Fried Sweet Potato Balls (炸番薯蛋) - (MFF-Pahang)

This is the most memorable food that I'd ever had in Cameron Highland. The weather is cold and drizzling. I was wearing thick jacket and my shade. Walking along the roadside with my empty stomach, and when I saw a stall selling fried sweet potato balls infront of me, it's like seeing water in the middle of sahara desert! OMG!!! This is really to-die-for! Hahaha :D

OMG! It's crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy inside. The feeling is just out of the world!

This month is Pahang month Malaysian Food Fest (MFF). I had been crazily busy due to my assignments over assignments. But I tell myself, no matter what, I will want to contribute something to MFF every month if I could. I know it's pretty late now. But at least better than nothing la :)

This recipe makes about 50pcs balls. If you think this is too much for you, half the recipe. 

Ingredient
(Source: SeaSaltWithFood, with modification)

• 450g Orange Sweet Potato Flesh 
• 250g Glutinous Rice Flour
• 30g Corn Flour
• 130g Sugar
• ½ tsp Sea Salt (Original recipe asking for ¼ tsp only)
• Oil for deep-frying

The original recipe ask for 100g Grated Coconut. But I omitted this. Because I don't remember there's grated coconut in the fried sweet potato balls that I tasted in Cameron Highland. You could add grated coconut if you want. 

Method

1. Skinned sweet potatoes, cleaned, cut into big chunk. Boil sweet potatoes in a pot of water until tender. This takes me about 20mins. 
2. Discard water, in a big bowl, mash the potatoes. 
3. I put mashed potatoes into mixer bowl, add in glutinous rice flour, corn flour, sugar and sea salt and let my mixer do the work. If you are using hand, mix all ingredients together and knead lightly to form a smooth dough. 
4. Pinch a small piece of dough (about 15g each), with both palm, roll and form into a smooth ball.
5. Heat up oil in a wok, with medium low fire, put the balls into the wok, estimate about 6 to 8 balls each time, fry until golden brown. This should take about 3 minutes.  Remove and drain on a paper towel.
6. Repeat the frying process until all potato balls are done. Serve immediately.

Please do not attempt to make the potato balls bigger. If you intend to make it bigger, the deep-frying time will be longer. You won't wanna eat half cooked potato balls. 

This is the orange sweet potatoes that I got from the wet market. 530grams, and it cost me S$1.50.

I love to see the beautiful orange color sweet potatoes. Nice!

This home made sweet potato balls, golden brown, crispy on the outside, soft and chewy inside, the natural sweetness and flavor of sweet potatoes.

Take a bite.... Yumm!!! It's simply addictive!

The best part about this fried sweet potato balls is that, they are so so so soooo easy to make! :D

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I am submitting this to MFF Pahang Month hosted by WendyinKK of Table for two...or more.

French Onion Soup

What about serving a bowl of French Onion soup for lunch this weekend? Yes! absolutely easy to prepare and simple ingredients, but it makes great soup! Well, I'm sure about it. With this classic favorite soup, and I'm sure it will definitely wow your family and guests!

It's rainy season recently. I serve this to our friends on our dining table for casual Sunday lunch at our home. This soup warmth the stomach and gives really good comforting flavor.

If you are looking for something fuss free, this is the right soup you should prepare. You could cook this the night before. I did it. The next day, I reheat it when you want to serve. It taste even better!

These are the main ingredients we need. Easily available at Cold Storage and NTUC. It's easy! I assure you. Don't fret.

Onions

White wine, dry thymes, bay leaves, garlic and pepper.

Beef stock and Chicken stock 

I know what you'd probably thinking, "Using pre-packed soup stock? It's not healthy you know?!" Uh! Well, life is short. This is what restaurants had been serving you actually. Aside hotels and restaurants that has big organization behind, small medium sized restaurants serving you this! And you won't wanna go thru the hassle of making your own beef stock! Well, chicken stock, yes. Possible. I did it at home too. But no. Not for beef stock. It's too expensive and too much effort to do so. Beef in Singapore is expensive.

