Tiramisu Birthday Cake

Ingredients

• 6 egg yolks (for cake batter)
• 6 tbsp almond butter (Justin's brand recommended)
• 1.5 cup granulated sugar (for cake batter)
• 0.5 cup water
• 0.5 cup neutral oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (for cake batter)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp kosher salt (for cake batter)
• 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 egg whites (for meringue)
• 0.25 tsp kosher salt (for meringue)
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar (for meringue)
• 0.75 cup milk (for soak)
• 0.25 cup dark rum (or white rum; Ten To One brand recommended)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract (for soak; Nielsen-Massey brand recommended)
• 4 egg yolks (for mousse)
• 0.333 cup granulated sugar (for mousse)
• 12 oz mascarpone cheese (BelGioioso brand recommended)
• 0.5 tsp salt (for mousse)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract (for mousse)
• 1.5 cup heavy cream (for mousse)
• 300 g heavy cream (for ganache)
• 1 tbsp instant coffee
• 0.5 tsp salt (for ganache)
• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 1 tbsp water (to bloom gelatin)
• 300 g white chocolate (Ghirardelli brand recommended)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two baking sheets and line them with parchment paper.

2. 2

   In a large mixing bowl, combine 6 egg yolks, 6 tablespoons almond butter, 1.5 cups sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup neutral oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.

3. 3

   Gently fold 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 3/4 cup (220g) all-purpose flour into the yolk mixture. Set this batter aside.

4. 4

   In a separate clean bowl, whip 6 egg whites with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Gradually stream in 1/2 cup sugar while whipping until stiff peaks form.

5. 5

   Carefully fold the whipped egg whites into the cake batter until no white streaks remain.

6. 6

   Split the batter evenly between the two prepared baking sheets. Bake for approximately 18 minutes at 350°F until set. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

7. 7

   Prepare the vanilla rum soak by mixing 3/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup dark rum, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract in a small bowl or jar. Set aside.

8. 8

   For the mascarpone mousse, combine 4 egg yolks and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a bowl set over a double boiler. Whisk constantly until the mixture is warm to the touch.

9. 9

   Remove from heat and whip with an electric mixer until the mixture is light, voluminous, and reaches the 'ribbon stage'.

10. 10

    Beat in 12 oz mascarpone cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon vanilla until smooth.

11. 11

    In a separate large bowl, beat 1.5 cups heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks.

12. 12

    Gently fold the mascarpone mixture into the whipped cream and beat until stiff peaks hold. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

13. 13

    To make the ganache, sprinkle 1 teaspoon gelatin over 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl and let it bloom.

14. 14

    In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 300g heavy cream, 1 tablespoon instant coffee, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat until simmering.

15. 15

    Place 300g white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate, add the bloomed gelatin, and stir until completely smooth and combined. Place in the fridge to set.

16. 16

    To assemble (based on transcript), cut the sheet cakes into layers. Brush each layer with the rum soak, then alternate layers of white chocolate coffee ganache and mascarpone mousse. Repeat until you have six cake layers and five layers of filling.

Notes

The author notes that the ganache should have a texture similar to caramel. This recipe is Part 1, focusing on the components; assembly involves stacking 6 cake layers with 5 layers of filling.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• cake
• tiramisu
• birthday cake
• baked
• layer cake
• mascarpone
• coffee