Coffee Mascarpone Cream Cake

A Very Happy New Year to all my readers. Here's hoping for a Bright, Prosperous and Happy 2013. The last few weeks of the last year were all fun, we had a wonderful holiday and spent a lot of time with friends. 

I hardly had any time for blogging but I did not want to miss posting on the first day of the new year.

Last night one of my friends bought a Tiramisu cake for our new year party, I was so thrilled to see it and it was just fabulous. 

I had made a tiramisu cake a while back and I loved the coffee, mascarpone and chocolate combination. This cake has very similar flavors, but there is no liquor and it is much lighter because of the fatless sponge. 

Coffee Mascarpone Cream Cake

Ingredients:

Coffee Sponge:

4 eggs, at room temperature

4 tbs sugar

1 tbs instant coffee powder dissolved in 1 tbs water

8 tbs flour

Soaking syrup:

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

Mascarpone cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 oz mascarpone cheese

3-4 tbs powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 1 tbs water

Method:

Coffee Sponge:

Preheat oven to 390F/ 200C.

Line the bottom of two 8"pans with parchment paper.

Take the eg gs, sugar, coffee paste and sugar in a large bowl and beat on high speed for 10 minutes.

Very gently fold in the flour in two batches until well combined without deflating the mixture.

Divide the batter among the two pans and level the top.

Bake for 18 -20 minutes until done. Cool in the pan on wire racks.

Soaking syrup:

Heat the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves completely. Keep aside to cool.

Mascarpone Cream:

Chill the bowl and beaters and the cream well. Take the cream and sugar in the chilled bowl and whip to almost stiff peaks. Whip the mascarpone and coffee mixture for a minute to lighten the mascarpone and then gently stir in about a fourth of the whipped cream. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently.

To assemble the cake:

Slide a knife along the edge of the pan to release the cake and peel off the parchment paper. 

Brush sugar syrup evenly all over one of the cakes to moisten it well. Place it on a plate or cake server.

Top with a little less than a third of the mascarpone cream mixture.

Moisten the other cake layer and place it over the first one.

Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting and decorate as desired.

Refrigerate covered for a few hours before serving.