If you don't agree with me, skip this recipe. Or share with me how much you struggle cooking your own beef stock at home. I'd be very happy to hear your story.

If you agree with me, let's move on and start cooking....

Ingredient (Serves 6 to 7)
(Recipe Source : Two Fat Bellies,with modification to suit my own)

For the soup

• 750g Yellow Onions
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 2 cloves Minced Garlic
• 150ml White Wine / Sherry
• 1 pc Bay Leaves
• 1/4 tbsp Dry Thymes
• 1L Chicken Stock
• 1L Beef Stock
• dashes of pepper to taste
• a pinch of salt to taste (optional)

For the cheese toast

• Few slices of baguette slice
• a tsp of minced garlic
• generous amount of grated Parmesan Cheese

Method

1. Halved the onions and cut thinly.
2. Melt the butter in a large pan, under medium low heat, add onions and sugar, slowly caramelize the onions till slightly golden and wet. About 30mins cooking time. 
3. Add in minced garlic. Give it a good stir. 
4. Add beef and chicken stock, bay leaves, dry thymes, and white wine. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce to medium low fire, covered with pot lid, and slowly simmer for 30mins, remember to stir it occasionally.
6. Add pepper and salt to taste. But beef stock and chicken stock has mild saltiness. So, adding salt is optional.
7. Meantime, cut the baguette into thick slices, rub some minced garlic at one side, top generous amount of Parmesan cheese on top, and grill it in the oven. Once the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown, and it's done.
8. For serving, dish up on a soup bowl, drench a thick slice of cheese toast and serve immediately. 

Step 1 : Halved the onions and cut thinly.

Step 2: Melt the butter in a large pan, under medium low heat, add onions and sugar, slowly caramelize the onions till slightly golden and wet.

After 30mins of low fire cooking. The onions are nicely caramelized. But not burnt at all.

Saw the sticky liquid stick on the spoon? This is the caramelized sauce. Slowly caramelized onions bring out deep, rich, sweet flavor as the natural sugars in the onions caramelize.

Although it takes abit of time to cook em'. This soup will gives your home a transcendent aroma bouncing off every wall, the kind of distracting that makes you kept thinking that onion soup is waiting for you!

Making this soup is indeed simple, cheap and guaranteed comforting! I hope you like it! :D

Lunchtime Demo Class with Celebrity Chef Sam Leong

It's really my pleasure to have this opportunity to up-close and personal with celebrity Chef Sam Leong and his wife Chef Forest Leong at Forest 森 @ ResortsWorld Sentosa. This lunchtime demo class is organized by The National Population and Talent Division and I'm one of the invited one.

The culinary maestro - Chef Sam Leong, the well-known Singapore celebrity chef who has 26 years of culinary expertise and innovation. And no. This guy is not your traditional chinese chef. He's much much more than that. I remembered how my mother adore Sam's way of steaming fish after she watched the cooking show on the TV last time.

Max supposed to go with me. But he couldn't make it. So, I brought Henny along instead. She 's very happy when I asked her to join. Hahaha..

They serves lovely Canapés, plated in Western-style. They doesn't looks plain lovely, but yummy too!
The spread of the Canapés are decent, and for the ingredients used, it's on the pricey side.

This is one of my favorite, baby ice cream cone with a scoop of tuna tartare. And I think there are mango and avocado in there.

This pickled cherry tomatoes preserved with juice plum I assume, it taste really nice and refreshing!

My saliva dripping when I saw this, and then, I took this picture of it. And when I wanna eat, the demo starting. So, I didn't get to taste this! Sigh! :(

Forest Restaurant has super high ceiling that provides ample space for it's centerpiece. This place serves chinese fusion cuisine. You don't expect to see so much of a greens in the restaurant, although the restaurant's name is "Forest". You have to walk out of it in order to see the greens. It's pretty spacious and cozy. I think it's really nice.

An open kitchen is a rarity in a Chinese restaurant. For Chinese restaurant, this is the first time I see open concept kitchen. Which gives me the first impression that, "I think Sam Leong's menu might avoid hard core wok hei cooking." Hahaha...

