0 The Creamiest Cheesecake

Time for this month's Daring Bakers' challenge. Host Jenny of Jenny Bakes presented us with an easy challenge - cheesecake. She gave us the freedom to do any flavor cheesecake and any kind of crust as long as we used the recipe she gave us as the starting point. The recipe comes from Jenny's friend Abbey. Abbey's recipe was very similar to the recipe that I've been using for years. My batter is made with three sticks (24 ounces) of cream cheese, 3 large eggs, 1 cup of sugar, and a little heavy cream and/or butter. Any number of flavors can be added to the batter and, over the last 15 years, I have tried many combinations. The major difference between my usual recipe and Abbey's is the amount of heavy cream. I usually use about 2 to 4 ounces heavy cream which adds some mellow richness to the cheesecake. Abbey's recipe uses a full 8 ounces. Oh my, how decadent! Not that I'm complaining. If you're going to make cheesecake, might as well make the richest, creamiest one you can.



Many people love cheesecake, but I am not one of them. Most of the time it's too tangy-sour-cheesy for me. Even so, I've baked a lot of cheesecakes in my lifetime and people are always impressed by homemade cheesecake. Cheesecake is not as hard as people imagine it is to make, but let's keep that little secret between you and me.

Since I'm not a fan of cheesecake, I prefer batters with flavors that downplay that cream-cheesiness. I know that defeats the purpose of a cheesecake. One of my favorite flavors is espresso/coffee. I gave up coffee about a year ago due to health reasons, but I can still have one very teeny-tiny cappuccino every few weeks. Having one is pretty much a special occasion for me. I can tell you the exact details surrounding each one I've had in the last 6 months. Can you tell how much I miss drinking coffee? For my birthday last month my husband asked me what I wanted to do. I said I wanted to go to the Blue Bottle Café at the Mint Plaza and share a cappuccino. Hey, what can I say? I'm a cheap date.

Anyway, like I was saying, espresso cheesecake sounded really good. I didn’t want to do a graham cracker, cookie, shortbread or pastry crust, so I decided to make a chocolate brownie for my crust using a recipe from Tish Boyle's "The Cake Book". The brownie bottom was a perfect complement to the espresso bean flecked cafe latte filling. The bottom layer was like a really moist and fudgy brownie and the filling layer was extremely smooth and creamy. It must be from all that heavy cream. That Abbey really knows her stuff. Thanks to hostess Jenny for sharing this great recipe. So there you have it. Another DB challenge under my belt - that makes 24 and counting. I can't wait to see what's in store for next month.



The fine print:
The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge. Please visit Jenny Bakes to see the original recipe for Abbey's infamous cheesecake.

Brownie Bottom Latte Cheesecake
(One 10-inch cheesecake)

Brownie Bottom Ingredients:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I like using 60-72%cacao)
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in 8 pieces
1 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Cheesecake Ingredients:
24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup (8 fl oz) heavy cream
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
2 tsp finely ground espresso beans

Make the brownie bottom:

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 10x3 inch springform pan. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and butter the parchment. Cut two or three 18-inch squares of heavy duty aluminum foil and wrap the foil around the outside of the pan.

2. In a double boiler, heat the chocolate and butter until just melted. Add the espresso powder, vanilla and salt, Whisk in the sugar until well combined. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the flour until just incorporated.

3. Scrape batter in the prepared pan and smooth the batter into an even layer. Bake the brownie for 25 to 30 minutes until a tester inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. Place the pan on a cooling rack while you make the filling. Increase oven temperature to 350F.

Make the cheesecake filling:

1. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, scraping down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, espresso powder mixture, ground espresso beans and blend until smooth and creamy. Don’t overbeat.

2. Pour batter into your baked brownie bottom and gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. (The foil wrapped around the pan should help keep the water from seeping into the cake.)

3. Bake at 350F for 45 to 55 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is still a little wobbly. You don't want the cheesecake to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let the cheesecake rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top.

4. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter (about 2 hours), and then cover and chill in the refrigerator. Chilling it for at least 4 hours before cutting is important. Otherwise the cheesecake won't be completely set and might be runny when you cut into it.

