tiramisu cake

It's 2017. I'm baking a cake. It's got cake and coffee and mascarpone cream in it. I post it on IG. I don't share the recipe for 2 1/2 years. Totally normal. 

Also, mascarpone is super hard to spell and I'm pretty sure I mispronounce it. 

My cousin asked me to make something tiramisu based to cut at her wedding [back in 2017] and I came up with this combination after exploring several other recipes on the internet.  

It's pretty good. 

Tiramisu Cake

cake:

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

combine the above together

• 10 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup sugar

cream for 3 minutes with a mixer

• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk

add the eggs to the creamed mixture

• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla

combine the buttermilk and vanilla together

Alternate the dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture with the dry mixture in 3 parts. Start with the dry until just combined, add the buttermilk...dry, buttermilk, dry.

Divide into prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a tester comes out clean and the cake springs back when you touch the middle.

coffee extract:

• 4 Tbsp instant coffee
• 4 Tbsp boiling water

Combine in a small bowl.

simple syrup:

• 1 cup water 
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp coffee extract

Boil the water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cool stir in the coffee extract you made. 

frosting: 

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 

whip the HWC until you have peaks

• 8 oz mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1-2 Tbsp coffee extract [to taste]

whisk the cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and coffee together in a second bowl

In the second bowl you'll combine a large dollop of whipped cream with the mascarpone mixture with a whisk start to loosen the cheese mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until you no longer see streaks and everything is smooth.

 

 

Assemble the cake:
Take your cooled layers and drizzle or brush them with the coffee simple syrup. Give it time to soak in and drizzle it a few times for maximum coffee moisture. Layer with the mascarpone frosting and grated chocolate. Frost the outside with more of the mascarpone frosting and then add chocolate however your heart desires.

Tips!
*there are lots of pieces to this puzzle, but none of them are difficult, I promise!
*I made this as a 3 layer 6-inch cake. you could definitely do 2 8-inch layers easily. just adjust the bake time. your cake will also be more stable.
*as with all cake layers: parchment circle on the bottom of the pan, non-stick spray on the sides and lower edges
*trim the tops of your cakes so they're nice and flat. see above for stability issues. give yourself your best shot for zero cake slippage.
*this is a whipped cream based frosting, so it's gotta stay cool. the cake itself won't be very stable simply because the frosting is slicker'n snot. REFRIGERATE YOUR BELOVED CAKE.
*I think that coffee extract is a thing. I have never purchased it or tried it. I find the instant coffee/espresso to be more versatile.
*if you overwhip the heavy whipping cream you will make butter. just go until you have some nice peaks, baby.
*soak the simple syrup into the cake with as much or as little as you like. if you're a firm believer that tiramisu should have rum or brandy or something boozy, this is where you can add it.

Look at these two cuties who now have a sweet babe at home. The real reason this recipe is posted now? They asked. ♡

P.S. sorry for that heavy handed 70s filter. 2017 me was super into it. 2019 me doesn't hate it, but it does seem like a bit much.

ginger-molasses cookies

THESE ARE MY FAVORITE NON-CHOCOLATE COOKIE. 

I sometimes forget this if I have an especially good sugar cookie or oatmeal cookie, but then I take a bite of one of these and I remember: this is warm and homey. It reminds me of summers at the lake sharing Amish ginger cookies with my grandpa. I will always want a spicy, chewy, sparkly cookie. 

This is the last recipe I'm sharing from the first round of Ama's Army Cookie Dough Sales! I hope you make it and love it too.

Ginger-Molasses Cookies
3 sticks butter [1 1/2 cups], softened
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 1/2 cups AP flour
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp ginger
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and molasses before slowly adding in all the dry ingredients until you can't see any more white from the flour. Make sure you get the bottom of the bowl scraped because this dough tends to get a dry spot down there.

Cookies: scoop the dough, roll them gently in your hands and then coat them in sugar. Place the sugar-coated balls of dough about 1-2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes watching for the tops to crack. For a soft cookie, go closer to 10 minutes and for a crisp cookie [think gingersnap] closer to 12-14 minutes. Once the dough is baked, allow to rest on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Bars: line a sheet pan or 9x13 pan with parchment, gently spread the dough evenly in the pan. Bake for 26-30 minutes [maybe longer depending on how thick these bars are!], use a toothpick to check that cookie bars are baked through. If you don't want to frost, you could sprinkle the tops of the bars with sugar.