Chef Sam and Chef Forest cookbook displayed in the restaurant :)

This is the lunch that Forest Restaurant prepared for us. MaPo Tofu with short grain rice, and Ee Fu noodles. When the food is served, it smells really good!

The food is indeed delicious and I promise, this definitely won't let you down. And this is the proof... Look at Henny, she's happy holding her bowl of food. Hahahha..

The first thought I had when I saw the Ee fu noodles, I was thinking, okay, I love this! Does this involves dramatic big fire cooking? But it's open concept kitchen. How? Hahaha... But when I tasted it, I knew this Culinary Maestro is indeed has his ways of pleasing the palate. Yes, you won't miss the wok hei! And I realized that this taste really really close to the one I had in Hong Kong. The unique taste that I'd never taste it somewhere else. For instance, I thought it's something like toasted ground peanut or something. The aroma is just indescribable. Out of curiosity, I asked chef Forest, she said that it is Bian Yu. The ingredient that only Hong Kong chef will use. You can't find it else-where, unless you fly to Hong Kong.

The MaPo tofu taste really good. Minced meat spicy beancurd, cooked in excellent gravy that goes well with rice. And then it makes me feel even happier when I saw lots of chives on top. Hahaha... It taste pretty mild, not too hot. Although I prefer it to be hotter, but well, it must suit the general taste-bud. Some people can't take too spicy food. This might be something simple, but I'd assure you, this is really satisfying!

After we enjoyed our lunch, chef Sam demonstrate his signature dish - Black Pepper Prawn. It supposed to be black pepper crab, one of the most welcoming way to cook crabs in Singapore. But he substitute with prawn, as prawn is easier for a demo class :)

And it's done! It's pretty simple actually. This scrumptious dish consist of black pepper, butter, ketchup, HP sauce and others. Easy!

This piece of black beauty really makes me wanna eat more. Too addictive!

After attended his demo class, I think he is not as fierce as what we usually see on the TV. He is quite friendly and approachable actually. He and his wife is there ready to answer to all our questions. And this guy crack really good jokes too! Hahaha...

I really have to thank chef Sam and chef Forest for their hospitality. It is such a wonderful experience. We had good food, nice environment, awesome people, and great time!

If I had a chance, I would definitely revisit Forest Restaurant again :)

Traditional Christmas Cake

I think traditionally iced and decorative Christmas cake is a lovely thing. It brings joy to Christmas!

This is Nigella Lawson's recipe. It takes abit of time to make this. But you still have a week away. Still in time for Christmas! It bakes well, and can be iced beautifully, and is a satisfying way to get a Christmas really going on the dining table.

Aside religion, as usually only Christian or Catholic friends celebrate Christmas, which I'm not. Christmas is my favorite holiday season! It is the time when overindulgence is not just encouraged, it's pretty overdained. But it also need to be relished. I love it when I sees everything in red when I walk into the shopping centre. I love to see Santa, Rudolph, all the Christmas motif, Christmas food, and everything about Christmas! Now that I had my own residence. I wish and I'd like to try to make it a tradition - that my house celebrates Christmas every year. Just like Chinese New Year, we never failed having reunion dinner with our family. So that my future child will appreciate Christmas too!

This is the 2nd time I baked this recipe. The very 1st time I baked, that was 2 years ago. It is meant for Max birthday that falls on 26th December, boxing day. Last year's Christmas was hectic and I didn't even have time to feed myself well. So, I skipped all the cooking and baking. This year, I want to bake it again, and I pledge, I will try to bake it every year!

