British Baking with Barbara

A couple of years ago, Marty and I were introduced to the PBS version of the Great British Baking Show, and it didn't take long for us to become eager fans.

We soon learned that it was extremely difficult to sit through an episode without having something sweet on hand, which probably did not help our waistlines, but we found ourselves enthralled with each episode, caught up in the suspense as to who would be eliminated on any given week.

So, it was a real treat to receive this book for my birthday last year. Only, the book never showed up until right before Christmas, and the season didn't air until lent here in the US, and then things became way too complicated in my life for me to have time to even consider attempting to make anything. 

But flipping through the pages the other day, my eyes caught the recipe for a Tiramisu cake, and I decided that it was time to tackle my first attempt from the book.

I had invited our friends, Dennis, Morena and Tina for dinner and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity, for a couple of reasons.

#1:  Making such a delectable concoction for just Marty and me could be quite dangerous, especially right before Christmas with so many other treats in the house.

#2:  Morena, pictured here with me, is the queen of Tiramisu.

In fact, Morena introduced me to this special dessert several years ago, and I've been a fan ever since.  So, it seemed appropriate to make it for her to get her feedback.

#3:  Her family has enjoyed this dessert for years, and so, you really couldn't ask for better judges in my mind. 

So, I decided that Saturday was the perfect opportunity to try out the recipe.  I had read through the directions, and was ready with all of the supplies.

One thing to note is that the sugar and flour are weighed, not measured by the cup. 

Luckily, I had a scale, purchased by one of my children as a gift last year. (Don't I have great kids?)

The recipe called for Castor sugar, and it just so happens that I had a bag of the stuff that I brought back from Scotland in my checked luggage.  Now, it's perfectly legal to bring back sugar from Scotland, but Amy, who was on the trip with us and who had also packed a bag in her luggage, didn't escape the scrutiny of the customs officials, and although she was permitted to keep her sugar, I dare say that her opinion regarding the search continues to be a sore subject for her.  So if you see her, don't mention it, OK?

Now, back to the recipe:

First, I beat the egg whites with some of the sugar:

Then, the yolks, with some sugar as well, until nice and thick

The whites were folded into the yolk mixture, and then the flour was sifted over the top to be folded in as well.

I'm not a big fan of folding as it takes a LONG time!  But, soon, the "sponge" was in the "tins" as called for in the book.

Now, here was my one oversight. I hadn't really thought about the cake pan size.  The recipe called for 20.5 cm in size, which actually is equal to an 8 inch cake pan, but I do believe mine were 9 inches in diameter, so the layers ended up a bit thinner than what was shown in the book photos.

But, I wasn't planning on showing anyone the book, so no worries there.  The layers baked for about 14 minutes, then I took them out to cool.

In the meantime, I had to make the filling, which involved beating the yolks, along with brandy and coffee, over a simmering pot of water, for at least 8 minutes.  

That had to cool while the rest of the filling was made and folded into that mixture.

The recipe called for grated 70% cocoa, which, in itself, took quite a bit of effort using some contraption that I had in my house for such a purpose.  

Finally, a sugar/brandy/coffee syrup was made, then, while warm, was brushed over the cake layers to add more flavor.

Then, it was time to assemble the cake.  After brushing on the syrup, a portion of the filling was spread on top of the layer.  

I became a bit nervous, as the filling wasn't as stiff as I would have expected, and I was concerned that it would slide off of the layer.  I popped on the second layer, brushed on more syrup, added the filling, then I realized that I was supposed to put 1/3 of the grated chocolate on the bottom layer and had forgotten.

Well, that wasn't happening!  So, I added a generous amount to the second layer.

Then, I popped on the top layer, brushed on the syrup, and covered the sides and the top with the remaining filling before pressing the grated chocolate along the sides and sprinting a bit on the top.

From start to finish, three and a half hours had lapsed, with me working the entire time on the cake.  And, I still needed to clean up the kitchen, which kind of looked like a bomb went off.  Numerous bowls were used, along with a stand mixer and a hand mixer, chocolate grater, double boiler, countless spatulas and measuring spoons!

A day later, the time involved was a distant memory, and we were certainly eager to dig into this creation.

Ok, so I'll admit, the cut version doesn't look that appealing.

But, I can assure you that it was amazing!  And, even though Marty took this picture prior to me cutting that cake, 

he will attest to the fact that they were even happier after having sampled the delight themselves.

So, how did I fare?

Well, the layers were obviously not exactly even, and the filling was not evenly distributed, and it was probably a bit "runny", but the sponges were perfect and not soaked with syrup. 

Three and a half hours to make a cake was a bit extreme, and would never have been acceptable, and I'm still trying to figure out just why it took that long.  Do you suppose it could have something to do with sampling the brandy while whisking?  or folding?  or grating?  

What did my judges think?  Well, they were all delighted with the taste, and not one complaint was sounded.  

Overall, I'll venture to say, that the Tiramisu cake was, to quote Mary Berry, quite "Scrummy"!  

But sharing it with friends was even better!  And now, I just might rank as the Tiramisu Princess.....well......maybe.