How to remove the cheesecake from the springform pan:

Run a thin bladed knife along the sides to loosen the cake from the pan. Undo the latch of the springform and remove the ring. Run a thin blade or spatula underneath the parchment paper to loosen the cheesecake from the bottom of the springform pan. I like to use an icing spatula for this. Now place a piece of parchment on top of the cheesecake and then place a plate on top of the parchment so that the cheesecake is sandwiched between the cake pan bottom and the parchment-plate. Invert. Remove the cake pan bottom and gently peel away the parchment from the brownie. Place your serving platter on the brownie and re-invert so that the cheesecake is right side up. Remove the plate and parchment from the top.

0 Chocolate Truffle Tarts

I'm not posting as often as I would like since I've been extremely busy with work lately. I do apologize and I hope you'll be patient. The craziness at work should settle down in the next five or six weeks. I'm still trying to bake and post for Daring Bakers and YWPWT, but I haven't had much time otherwise. I've dug back into my Flickr archives and found this lovely tart I never posted. The crust is an almond cookie crust with some grated orange zest. The zest is optional, but I think the combination of orange and almond works really well with the raspberries and chocolate. The chocolate filling is a truffle cake batter with some raspberry jam mixed in. The batter is baked in the prebaked cookie shells and then I topped the tarts with gorgeous fresh raspberries when I was ready to serve them.

Chocolate Truffle Tarts with Raspberries
(makes seven 4 3/4-inch x 3/4-inch tartlets)

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour, sifted
1/4 cup raspberry jam, at room temperature
(I prefer seedless jam but with seeds can work too)
7 prebaked 4 3/4-inch x 3/4-inch tartlet shells
(see "Sweet Almond Cookie Crust recipe below)
Fresh raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. In a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water), combine the chocolate and butter and stir occasionally until smooth and melted. Set aside.

3. In the bowl from a stand mixer heat the 4 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk and sugar, set over the same pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally to prevent curdling, until mixture is just warm to the touch.

4. Attach bowl to the stand mixer, and using the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until just lemony yellow and doubled in volume.

5. Whisk the flour into the chocolate mixture. On low speed, add the chocolate mixture to the eggs all at once. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the raspberry jam and mix for another 30 seconds. At this point the batter can be refrigerated, tightly wrapped, for up to 5 days. Or you can use it right away.

6. Pour batter into the seven prebaked tartlet shells. It's okay to fill the shells all the way to the top. (You might have some batter left over.) Bake at 375F for 13-16 minutes until the filling is just set and slightly wobbly in the center. Allow tartlets to cool for at least 30 minutes. Carefully remove the tartlet from the pans. Top with fresh raspberries and serve.

Sweet Almond Cookie Crust
(makes enough dough for seven 4 3/4-inch x 3/4-inch tartlets)

2 ounces ground blanched almonds
3 tablespoons superfine or granulated sugar
4 ounces (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 ounces (1 cup) all purpose flour
2 tsp finely grated orange zest (optional)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions for making the dough and prebaking the crusts:

1. In a food processor, add the ground almonds and sugar and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and pulse about 15 times or until no loose bits of almonds/sugar remain. Add the flour, zest and salt and pulse about 15 times or until the butter is about the size of small peas.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and the cream. Add it to the mixture in the food processor bowl and pulse until the ingredients are just barely incorporated, about 8 times.

3. Dump the mixture into a plastic Ziploc bag and flatten the dough. Chill dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until firm enough to pat into the tartlet pans.

4. For seven 4 3/4-inch x 3/4-inch tartlets, divide the chilled dough into 7 equal portions. Press each piece of dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of each tartlet pan. Chill the tartlet shells in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before baking.

5. Preheat the oven to 425F. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F. If the dough starts to puff in places, prick it lightly with a fork or press down lightly with your fingertips. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F and continue baking for another 5-8 minutes or until it turns pale gold, feels set but is still soft to the touch. Cool tartlet shells (still in the pans) on a wire rack.

