Hooked on cooking – Dessert design - The Tiramisu Tower

This Tiramisu Tower is perfect for the cheflets to show off their new found talents – for themselves as a treat or, if you are still in entertaining mode, let them create individual Towers for the guests. If you are dining al fresco then your picnic plastic is perfect or, if indoors you could always use glass tumblers for the grown-ups.

Here's the basic recipe :

Orange Tiramisu

(Serves 4/5 depending on size of dessert bowl)

Grated rind and juice of 2 oranges plus

4 additional tbsps of orange juice

20fl oz whipping cream

Madeira cake – 2 x 250g(ish) – you may

not use it all but it won't go to waste

4tbls caster sugar

8oz Mascarpone or Philadelphia

2oz plain chocolate (grated)

or chocolate flakes, bashed in their packets

circular cutters – various sizes

Mix the orange rind and juice.

Mix the cream carefully with the sugar and mascarpone. **see below.

Cut up the cake in shapes that suit the bowl you are using and dip into the orange mixture.

Grate the chocolate

Layer the mascarpone mixture with the sponge and sprinkle with chocolate.

Variations

I'm suggesting an orange syrup as an optional extra. Ideally it should really be made ahead so it can cool properly and become gloopy – in case you're not aware this is a technical cookery term! It needs to be perfect to fold gently through the mascarpone and sugar, creating a brilliant orange stripe through the mixture and a final drizzle over the top of the tower before sprinkling with chocolate**.

Any remaining syrup can be served in a jug (if eating inside) or a squeezy bottle (if eating al fresco)

If you are making double the quantity of this dessert I'd suggest doubling the amount of syrup.

Orange Syrup

200g icing sugar

250ml orange juice (no bits)

Put the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.

You could if you wish add an additional layer of oranges or mandarin oranges. You can buy easy peel oranges (the size of a large satsuma) if you'd like to use fresh fruit or, if not available you can buy tins of mandarin oranges in fruit juice. If you used tinned mandarins then you could use the fruit juice in the orange rind and juice dipping mixture – waste not want not!

I appreciate not part of a classical tiramisu but it adds an extra level of fruit and hey – as I've always said, rules are made to be broken.

My final suggestion is that you might want to check out your favourite cut price shop and buy some long handled sundae spoons – ideal to reach the bottom of tall glasses – plastic or otherwise!