Tiramisu Mud Cake with Mascarpone Frosting



A party cake! And if you're not having a party with the whole candles-and-balloons-and-streamers thing, then you can just have a party in your mouth.




Tiramisu Mud Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
adapted from here


For the Coffee Syrup:
1/2 cup hot strong brewed black coffee
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur (optional)

For the Cake:
250g unsalted butter, chopped
200g white chocolate chopped
495g caster sugar
375ml strong brewed black coffee
300g plain flour
100g self raising flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting:
250g mascarpone
1/4 cup cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar
Cocoa powder for dusting
12 - 13 savoiardi (Italian sponge fingers) for decorating
Icing sugar for dusting

Make the Coffee Syrup:
Mix all the coffee syrup ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside to cool.

Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and line a 25 cm round cake pan and line the base and sides with baking paper.

Put the butter, chocolate, sugar and coffee in a saucepan and melt together over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and whisk in the plain flour, self raising flour, eggs and vanilla. When smooth pour into the prepared pan and bake for 1hr  25mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Frosting:
Put the mascarpone, cream and icing sugar into a bowl and whisk lightly until soft peaks form. If you over mix mascarpone it will become grainy, so go easy. Set aside.

Assembly:
Trim the top of the cake to make sure it is level.

Place the cake on a cake stand or plate and pour the coffee syrup over the entire cake. Once the syrup has been absorbed, spoon the frosting on top. Spread the frosting over the top and down the sides of the cake, making it as even as possible with a good thick layer on the edges.

Place a paper doily in the centre of the cake and sieve the cocoa powder over. Lift the doily off, revealing the pattern underneath.

Cut the savoiardi in half and dust them liberally with icing sugar. Press them onto the sides of the cake.