This ingredient uses 23cm Round cake tin or 20cm Square cake tin. But I baked TWO 6 inch round cake tin instead. So that I get 2 cakes :)

Ingredient 

(Source : Nigella Lawson's Nigella Christmas, slightly modified)

Mixed fruits

• 700g Raisins
• 300g Currants
• 50g Mixed Citrus Peel (This is not stated in Nigella's recipe, and it's optional)
• 100g Glacé Cherries
• 400ml Bourbon or Brandy (I used Brandy)

Nuts

• 150g Chopped Pecans (or Walnut as alternative), just roughly chopped will do

Wet ingredients

• 300g Butter
• 180g Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp Lemon Zest, grated
• 4 large Eggs
• 2 tbsp Molasses or Black Treacle
• 1 tsp Almond Essence (but I think this is optional)

Dry ingredients

• 300g Plain Flour
• 150g Ground Almond
• ½ tsp Ground Cloves
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• ½ tsp Ground Ginger

Icing (Optional)

• 250g Snow White Fondant
• 250g Marzipan
• 1 to 2 tbsp Orange Marmalade

This is the shop-bought fondant and marzipan. Fondant can be found at Phoon Huat, while Marzipan can be found at Cold Storage.

Preparation

In Nigella's original recipe, she place all the dried fruits in a saucepan, add bourbon or brandy. Bring to the boil, then take it off the heat, covering once cooled, and let it steep overnight, covered.

But for this particular step, I didn't follow Nigella's instruction. Because I don't wanna cook the Brandy. I pre-soaked the fruits (except Glacé Cherries) into Brandy, nicely sealed them in a big glass air-tight Tupperware. Occasionally give it a good shake, so that the fruits are well coated with Brandy. I did this 2 weeks before I bake them. So, I usually plan ahead. But well, you could just follow Nigella's way of doing it. Or you could just soak your fruits for a week, and then bake it a day before Christmas! It should be fine! :) 

On baking day, make sure eggs and butter is in room temperature.

Method 

1. Prepare cake tin - line the sides and bottom of the cake tin. The paper should come up to a good 10cm higher than the sides of the tin. That's about twice as deep as the tin. This is to protect the cake from burning, because this cake takes longer time to cook in the oven. 
2. Preheat oven to 150 degree.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then beat in the grated lemon zest. 
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the molasses and almond extract. 
5. Sift the dry ingredients together, then under low speed, mix the soaked fruit alternatively with the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, combining thoroughly. Fold in the chopped pecans.
6. Put the cake mix into the prepared tin and bake in the oven until cooked. Cooking time is between 2hrs + 45mins ~ 3hrs + 15mins or until a cake-tester / skewer inserted into the cake comes out cleanish.
7. Once the cake is cooked, it will looks dry. So, do brush with couple of extra tablespoons of brandy. Wrap it immediately in it's tin - using double thickness of tin foil, as this will trap the heat and form steam, which is turn will keep the cake soft on top.
8. When it's completely cooled. remove the cake from the tin and re wrap in foil (or clingwrap), storing, preferably in air-tight container for at least 3 weeks to improve the flavor. But I don't think I could keep that long. I'd probably just keep it for a week or two the most. I have a big mice in my house.
9. The day before your party, take the cake out of the chiller (or freezer), make sure cake are thawed into room temperature before you do your icing. If you cake is cold, the fondant will sweat and end up melting. Spread a layer of marmalade, roll marzipan and cover it nicely. Cut away the excess. And then cover it with fondant by repeating the process. Roll fondant flat, cover the cake, cut away excess. Give the cake some nice deco's and you are done. 

Note :

• I added mixed citrus peel to give this cake more citrus taste in overall. However, the choice is your's. It is not stated in Nigella's recipe tho. 
• I didn't soak the Glacé Cherries in the Brandy, as for appearance wise, I want the cherries color to outshine in the cake. If the Glacé Cherries soaked with brandy for long time, it will turn dark in color. But of course, soaked Glacé Cherries taste better. So, this is an option for your consideration. 
• For ground cloves, ground cinnamon and ground ginger - If you can't get all of them, just get a bottle of Mixed Spice. It's fine to use.
• You could get all the ingredients from Phoon Huat or Cold Storage. But Cold Storage might not have everything listed above. Especially ground almond and mixed citrus peel. For Brandy, try to get it from duty free store at the airport. It's much cheaper. 
• You can choose to ice your cake or you can choose to leave it naked. I usually don't ice my cake because I don't really fancy fondant. For this time, I ice it with fondant is because I needa take photos. But I didn't handle my fondant well. It is my first time using fondant, so, please forgive me for this awful fondant result.

