Yummy Malaysiana: Christmas Day Dessert: Gingerbread tiramisu

Christmas Day Dessert: Gingerbread tiramisu

Ahh finally, my last Christmas day post. Desserts, everyone's favourite.

I thought of making something different for dessert for Christmas last year, but since my brain was too lazy to think, I ended up making tiramisu again. (Click here for 2010's tiramisu recipe) However, this is not the conventional tiramisu using sponge fingers, instead I substituted it with gingerbread.

That wasn't planned.. I remember I still had a pack of sponge fingers left from a few months ago (it usually comes in a pack of two and I've only used one previously) but on the evening I was going to make the tiramisu, I found that it has sort of disintegrated and unusable! *shock horrors!* It was already 9pm and there was no way I could make it out in time to get a new pack of sponge fingers. At first, I thought of using digestive biscuits, then I remembered that I had gingerbread (we bought a gingerbread house from IKEA but unfortunately it collapsed due to humidity) which I could use to make the tiramisu.

Fortunately for me, it worked out way better than expected.. in fact everyone loved it more than the tiramisu I made last year! I think the gingerbread biscuit smells and taste much more fragrant (and maybe I put in more Bailey's this year ;P). Do give this a try the next time you make a tiramisu. I will definitely be using gingerbread again the next time. (Note: If you're giving this to kids, then omit the Baileys -- only in theirs of course! Always put Baileys for the adults version ;P)

Gingerbread tiramisu

Not your regular tiramisu.. but it works!

Gingerbread Tiramisu
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Makes 6

Ingredients
250g mascarpone cheese
25g icing sugar
150ml strong coffee, cooled to room temperature
250ml double or whipping cream
70ml Baileys (or more if you like)
Gingerbread biscuit (forgot to weigh it but should be 150-200g)
1 tsp vanilla extract / essence
Cocoa powder, for dusting
6 Marks & Spencer animal butter biscuits, to decorate

1. Place mascarpone cheese and icing sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk for 1 minute until the mascarpone has softened.

2. Whip cream until it forms soft peaks. Add 15ml of Baileys and fold into the mascarpone mixture.

3. Place coffee and remaining Baileys in a shallow dish. Break the gingerbread biscuit so that it fits into the glass, then dip into coffee mixture and place in the glass (since the gingerbread is quite thin, you can put two layers).

4. Spoon 2 tbsp of mascarpone mixture into glass and place another two layers of gingerbread biscuit dipped in coffee mixture. Top with a final layer of mascarpone cheese and cover the glasses with cling film. Repeat for 5 other glasses. Chill in the fridge overnight to allow cream to firm up.

5. Before serving, dust with some cocoa powder and top with a biscuit / raspberry or strawberries.

Tiramisu with a twist