0 CHOCOLATE COCONUT CUSTARD PIE lo-cal hi-pro

don't be afraid of the weird puffy surface as it cooks...it deflates as it settles and looks great served with some cho. shavings...

so easy and so quik...and SOOOO GUILT FREEEEEE !!!!!!

well, i've been enjoying my egg custard pie so much (every morning in fact, but i thought i'd change it up a bit. i knew i had a good combo of healthy ingreedients and i was thinkin' this could be a base for just about anything custardy. my first thought ?..CHOCOLATE!...as i searched and googled and surfed my way through way too many chocolate pie recipes, i thought i'd had it. i was almost over the idea of it, but thought, "ya know? i'll just try blending (no pun intended) the coconut custard blender pie and the blender egg custard pie and add some chocolate in there somewhere. so, i put my lab coat on and headed for the kitchen.

the end result?...CHOCOLATE COCONUT CUSTARD PIE.

lo cal, lo carb and some pretty good protein.

0 SCONES-TAKE 2 apricot, whole wheat, buttermilk

SCONES...take 2..don't get me wrong..the first batch was fabulous. i was told they were as good, if not better, than any "real" english tea scone from across the pond. BUT, here's TAKE 2. different ballgame, again, with rave reviews. this one was likened to a specific scone my Dad used to buy in London at a little gourmet market in Sloan Square called Partridges. now, that's the kind of review i like, aye?...

well, now i guess you could say i'm obsessed with "THE SCONE". i think everyone has their own idea of how a scone is supposed to "BE". taste, texture, size, shape and crumblability all factor into someones perfect scone expirience.

i'll be back with the recipe...

0 SCONE HENGE whole wheat, olive oil, dried plums

is it just me, am i totally off my rocker?...i tell ya, sometimes i just bust myself up...i'm sittin' there taking this picture, thinking hmmmm this looks like Stone Henge..BUT WAIT !!!...no...

it's "SCONE HENGE"...okay, come on....it's pretty funny

these turned out beautiful with a little egg wash with raw sugar sprinkled pre-bake.

some people say just to score the triagles and not separate, but i was wondering if it might hamper the raise...also, i like the kinda crispy texture all the way around, so i cooked mine serparated.

sooo happy that i found these...http://dinnerwithjulie.com/2009/04/03/whole-wheat-olive-oil-berry-scones/ the only thing i changed was... i used prunes/dried plums instead of berries and i subed splenda for the 1 Tbsp sugar. also, i used milk 'cuz i didn't have buttermilk.

BIG thanks to "dinnerwithjulie"!!!

i wanted to do everything pretty much as instructed since i have NEVER made scones before...now i'm hooked, and so is my whole family. even my nephew, james, who's 12 and usually likes the more normal teen-kid gooey stuff said it was delicious. i believe my mother servered it to him with butter and blueberry preserves...AND, get this...she called the prunes baby dried plums. i guess a kid would think prunes are kinda gross and only for "old people". does that make me old ???!!!....

0 ERNA'S BLUEBERRY BUCKLE

this one made my EASTER morning...

smiles all around the table and alot of "this is the best ever"...well, this looks like your ordinary crumbcake, BUT it ain't!!!

it quite possible IS the best ever!










watch this towards the end so it looks toasty light brown, but don't let it burn. the crumby crusty topping holds up really well. i baked it on Sat. and let it sit out, uncovered, 'till i served it for EASTER Sun. breakfast. it was totally crunchy, crumbly, moisty inside goodness...












this recipe is from a dear family friend named Erna...i wish i could show you the actual recipe cards, we've probably had them 20 or so years. #1...the recipe is written on 2 cards one for the cake and 1 for the crumble...well mom handed me the recipe..said this is THE BEST ONE FOR EASTER...notice how i said the card . as i was going about my business i said this didn't look like the whole recipe...so for the next 1/2 hour we tore apart the files for the 2nd card...okay, that's not it....i'm all ready with the batter (looked like it wasn't enough), carefully fold in my precious blueberries, pour it into the greased floured pan and sure enough mom looked over my shoulder and says, "did you put everything in, because that just doesn't look like i remember". well, after decyphering both cards over and over we realized i forgot a whole CUP of flour...WOOPS !!!!!...so now i think i'm ruined...not me!...i'm not giving up...out of the pan, back into the bowl, clean the pan, re-prep the pan, carefully add in the cup of flour (not to squish any of the blueberries) and back into the pan...WHEW!...it came out perfect. no one would have even guessed except for the fact that they all saw what was happening...anyway...good time had by all and happy smiles around the easter table. a definite treat!

i'll be back with the recipe....i'll have to rewrite it so mistakes shall not happen next time...and believe you me there WILL be a next time.
ok...i found it. now let's just see how this goes....