The naked christmas cake...

Here's the "make-ahead tip" given by Nigella.

• Make the cake upto 6 weeks ahead and wrap in a double layer of greaseproof paper and then a double layer of foil. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Chiller is the best place. You could add abit more brandy over this storage time to feed the cake and keep moist.
• Or you could make this way even ahead! You could wrap it as above, freeze for up to 1 year. To thaw, unwrap the cake and thaw overnight at room temperature, or thaw it in the chiller for 24 hours (or more). Rewrap and store as above until needed. I tried this before. I baked earlier, freeze it and thaw it for later use. I can assure you, IT WORKS WELL!

With the make-ahead tip, you can now bake it ahead and store it for Chinese New Year! Once the cake is nicely thawed, you could decorate it with flower motif according to the festive season! Cool idea heh? I baked 2 cakes at a time. One for Christmas, another one freeze it for Chinese New Year. One stone kill two birds! Hehe... :D

This is my Mother-In-Law's idea. Full of candy cane. She says this can make people happy. She join in the fun when she sees me doing icing for my cake.

While for me, I'd prefer something simple :)

Let the scent of Christmas baking fill the air and bring joy to your home! 

Annie's Tiramisu

Tiramisu is simply the perfect combination of light cheese, cocoa powder and coffee, I can't really describe it explicitly enough. It's just heavenly Italian dessert!

This is the marking of the 100th post in my blog. So, I wanted to share something significant. There’s a tale behind on why I learn making Tiramisu and why I put in so much effort to perfect my Tiramisu recipe. Of course I know, there's no shortage of Tiramisu recipe out there. But at least, my version of Tiramisu makes my husband asking for more!

Once upon a time (that’s somewhere 3 years odd ago), me and my music friends had a BBQ gathering at YuTong’s apartment for post Youth Ignite Concert celebration. It was a successful concert, and since we put in so much effort to make the concert happen, we shall give ourselves a treat! YuTong handed a box of Tiramisu to Max, and when Max tasted the 1st scoop of Tiramisu, he said to me “Wah! Darling, if you can make this, I will marry you!”

And so, I asked YuTong for the recipe, and take up the task to learn making Tiramisu for Max. Without anyone guiding me, for the first attempt, it was quite disastrous! So, for the second attempt, I’m smarter. I asked YuTong where went wrong, and I watched YouTube for a few Tiramisu tutorial to do comparison. Read lots of Tiramisu recipe too! Along the way, for the past 3 years, on and off, all I did is to try various Tiramisu recipe, twist and turn them, so as to perfect the texture and the taste. My reference includes YuTong’s Tiramisu recipe, a few random recipes from the internet, and also Nigella Lawson’s Tiramisu recipe from Nigella’s Christmas book.

After 3 years of trials, feeding numerous of guests. Asking friends who has the pickiest tongue for feedback and even mass produced 100 mini box of Tiramisu for the Soka Youth Musical show cast 2 years ago as an encouragement for their great effort and performance. Now I could humbly conclude that my Tiramisu recipe really makes me proud! Max is the witness on how hard I work just to perfect it :D

Well, I wouldn’t wanna say that my Tiramisu is the best in town. But at least, to me, so far, this is the best. Many friends asked me for the recipe actually. I refrain from posting my Tiramisu recipe on my blog at earlier stage is because I had been trying out different type of sponge fingers, whipping cream, so as to allow readers to have alternative source or something. I wanted to give myself and others some options.

But hell, NO! I’m so wrong. The last two attempt, I used different brand sponge finger (price is slightly cheaper), used cheaper whipping cream. And I brought the Tiramisu to the bloggers gathering at Edith’s house. When I eat it, my heart sank like a TITANIC! Hell yea! Lesson learnt! Never anyhow change the brand of the sponge finger. Always believe in the quality food comes with a higher price tag. I know you could simply bake nice sponge fingers at home. But since shop-bought ones could serve me well, I really don't mind. I won't wanna go thru the hassle of making it (at least for now).

