Mascarpone & Meringue Cake | You've Got Meal!

I started thinking about this recipe as a great one for the 8th of March, International Women's Day, but honestly it is a good one to keep for all special occasions. It is "absurdly" simple, so it is a nice choice for everyone who actually can't bake, but want to make a sweet surprise for the women in their life.

I chose to use a store-bought sponge cake because it is way easier, but you can find many recipes online if you want to bake it yourself. Actually, if you use a round  one, you get an awesome anniversary cake, but you can always go for a square or rectangular one and serve them as dessert squares.

As far as the cream goes, the cake had 3 cream layers plus the top. For such a simple recipe I just had to use a Mascarpone cream, because I love it the most and it makes any dessert so smooth and silky. You can't go wrong with Mascarpone. To mix things up, I added some apricot jam and some crushed meringues for fun and for a lovely, crunchy surprise. Of course you can make your own meringues also, but I saw some lovely colorful ones in a bakery and I figured they would look great on the top cream layer.

That being said you will need:

• 1 simple cake/ sponge or cake mix
• some jam of your choice (apricot worked perfectly, great would also be peach, fig or orange, cherry or strawberry might overshadow your cream)
• Mascarpone cream (see recipe below)
• some crushed meringues (preferably colored, so they can be spotted through the white cream)

For the Mascarpone cream:

• 250 g Mascarpone cheese
• 70 g sugar
• 2 eggs

1. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mix is smooth and creamy. 
2. Add the Mascarpone to the egg yolks and fully incorporate the cheese. 
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until peaks form.
4. Add the egg whites to the cream mixture, fold it in fast but gently with a spatula.

1st layer: (jam + cream) Spread some apricot jam on the first sheet, then spread some cream over the jam.
2nd layer: (cream) Time to keep it simple, just spread some Mascarpone cream.
3rd layer: (jam + cream) The same as on the first layer.
4th layer, the top one: (cream and meringues) Crush some meringues, leaving some bigger bits and sprinkle them over the remaining cream. Fold the meringue bits gently and spread the mix on top of the cake.

Save some more meringues to sprinkle on top before serving. Store in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving. If you have dense, hard cake you can pour a bit of simple syrup or fruit liquor on each layer before spreading the cream and you will get a softer, moist cake.

It is a dessert recipe worth trying, it is just sweet enough, it is super fun to make if you prepare ahead and there is no baking involved.

Enjoy,

Tiramisu Recipe: Amaretto Winter Special Edition | You've Got Meal!

Great no bake dessert, Tiramisu, perfect for any occasion. In this version, we spiced things up with some Amaretto and, for that winter touch, we garnished the Tiramisu cake with some fresh red currants.

Tiramisu is an Italian dessert made with lady fingers dipped in espresso, covered with a layer of cream made with Mascarpone cheese, egg yolks, egg whites and sugar and powdered with cocoa dust. Basically, all yumminess. For a no bake and no fuss dessert, is very delicious, moist, fluffy and full of flavor. And, with all that espresso and cocoa, I like to think of it as a great energizer too.

Usually, we don't add any alcohol to our Tiramisu, just pure coffee and cocoa goodness, although traditionally Marsala is used. You can even make it kid-friendly by dipping the biscuits in some hot chocolate or sweetened milk instead of espresso. You can even replace the cocoa on each layer with grated chocolate, it is going to be delicious, even though it won't be Tiramisu anymore.

In our small household of two, we are crazy about Tiramisu. Actually, Mr. G has some instant cravings of Tiramisu just by seeing or talking about Mascarpone. This kind of craving made this post possible. You can't blame him. Because it is so simple, but full of flavor, it can also be great for your Christmas dinner. Nobody will be dissapointed and you will save some room in the oven, it just requires some time in the fridge.

I am so pleased with the Amaretto addition, it goes so well with the coffee, I can honestly say it is the best and the most elegant choice I tasted so far. Although the currants were just for garnishing purposes in the beginning, if you place some on each slice when you serve it, it is pure perfection, just the hint of freshness it needed.

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 400 g Savoiardi (ladyfingers)
• 500 g Mascarpone
• 500 ml coffee, cooled (espresso will be best)
• 120 g sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 50 ml Amaretto liquor
• some cocoa powder
• red currants or fresh cranberries

1. Prepare the coffee and let it cool completely.
2. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mix is smooth and creamy. 
3. Add the Mascarpone to the egg yolks and fully incorporate the cheese. 
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until peaks form.
5. Add the egg whites to the cream mixture, fold it in fast but gently with a spatula.
6. Add the Amaretto to the cream.
7. Now you can layer the cake. A rectangular or square large deep dih or tin would be perfect. Dip each biscuit in coffee for 2 second on each side, arrange them on the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of cream and powder with cocoa. Repeat the layers until you are out of ingredients. For the top, I didn't use any more cocoa, I just added the fruits and dusted them with powder sugar, I figured it was more suitable for winter.
8. Let it set in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.

I got 2 layers, you can go with 3 if you want, just be careful that, because of the added liqour, the cream might be less firm.

By now, you know how easy it is, I just hope you will be as excited as we were by the taste. Anytime you want something sweet and impressive, but don't feel like baking, Tiramisu is here for you. :)

Happy Holidays,