Cream Cheese Frosting! 
1 bar cream cheese [8oz]
1 stick buttah
1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste [this is where you use the $$$ vanilla!]
2 lbs powdered sugar
heavy whipping cream
salt

In a stand mixer combine the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Mix throughly and slowly add the powdered sugar. Continue mixing, depending on the humidity and the softness of your cream cheese, you may need something to thin the frosting. I like heavy whipping cream. Just stick your [clean] finger in it and see if it feels soft enough to spread. Taste the frosting on your finger. You may also need to add some salt. I usually do 1/4 tsp-1/2 tsp for this amount of frosting. Once you feel like your frosting is soft enough, mix MIX MIX. At least 5 minutes on medium-high speed mixing to fluff that frosting to the max.

**tips**
-These cookies are not that special. However, if you use the right ingredients they become MAGICAL. I have strong opinions on these three things: Grandma's molasses, Penzeys spices, and Zulka Morena sugar.

     1. Grandma's molasses: available everywhere. The taste is top notch.
     2. Penzeys spices: OK, maybe not Penzey's, but high quality ginger and cinnamon. THESE ARE NOT YOUR GROCERY STORE SPICES. They taste different. They smell better. They up your baking level exponentially.
     3. Zulka Morena sugar: I get this at Aldi. I've seen it at Kroger, Target, and Meijer; my point being it's available everywhere. I think most organic, pure can sugar will work. I've found that using this type of sugar gives an extra sparkly finish. WHO DOESN'T LOVE SPARKLY COOKIES?
-You can refrigerate the dough and it becomes less sticky, if you're opposed to getting your hands dirty.
-If you have extra frosting, just put it in a sealed container [this can be as simple as a freezer bag that you've squeezed all the air out of] and pop it in the freezer. Any cookie becomes special when made into a sandwich cookie. Just take your frozen frosting out, let it thaw, give it a good mix [or just a massage if it's in that baggie], and put it between two cookies.

xo

oatmeal cream pies

Is it clean eating if you know all the ingredients?

No? It's still unhealthy if it's filled with butter and sugar? Well, AREN'T YOU JUST A RAY OF SUNSHINE.

I'm using all my parents' wedding presents from 1980 today. It's a sea of brown Pfaltzgraff and orange Pyrex. 😊 You know I love all that stuff.

I feel like someone is going to be like "three kinds of oats? What the heck, amy?!" And I'm here for texture. You could make it work with one kind, but WHYYYYY? I grind half a cup of old fashioned oats [just stick it in your blender or bullet for a minute] into an oat flour, the minute oats add a small texture, and the old fashioned oats give that heavier texture. It's worth it. It's fine. [OKAAAAY, you can use all minute oats I guess. I wouldn't technically know because I've never made it that way, but I can't imagine it would make a terrible cookie.]

If you don't have piping bags, a gallon size freezer bag is the next best thing.

Oatmeal Cream Pies
1 1/4 cups butter [2 1/2 sticks]
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp molasses
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups minute oats
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup ground oats

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl combine softened butter and sugars. Add in the egg, vanilla, and molasses. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients until everything is moistened. Using a cookie scoop measure out scoops of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely then match up two cookies of approximately the same size and shape.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream
3/4 cup butter [1 1/2 sticks]
6 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste [or good vanilla extract]
1/4-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

In your stand mixer place the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix until it starts to come together and slowly add in the heavy whipping cream. Use enough whipping cream until the consistency forms peaks on the sides of the bowl. Let the mixer run on a medium-high speed for 5-10 minutes until the buttercream is light and fluffy [and DELICIOUS].

Yield: 21 cookie sammies


TIPS:
*this recipe uses a whole pound of butter. I just let the whole thing soften on my counter.
*salted butter. you know I love my salty sweets and I'm here for the salted butter. if you're using unsalted butter, increase the salt in the cookie to 1 tsp and add a pinch to the buttercream.
*bake your cookies until the tops are juuuuuuuuust matte in color. let them rest for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before you take them off to cool. this is when you want soft cookies because if you let them get crisp [and they're good crisp] the buttercream squishes out when you take a bite. it's not a first world problem, but it is avoidable.
*cookie scoops. I actually prefer a smaller scoop, just keep an eye on the baking time for your first batch, so you have a good idea of how long to set your timer for.

*I've also made giant versions of this recipe using 1/4 cup of dough for each cookie. they didn't stink either.
*cookie scoops = more uniform cookies, they'll still be irregular because you're not some heavy duty cookie extruder, but the scoop helps

*if you're Team Bar Cookies, just make 1 1/2 times the original cookie and press it into a parchment lined 9x13. bake for 20-25 min until the edges are browned, frost when it's cool.
*vanilla: use cheap for baking into things and the fancy kind for things that aren't baked [buttercream, ice cream, caramels, etc]. I know this means I'm saying buy two things of vanilla, but there's cheap vanilla and expensive vanilla. it's worth it if you're going to bake more than two times a year.

*speaking of fancy ingredients, I'm also converted to pricy spices and I can't give up my Vietnamese Cinnamon. I'm not an expert. I don't know if there's a better one around, but I've found one spice shop in Indianapolis and this one is my fave there.