My recipe could make TWO 6 inch round cake. If you are making only one cake, half the recipe. 

Ingredients :

• 8 tsp Instant coffee powder (I used Moccona Continental Gold)
• 8 tsp caster sugar, or fine sugar if you want.
• 8 + 2 tbsp Kahlua (Coffee Liqueur)
• 1 tub Mascarpone Cheese (500g)
• 200ml Chilled Whipping Cream (always kept in the fridge)
• 2 large Eggs
• 1 large pack of Cantreau brand Savoiardi (Ladyfingers / Sponge Fingers)
• Cocoa Powder (To sieve on top before serving)
• Ribbons for finishing (Optional)

Method :

1.  Mix 8 tsp instant coffee powder and 8 tsp caster sugar in a bowl. Add 8 tbsp Kahlua into the coffee mixture. Stir until coffee and sugar completely melted. It takes a little bit of patience here. If you are using castor sugar, it will be easier. Fine sugar takes longer time to melt tho.
2. Pour coffee mixture into a dish. Dish length must be longer than the Sponge finger.
3. Whisk cold whipping cream till stiff. Once done, put the cream back to the fridge.
4. Separate egg whites and egg yolks. Beat egg yolk till pale color.
5. In another clean and dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites till stiff peak.
6. Add mascarpone into a mixing bowl, add egg yolk and mix well.
7. Add in whipping cream, egg whites and 2 tbsp kahlua into the mascarpone mixture. Mix until everything incorporated. Put the whole bowl of mixture back to the fridge for later use.
8. Prepare a loose base cake tin, line the side with baking paper. No need to line the base. If you have mousse cake ring, use it. It will be easier. If you don’t wanna make it into a cake-like form, just use oblong dish or a square Tupperware. I always did that when I feel lazy.

Assembling 

1^st Layer – Dip sponge fingers (Sugary side) into the coffee mixture. Do not wet the sponge finger too much. Just dip in, count 1, 2, 3. And you will have to take the sponge finger away.  

Cut the sponge fingers to fit onto the cake tin (if required). Put dipped sponge fingers into the cake tin, sugary side up.

2^nd Layer - Spread half of the creamy mixture on top of the sponge fingers. Sift some cocoa powder on top.

3^rd Layer – Repeat step 1. Dip sponge fingers into the coffee mixture (NON-Sugary Side this time). Put another layer of sponge fingers on top of the cream.

4^th Layer - Cover with another layer of creamy mixture on top.

Use cling wrap to cover the cake tin. Keep tiramisu into the fridge for at least 8 hours. But I highly encourage you to keep it overnight for better result. 1 day is the best!

Finishing

1. Remove tiramisu from cake tin. Remove baking paper at the side.
2. Use a sharp and thin knife to run around the base of the cake. And then, carefully transfer the cake to a plate or a serving dish.  If you are using mousse cake ring to do this cake, you will be easier. So, the choice is your’s.
3. Sift cocoa powder on top. Wipe away the cocoa powder at the side to give it a clean finishing.
4. Cut sponge fingers into half, and place it at the side of the cake.
5. Tie ribbon around, wipe the side of the plate one more time to give it a clean finishing, and the cake is ready to serve.

Tips :

1.     You can get all the ingredients from Cold Storage.

2.     For goodness sake, please DO NOT use 3 in 1 instant coffee powder. You will end up claim that my recipe no good. Trust me.
3.     For the eggs, try to use fresh eggs. The egg that you bought on the same day. If you are worried, use pasteurized eggs.

4.     For the whipping cream, always keep them in the fridge till the time when you want to whip them, then you take it out. If your whipping cream is not cold enough, you won’t be able to whip em’ up. So, keep the whipping cream chilled is VERY important.

5.    For sponge fingers, I realized that different brand of sponge fingers gives different texture and taste. This particular brand is my all-time favorite, and I don’t think I will wanna change it.

