy it. The waiting overnight is probably the hardest part of the recipe. And I'll warn you now, the mascarpone mixture is so good you may have to make more to cover the cake. :)

Effortless Chocolate Tiramisu
recipe adapted from Baking Fairy

1 homemade or store bought prepared chocolate cake [no frosting]

1 1/2 cups strong coffee, black at room temp

4 egg yolks 

1 cup granulated white sugar

16 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup Marsala wine
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup cocoa powder for dusting

Cut the chocolate cake in bite sized pieces and place in a 9x13 baking pan. Using a pastry brush, dip the brush into the coffee and then onto the cake to absorb. Continue to moisten the cake with the coffee and set aside. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the heavy cream to medium-soft peaks; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they start to turn light and creamy. 

Add in the Marsala wine and continue whisking until the mixture lightens in color.

Add the mascarpone cheese and whisk until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps.

Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture and continue folding until well combined.

Transfer the whipped mixture and top the cake pieces in the prepared baking pan. Smooth out the mixture to cover the cake.

Lightly dust the top of the cream with cocoa powder and cover with plastic wrap. Chill overnight before serving.