NOTE...Tues. 7-16-12...i have spoken to Erna and made revisions.  i'm sorry about the confusion, but i copied the recipe card she had given me in her writing.  i hope this helps for some tasty Buckles.

ERNA'S BLUEBERRY BUCKLE
1/4 c. butter softened
1/2 c. sugar...
NOTE...i have made this batter with 1/4 c. sugar...Erna just said 3/4 c. sugar in batter.  to be safe i would use 1/2 c. (3/4 c. sounds  too sweet)
1 egg
1 1/2 c. sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. milk
2 c. fresh blueberries (frozen can be used, thawed and drained, but fresh is mo'better

cream together the butter and 3/4 c. sugar. blend egg into creamed mixture. in another bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. add flour mixture alternating with milk. gently fold in blueberries. pour into greased 8 x 8 square pan.
sprinkle with crumb topping (recipe below). bake @ 375 for 40-45 minutes.

ERNA'S CRUMB TOPPING
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c. butter, cold..diced small to "cut" into crumble.

in a small bowl mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon. with a pastry blender cut the butter into sugar mixture untill mixture resembles coarse meal.

0 egg custard pie...my healthy protein version

this is now one of my breakfast favorites. i love to tweek a few things in a recipe and make it a bit more healthy, which usually entails adding protein and cutting out the real sugar. i don't know if i have ever had a real custard pie so i don't have anything to compare this to, but to me this is a winner. i think i've already made it 4x's.

i thought i'd add this side view pic to show the immpossible pie crust that forms. i think the added almond flour/meal even settled a bit more than just reg flour.

so here's my custard pie healthy version...

4 eggs (must be real eggs, trust me)

2 c. milk (i use 1c. whole and 1c. skim)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

1/2 c. low fat cottage cheese

1/2 c. baking splenda

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 c. wheat flour

1/2 c. almond flour/meal

1/4 tsp nutmeg

preheat oven to 350...

put all ingredients in blender...i like to start with the eggs and 1 c. milk and cottage cheese and blend untill there is no cottage cheese lumps left..then add in everything else and blend well. pour into greased 10"-11" pie plate and cook for 40-45 min. watch towards the end. it will puff up. jiggle to make sure the center is firm-ish. remove and let cool. serve warm or can be refridgerated and rewarmed piece at a time. holds up well.

0 fake lemon pound cake

looks like a pound cake...but if that's what you're shootin' for, this one is definitly a fake. i had to try it, but it didn't fill that dreamy pound cake flavor i was hankering for...

i don't think real pound cake is supposed to cut like this. it was light on top and dene towards the bottom, but you can see how moist it turned out. also, it was kinda sticky. i don't know how else to discribe it.

this actually turned out OKAY...i'd probably do it again, although, i am definitly becoming an ALL FROM SCRATCH OR NOTHIN' type of baker. i did however save on a few calories and fat..and time. come to think of it...i might do it again, BUT not call it a pound cake...maybe try it as a layerd cake and just call it an extra moist box cake.

yes....this did start from a box, and you can definitely taste the box cake mix flavor...bummer about that, but what would one expect.

i'll be back with the recipe...

here ya go if your interested in doctoring up a box cake

preheat to 350

spray oil 10" bundt pan or 2 cake pans or a pound cake OR....cupcakes might be nice

1 box yellow cake mix

8 oz low fat cream cheese (i used fat free)

2 eggs (i used eggbeaters with yolk)

1 1/3 c. water

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

lemon zest to your taste (and/or coulda used some lemon extract probably)

mix everything

pour into prepared vessel...PAN

approx 40 min in oven

toothpick test works fine, but will stick a bit.

that's it...easy as pie....well...cake....whatever.....

