Italy, coffee and mascarpone cheese go hand in hand – that’s always my first thought whenever I think of Italian cuisine and culture. I’m not a huge coffee lover though, I don’t drink it unless I’m in immediate need of an energy boost, but I love its aroma early in the morning and its flavor in desserts. And I love mascarpone cheese as well – the kind of love that gets close to addiction sometimes. Therefore when I was asked to come up with an Italian inspired dish, Tiramisu was my first thought. But since I like thinking outside of the box, I took the basic idea of a Tiramisu and elevated it to the next level.

These miniature cakes were born after a few brainstorming sessions and many sketches. My Tiramisu has a genoise bottom layer, brushed with coffee syrup, topped with an airy, rich mascarpone mousse, followed by a denser, but just as creamy coffee cremeux. The next layer consists of a chocolate mousse studded with bits of praline powder. The glaze felt like the most natural thing to use for these cakes and even though it has an intense taste, it doesn’t overpower the final taste of the cakes at all. As decoration, I decided to go with a chocolate ring and an Amaretto chocolate truffle, plus a touch of edible gold leaf which I find utterly elegant and truly the only thing a cake like this needs to look stunning.

There’s a few things I totally loved about these cakes – the first one is the delicate coffee aroma. Even if you’re not a coffee drinker, you’ll still enjoy this cake – the flavor is delicate and mild and it only brings out the best of chocolate. Another thing I totally loved and was quite impressed with was the praline powder which can easily become a praline paste if you continue pulsing it in the food processor, adding 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil while doing so. It’s so delicious! Both powder and paste and be used in a variety of desserts so it’s a great thing to have around. And last but not least, I loved making them – from the first idea to a sketch then a dessert, everything was fun and so enjoyable. True passion, isn’t it?!