If you make these guys, let me know!

xo

ten faves

one: be like sunshine

This is my phrase, thought, contemplation for 2019. I didn't/don't make resolutions, but it does feel like a new beginning [just like any Monday or March 1 or birthday or beginning of school can] and I like to think about things.

via Jenny Gietzen on IG

Sunshine is warm, bright, and promotes growth. Sunshine makes me feel happy. I want to be like that.

two: Last summer I spent about zero time on my front porch because there was so much cat hair from the neighborhood cats on my furniture. I found this fur remover because of it's Amazon reviews. It's ugly. It actually works.

amazon

three: Dumplin'

via 

I read the book [by Julie Murphy] awhile ago, and then the movie came out on Netflix in December. The book is better -- no surprise there! Dolly Parton. GAH.

four: Little Mix LM5

I can't stop listening to this album. It's so good. Don't listen to it if you don't define yourself as a feminist. And listen with discretion if you're opposed to profanity.

five-six-seven: podcasts
Up and Vanished
MURDER MYSTERY. Season one is the case of Tara Grinstead and her mysterious disappearance in 2005. It's a little cheesy as Payne works out the kinks, but it's SO GOOD. Especially for long road trips. Season two needs to get that next episode out.

Dr. Death
THIS IS TERRIFYING. No really, TERRIFYING. Over Christmas I drove from Fort Wayne, IN to McPherson, KS and forced my mother to experience this podcast with me. She was so stressed from listening to it that she called my dad at one point and shouted at him for not pulling over to eat. Yup. The resolution comes, but it's a solid 5 episodes before you realize the horror has to end. Not for the weak stomached. So profound for everyone working in the health care industry and the importance of advocating for our patients when we see something wrong.

EMCrit
This is a super-medical podcast. It's really well done. I learn tons, but there are episodes that fly over my head with medical jargon. The episode on the Opioid-Free ED has been listened to at least 4 times by me...not that I'm prescribing anything, I just like to have suggestions in my back pocket. 😉

eight: cinnamon rolls

I decided in 2019, I'm going to conquer my fear of yeast. I'm starting with cinnamon rolls and I've been gathering recipes starting with the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.

Because I prefer my cinnamon rolls gooey, I've been trying this method of adding a splash of cream before they go in the oven to maximize goo. 😍 I can't decide if I'm just upping the fat or actually accomplishing any increased goo.

nine: JCPenney bath sheets

I really need to gut my entire bathroom. It's terrible. Like bad 80s shell sink terrible. I told myself I couldn't spend any money or time in here because it's ALL gotta go. But my towels were tragic and I hit an amazing sale, so here we are. I have lovely towels in my unfortunate bathroom. [they're on sale now for $6.29]

ten: happy 2019!

What do you want to see or do differently this year?


xo

browned butter all the chips cookies

THESE COOKIES.

For the big cookie dough fundraiser we made five different kinds of cookies and they're all my faves. Supposedly a mama bear can't have actual favorites, and this is how I feel about my precious little cookie offspring.

But these are...quite good HELLA TASTY.

It's the browned butter. Worth every second of the 7ish minutes it takes to make. [Not inculding cooling time, but you're not actually doing anything while it cools besides watching Parks and Rec reruns.]

Let's make cookies.

Could you stick your face in there for a minute and just smell the butter? It's just butter, but browned and toasty. HOLY HAPPY BATMAN.

Browned Butter All the Chips Cookies
2 sticks butter, browned and room temp
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg, 1 egg yolk
1 3/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup mixed chips [mini, semi-sweet, milk, and white]

Add the browned butter to your mixer and mix until light and creamy in color and texture. Add the sugars. Once everything is well mixed, add the vanilla, egg, and yolk. Slowly add the flour, salt and baking soda until the flour is incorporated and dough pulls away from the edges of your bowl. Stir in the chips. Bake at 350 for 10-14 minutes, the edges will be lightly browned.

Yield: 22 cookies, 3 Tbsp scoop


Tips:
*cool your browned butter and then bring it back to room temperature
*you CAN bake these right away, but from the frozen cookie dough experience I recently had...they seem almost better from a rest to let everything meld prior to baking

*in further experiments if you rest your dough for at least an hour (I just let it sit on the counter for an hour-ish), it works out quite well
*if you don't have mini chips, semi-sweet chips, milk chocolate chips, AND white chocolate chips you can just use what you have. it's fine. I promise.
*did you get a cookie scoop yet? GET A COOKIE SCOOP.
*this recipe doubles easily, just double it. what else are you going to do with the other 2 sticks of butter in the pound?
*share with your work friends so you don't accidentally eat all the cookies. this will also give you friends for life. you're welcome.

xo