Maybe I have developed a bit of a tiramisù obsession. I love the flavours of coffee and marsala, but also the format of a well saturated cake component with plenty of thick cream – and it lends itself well to other flavour profiles too. Which means I can make even more tiramisù!
And I think this one is particularly lovely – it has both the toasty flavours of houjicha (roasted green tea) and kinako (roasted soybean powder), layered with fresh peaches and a mascarpone cream.
I put this together much like one would a regular tiramisù. Begin with a layer of ladyfingers soaked in houjicha – I think it’s a great substitute as it has the body of coffee, but with a gentler tea flavour. After that, scatter a layer of diced peaches and cover it all with a marscarpone-based cream. Finish with kinako, which is often served heavily dusted over different varieties of wagashi, generously sprinkled overtop.
I made mine in a 23x32cm (~9×12″) oval saute pan (area of about 577cm2) ; alternatively, you could make this in a 9×9″ square pan (area of about 480cm2 so layers will be a bit thicker). If you have a deeper dish for a double layered tiramisù, you may need to double the recipe.
houjicha, kinako & peach tiramisù
Mascarpone cream adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction, with technique for cooking the eggs borrowed from Stella Park’s semifreddo.
mascarpone cream
- 2 large eggs
- 35g sugar
- 200g mascarpone
- 2 tbsp marsala
- 200g heavy cream, whipped
houjicha soak
- 60mL hot water
- 1 tbsp houjicha powder
assembly
- 2 peaches, peeled and chopped into 1-1.5cm cubes (200g chopped peaches)
- ~2 dozen homemade ladyfingers (see recipe below; you’ll need fewer if storebought larger ones)
- kinako
special equipment
- 23x32cm (~9×12″) oval pan – the closest standard pan is probably a 9×9″ square tin, or use whatever you have and spread the components thicker or thinner
for the mascarpone cream, whisk together the eggs and sugar in a glass bowl. Set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir constantly with a rubber spatula, heating the eggs until they reach 165F. They’ll appear syrupy and quite warm to the touch.
Transfer the eggs to the bowl of a standmixer and whip until they become pale, opaque, more voluminous and cool, about 10-15 minutes on medium-high to high speed. The eggs should be thick enough to mound up when dropped from the whisk. (As it’s a smaller volume, it’s a bit tricky to really whip them up with the standmixer – they’ll likely only be doubled in volume instead of quadripled.)
Cream the mascarpone and marsala together in a large bowl. Fold in the whipped cream, then fold in the eggs.
for the houjicha soak, whisk together the hot water and houjicha powder.
to assemble, have a 23x32cm (~9×12″) oval pan at hand. Dip both sides of the ladyfingers in the houjicha soak and use to cover the bottom of the pan. Break the cookies into pieces as needed to fill in all the gaps. Scatter the chopped peaches evenly over the cookies, then dollop the mascarpone overtop. Spread into an even layer with an offset spatula. Place in the fridge for at least couple hours or overnight. Just before serving, dust the top generously with kinako.
savoiardi (ladyfingers)
Makes about 3 dozen 9cm savoiardi. Adapted from As Easy as Apple Pie, with some adjustments to the method.
- 43g all-purpose flour
- 20g potato starch or corn starch
- 2 eggs, separated
- 50g sugar, divided
- Pinch salt
- pinch cream of tartar
- 7g milk
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 3/4 baking sheet with parchment paper (or use two regular half baking sheets).
Whisk together the flour and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a standmixer along with half of the sugar (25g), salt and cream of tartar. Whip until stiff peaks are just formed (if anything, aim a little under – very firm, approach stiff).
While the egg whites whip, in a large bowl whisk the egg yolks and remaining 25g sugar with a handwhisk until very light, fluffy and doubled or tripled in volume. Whisk the milk into the egg yolks.
Whisk a dollop of the egg whites into the egg yolks to lighten, the fold in the remaining egg whites with a rubber spatula. Sift the flour mixture over top. Fold in gently until just combined.
Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1.2cm round tip (I used Wilton 2A – you can also pipe them bigger if you prefer!) and pipe strips of batter about 9cm long on the prepared trays.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool, then store in an airtight container.
tentimestea 