6.    Buy Kahlua from airport if somebody happened to travel. It cost about S$27 per bottle only. Buying outside (Cold Storage & etc hard liquer shop) could easily cost you S$55 or more.

7.    Do add more Kahlua into the coffee mixture if you find that the liquid is not enough for you to wet all the sponge fingers.

8.    The purpose of lining baking paper at the side of the cake tin is to ease the pain of removing the cake. If you don’t want to line baking paper at the side, it’s still fine. You might end up need to use blow torch to burn the side of the cake tin before removing it. But trust me, most of the people don’t have blow torch at home. They usually use hot towels. So, please line baking paper. 

9.    I don’t know how tall your cake would turn out to be. But if you are making 6 inch cake (this recipe can make TWO 6 inch cake), cut sponge finger into half, the height of the sponge fingers would be just nice. So, if you want, measure the height of your cake before you cut the sponge fingers. I used 11 pcs of sponge finger for my 6 inch cake, cut into half, I get 22 pcs to stick at the side of the cake.

10. If you are taking too long to do the cake finishing part, once it’s done, chill the cake again and let the shape set better before you serve.

Step 1 -  Mix 8 tsp instant coffee powder and 8 tsp caster sugar in a bowl. Add 8 tbsp Kahlua into the coffee mixture. Stir until coffee and sugar completely melted.

Step 3 and 5  - Whisk cold whipping cream till stiff and beat the egg whites till stiff peak.

Step 4 and 6 - Beat egg yolk till pale color and add into mascarpone. Mix well.

Step 7 - Add in whipping cream, egg whites and kahlua into the mascarpone mixture. Mix until everything incorporated. Put the whole bowl of mixture back to the fridge for later assembly use.

So now, this is the assembly part

1^st Layer – Dip sponge fingers (Sugary side) into the coffee mixture. Do not wet the sponge finger too much. Just dip in, count 1, 2, 3. And you will have to take the sponge finger away. 

Cut the sponge fingers to fit onto the cake tin (if required). Put dipped sponge fingers into the cake tin, sugary side up.

2^nd Layer - Spread half of the creamy mixture on top of the sponge fingers. Sift some cocoa powder on it. However, sifting cocoa powder is optional.

3^rd Layer – Repeat step 1. Dip sponge fingers into the coffee mixture (NON-Sugary Side this time). Put another layer of sponge fingers on top of the cream.

4^th Layer - Cover with another layer of creamy mixture on top. Use cling wrap to cover the cake tin. Keep tiramisu into the fridge for at least 8 hours. But I highly encourage you to keep it overnight for better result. 1 day is the best!

And here's the finished product!!! Simply love it! Did you notice that I have uneven spreading curves on the surface? I did it intentionally. It's home-made cake! The messier it is, the more welcoming it will be. Agree with me?

Pardon me for the messy slice. It's really a rush when I slice this cake because everybody is watching me when I slice em'. It might not look appealing to you. But I could assure you that this slice of cake taste heavenly!

The moisture level of the Tiramisu can be very crucial. Too dry, the sponge fingers will not gives you good texture. Too wet, you will end up eating drenched sponge fingers, and the layer of mascarpone cheese won't stand tall and proud.
 

Max ever told me that his favorite Tiramisu is the one selling at La Foketta. That tiny piece of dessert that probably sized 2.5 inch x 2.5 inch could easily cost him S$10.00. But after I learnt making Tiramisu at home, he never visit this restaurant anymore.

Although it sounds really nonsense, but hey! this is the cake that makes my husband marry me! Hahahaha...

I hope you like this recipe of love :D

  

Try to make full recipe of you could afford to do so. Make one, eat it fresh. Keep the other one, nicely wrapped, keep it in air-tight container and throw it into your freezer. It can keep upto a month. When you are ready to eat it, transfer the frozen cake to the chiller and let it thaw overnight. Sift cocoa powder before serving. It will still taste equally good.

This is another great idea for you to make ahead for your Christmas party :)

Do to show me your end product if you happened to follow this recipe ok? Email to me at mwmannie@yahoo.com :D