I would like to inform you all in advance, that the recipe I am about to present to you does not follow the classic, time-honoured instructions established for the preparation of tiramisu, so, for any baking-traditionalists who may be reading this, I offer most humble apologies.
This make-shift tiramisu was actually engendered by a cake gone awry. My mum and I are preparing to make a fancy cake for a friend of ours, and we were experimenting with different sizes of cake pans. One of the pans was too deep, and thus, the cake perforce cooked more slowly than it should have, and came out a bit brown about the edges. We pondered for a moment as to what we should do with this tall, dark and crusty cake, and then the answer came to us: Make tiramisu.
- a prepared white cake (cook a bit longer than directed, or do as we did and bake it in a deep baking pan, until golden-brown)
- a 5 oz. box of vanilla instant pudding
- an 8 oz. container of mascarpone
- a few Tbs. of brandy
- a few Tbs. of brewed espresso
- a cup of whipped topping
- unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
Arrange a layer of the cake pieces in a trifle dish, or deep glass baking pan. Using a small spoon, drizzle desired amounts of brandy and espresso over the cake layer (drizzle lightly, or the cake will become quite soggy). Spread 1/3 of the pudding admixture over the cake, add another layer of cake, and twice-repeat the afore-mentioned process. Spread the whipped topping over the assembled tiramisu, and use a flour sifter to administer the cocoa powder. Let chill 1-2 hours.
So, there you have it; a dessert with all the decadent richness of traditional tiramisu, and preparing it is but a trifle (pun intended).
