Tiramisu...

A couple years ago I had a lovely birthday in San Francisco and one of my requests was, a large sheet of Tiramisu from a North Beach bakery. It's one of my fave desserts. And I just found an amazing recipe from Nectar & Light.

the cake:
~ 13 T butter
~ 1 c. sugar
~ 1/3 c. honey
~ 2 eggs
~ 3 yolks
~ 1 t. strong brewed espresso
~ 1 t. vanilla
~ 1/2 c. milk
~ 2 c. flour
~ 2 t. baking powder

prepare two 9-inch baking rounds with butter, flour and parchment paper and set aside. beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. add the honey and continue to mix. in another bowl whip the eggs, yolks, espresso, vanilla and milk - set this aside. in another bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together. add a bit of the egg mixture to the butter and then a bit of the flour - continue this until the batter is thoroughly mixed and ribbons when you pour it. divide is equally between the two baking pans and bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes. let stand for 5-10 minutes before turning the layers out onto a cooling rack.
filling number 1:
~ 1/4 c. marsala {sweet italian wine}
~ 1/4 c. strong brewed espresso
whisk together and set aside.
filling number 2:
part one:
~ 7 egg yolks
~ 1/4 c. sugar
~ 8 oz. mascarpone
~ 4 oz. cream cheese
~ 1 T. strong brewed espresso
whip the yolks and sugar together until they become thick and pale. add the mascarpone, cream cheese and espresso. whip until fully incorporated. pour into another bowl and chill.
part two:
~ 1 pt. heavy cream
~ 1/2 c. sugar
~ 2 T. strong brewed espresso
~ 2 T. marsala
combine all ingredients and whip until stiff peaks have formed. remove part one of filling number two from the refrigerator and gently fold - adding small amounts at a time - the mixture into the heavy cream mixture. be gentle as you do not want to lose the air that you whipped into the cream.
filling number 3:
~ 6 oz. roughly chopped semi-sweet choclate
~ 1 t. espresso grounds

when the cakes are cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to cut off the top round part of the layers - exposing the interior of the cake. place the first layer on a cake platter or serving dish. using a pastry brush - gently brush/dot the espresso and marsala mixture over the top of the cake. top with 1/3 of the cream/mascarpone mixture and spread gently - let it pour over the edges of the cake. sprinkle 1/2 of the chopped chocolate over the mixture - then add another 1/3 of the mixture on top the chocolate. top this with the other cake layer. using the remaining espresso/marsala mixture - brush this layer as well. top with remaining cream/mascarpone and sprinkle the chocolate over the top. using a fine sieve - dust the top with the espresso. let set up in the fridge for at least an hour before cutting into the cake.