0 chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

these are, what I believe to be, one of THE (top five) best chocolate chip cookies...EVER!

so my niece and nephews are in town and i wanted to make them a treat for the weekend. i knew with the classic chocolate chip cookie ya can't go wrong, BUT i wanted to make something a little less predictable...and besides everyone has their own view on "THE best chocolate chip cookie EVER !" and it can be a hit or miss situation if caught on a bad day...i thought about an oatmeal something, but for one Dad doesn't like oatmeal cookies and you never know with kids. then i got obsessed with the idea of chocolate chip WITH oatmeal...i googled and shmoogled 'till i found what i would now like to dub..."THE best chocolate chip cookie EVER !!!!!"..no one evn knew there was oatmeal in there, but it gives these puppies just that little extra something that make 'em far better than you typical CC cookie...of course, i would have liked to put some nice toasted pecans in, but again...kids...they don't like nuts. i made these for the first time last friday (84 in my batch) and they were GONE by monday. needless to say i will be making them again today or tomorrow and the pecans will go in. i might try some with peanut butter chips also.

anyway....i found this recipe here http://www.bigoven.com/117091-Old-Fashioned-Chocolate-Chip-Oatmeal-Cookies-recipe.html i would love to give some due credit, but i didn't see any names attached. definitely a BIG thanks to someone out there.

0 carrot pumpkin prune muffins "take 2"

so i had to make these again...they were really good the first time, BUT i knew i could improve

this time i used a spice cake mix

added 2 Tbsp wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder and a handful of toasted chopped pecans

THESE ARE A KEEPER !

0 The Ultimate Pick Me Up

This month's You Want Pies With That? hosts Jacque and Natashya chose the theme "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". They asked that we make a pie based on someone famous. It can be inspired by them or something you'd like to serve them if they ever dropped by. Our famous celebrity must be someone who has had more than 15 minutes of fame. So all you reality show hacks can apply elsewhere.


Champagne wishes and caviar dreams

For the uninitiated, the premise behind YWPWT is to make a pie (or anything pie-ish like a tart) inspired by the chosen theme. Then everyone who made a pie can vote for their favorite pie and the baker with the most votes gets to host and choose the theme the following month.



Tiramisu is a dessert typically made from ladyfingers soaked in espresso and Marsala and then layered with a mascarpone cream. Tiramisu means "pick me up" in Italian. The dessert will do that to you because of the espresso and booze. I decided to turn a typical tiramisu into a tiramisu tart. I made a tart shell with pate sucree which is like a sugar cookie dough. I then sweetened some mascarpone cheese and blended it with some whipped heavy cream. I also made a genoise (sponge cake) and soaked that in an espresso-Kahlua syrup. Then I layered the cream and soaked genoise in the tart shell (which I first brushed with some melted chocolate) and I topped it off with a dusting of cocoa and some bittersweet chocolate shavings.



Now what does tiramisu have to do with Brad Pitt?

Could it be the sweet, dreamy clouds of mascarpone cream?



Perhaps the smoldering, dark espresso?



Or maybe it’s the simple fact that no matter how bad a day you've had, this sight has to be the ultimate pick me up.



"Brad Pitt Me Up" Tiramisu Tart
(makes one 9-inch tart)

Four components: pate sucree, genoise, espresso syrup, mascarpone cream.

1. Pate Sucree (Sweet Dough Crust)
(makes 14 ounces)

4 ounces (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (200g / 7 ounces) all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg yolk
2 tbsp heavy cream

In a food processor with the metal blade, pulse the butter and sugar about 15 times. Add the flour and salt and pulse again about 15 times or until the butter in no larger than small peas.

In a small bowl, stir together the egg yolk and cream. Add it to the mixture and pulse until just incorporated, about 8 times. The dough will still be crumbly.

Empty onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap press the dough together, kneading it a few times until the dough becomes one smooth piece. Flatten into a 6-inch disk.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, until it's firm enough to pat into the pan or to roll.

