Chocolate-espresso Tiramisu

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons cocoa, for kitchen towel not batter
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (optional)
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups whipping cream
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon kahlua (optional)
• 2 tablespoons espresso coffee, brewed and room temperature
• 1 tablespoon cocoa, sifted (optional)
• chocolate shavings (optional)
• chocolate-covered coffee beans (optional)

Recipe

• 1 biscuit-allow egg to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• 2 meanwhile, grease a 9 x 9 inch baking dish, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 3 line the bottom of baking pan with parchment paper, grease and flour paper; set aside.
• 4 in a small bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
• 5 in a medium bowl, beat egg with an electric mixer on high speed about 3 minutes or until thick and lemon colored.
• 6 gradually add sugar, beating on medium speed for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy.
• 7 add the flour mixture; beat on low to medium speed just until combined.
• 8 in a small saucepan, combine milk and butter; heat and stir until butter melts; add to batter along with vanilla, beating until combined.
• 9 pour batter into prepared pan.
• 10 bake about 15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• 11 cool biscuit in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
• 12 loosen sides from pan and turn out onto a kitchen towel sprinkled with cocoa powder.
• 13 carefully remove paper; discard.
• 14 cool completely, about 25 minutes.
• 15 pudding:.
• 16 chill large metal bowl and whipping beater in freezer.
• 17 optional-place bittersweet chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl, microwave, uncovered, on 50 percent power (medium) about 1 minute or until chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring every 15 seconds-set aside to cool about 15 minutes. careful as you don't want it to harden up again.
• 18 beat inmascarpone, vanilla, and optional cooled chocolate with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• 19 set up chilled metal bowl and whipping beater, whip whipping cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form, then gently fold (not beat it in or it will be dense) the whipping cream mixture into the mascarpone mixture.
• 20 put kahlua and espresso into a shallow dish.
• 21 cut cooled biscuit into 16 pieces.
• 22 dip 8 pieces quickly into the coffee mixture one at a time (if you saturate them too much you will have a soggy mess) and arrange side by side, in a serving dish-about 1 quart size or you could use pudding cups.
• 23 cover biscuit with half the mascarpone mixture.
• 24 top with remaining biscuit, and remaining mascarpone mixture.
• 25 dust top with cocoa, chocolate shavings, or chocolate covered coffee beans,.
• 26 refrigerate 24 hours, or freeze.