You will only need 11 ounces of the dough to line your 9 x 1-inch tart pan. Save the rest of the dough for another use. It's important that your tart pan be at least 1 inch deep. I used a springform pan and made sure that my dough came 1 inch up the sides. Also, be sure to use a pan with a removable bottom - it'll make it easier to get your finished tart out.

Roll your dough in between lightly floured sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/8-inch thick circle. Trim the edges of the rolled dough so that you have 11 1/2 inch circle. Gently transfer dough to your pan and press into pan, making sure that the dough comes up at least 1/8 inch above the rim of the tart pan. If the dough tears, just patch the holes with scraps. Wrap the lined pan well and refrigerate for 6 hours if you have the time. The longer rest period will help decrease the shrinkage during baking. But if you're pressed for time, refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400F. Remove the plastic wrap and line the dough with parchment (pleat the parchment to make it fit nicely). Fill the parchment with pie weights. Bake at 400F for 5 minutes. If the dough puffs in places, prick it lightly with a fork. Lower the heat to 375F and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until set. Lift out the weights with the parchment, prick lightly and continue bake for 10 to 15 minutes. (So total baking time would be 30 to 40 minutes). Let crust cool in the pan.


pie weights

2. Genoise (Sponge Cake)

3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup cake flour, measure and then sift 3 times

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare one 9-inch round cake pan by buttering just the bottom. Line with a parchment circle and butter the paper.

Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a simmer. Combine the eggs and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and place the bowl over the simmering water. Insert a thermometer. Whisk constantly until the temperature reaches 110F, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from heat and attach bowl to your stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip on high speed for 5 to 8 minutes or until the eggs are three times their original volume, are thick and pale yellow and form a ribbon that doesn’t dissolve when drizzled from a spatula.

Turn down the mixer to medium speed and whip for 2 more minutes. This helps the form to stabilize. Decrease speed to low, stream in the melted butter and mix for 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer.

Add the flour. Fold in gently with a balloon whisk, maintaining as much of the foam as possible.

Pour the batter into your pan. Tap the pan lightly on your countertop three times to eliminate any air bubbles. Then, using the same jerking wrist motion you would use to toss a Frisbee, swing the pan around on your countertop so that the batter is forced up the sides of the pan. This will prevent a dome from forming in the middle of the cake.

Bake 25 to 27 minutes. Test for doneness by lightly touching the top of the cake with your finger. The indentation should spring right back if it's done. If it's not done, bake another 5 to 10 minutes.

Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack, gently peel off the parchment. Cool for at least 2 hours. Slice the cake horizontally to get a 1/3-inch thick disk or cake. Make sure the disk will fit inside your baked tart crust. If necessary, trim some of the edges to make it fit. Save the remaining cake for another use.

3. Espresso Syrup

4 tsp instant espresso powder (I use Medaglia d'Oro brand)
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2/3 cup water, divided use
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp coffee liqueur (like Kahlua brand)

In a small saucepan, stir together the espresso powder, sugar, and 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the espresso and sugar. Remove from heat and add remaining 1/3 cup water, vanilla and liquor. Can be made 1 day ahead (store in refrigerator).

4. Mascarpone Cream

1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp coffee liqueur (like Kahlua brand)
1 cup heavy cream

Put mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.

Working with a stand or hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch (you don’t want to deflate your mixture). Use immediately.

How to assemble your tiramisu tart

Place your disk of genoise on a sheet of plastic wrap and brush with half the espresso syrup.

Make sure your baked tart crust has cooled completely. Leave tart crust in pan. Melt 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate. Warm 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and stir into melted chocolate until well combined. With the chocolate mixture, "paint" the bottom of your crust. This helps to moisture proof the tart crust so that it doesn’t get soggy.

Spoon half of the mascarpone cream into your chocolate painted tart crust, spreading the cream gently and evenly with an offset spatula. Place the genoise disk, syrup side down, on top of the cream. Brush genoise with the remaining syrup. Spread remaining mascarpone cream gently and evenly on top of genoise. Dust with unsweetened cocoa powder. Refrigerate tart at least 3 hours before serving.