Hojicha-soaked ladyfingers layered between orange zest-infused mascarpone and topped with cocoa powder create this deliciously easy tiramisu.
I’ve been pretty into low-effort cooking/baking recently (read: I’m fkn lazy). Was supposed to bake cupcakes for a friend’s birthday but then I thought, “Do I really want to turn on my oven during a heatwave?” So of course I decided to make tiramisu instead.
I’ve been wanting to make something with hojicha for awhile now. I told the owner of the teashop where I bought the hojicha from what I wanted to do and he recommended I add orange zest to the cream. What a fkn genius he is. Out of all the tiramisu I’ve made (see: matcha and classic) this was by far my favorite.
The past two recipes I used raw egg whites because I made them for myself and didn’t really care. However since this was for a friend and I didn’t want to risk giving them salmonella, I used heavy cream. It’s not an exact 1-to-1 substitute so a bit more heavy cream is needed (proportions in recipe). Thought of pasteurizing my own eggs but I didn’t have enough time. Using egg whites makes the tiramisu lighter but honestly the difference isn’t that pronounced. If you want it to be super light though you can buy pasteurized eggs!
Some notes for the recipe: don’t go too hard on the orange zest, but be generous with the cocoa powder. I used 6g of zest for the first test batch but I halved it because it was too way too much. I also used a loaf pan instead of a 9×9 dish this time because I wanted three layers instead of two. Oh I also didn’t use marsala wine because I didn’t want to buy a whole bottle to use 2tbsp. So technically the sabayon isn’t really a sabayon, you can add if you want to!
I used hojicha powder and made the soak mixture pretty concentrated, please taste a bit of it beforehand. If it’s too strong for you add more water! I believe tea leaves would also work but you’ll need to use a lot.
Lastly, for the sabayon mixture: I don’t have an instant read thermometer so I went by feel. It’s probably better to use one so I’d recommend you get one but I think as long as beat the mixture for 10 minutes and you’ve achieved the correct texture, things should be fine. The mixture should be thick and doubled in volume.
Hojicha Tiramisu
Equipment
- Hand mixer
Ingredients
Sabayon
- 3 large eggs yolks and whites separated (whites not needed if using heavy cream)
- 40 g white sugar (3 tbsp)
- 40 ml marsala wine (3 tbsp) optional
Mascarpone Mixture
- 240 g mascarpone (8 oz)
- 3 g orange zest
Whipped Cream/Egg Whites
- 140 ml heavy cream (2/3 cup) OR 3 pasteurized egg whites (~105g)
- 12 g sugar (1 tbsp)
Hojicha Dip
- 9 g hojicha powder
- 250 ml hot water (175 ºF/80 ºC)
- 25 g maple syrup (~2 tbsp)
- 18 ladyfingers for 3 layers in a standard loaf pan, more if using a wider pan
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder for dusting, as needed
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients for the sabayon into a heatproof bowl and began beating with an electric mixer. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. The water level should be low enough so that it doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Once water is boiling, turn to lowest heat to reduce to a very gentle simmer. Place the bowl on top and continue beating for 6~10 minutes until mixture is thick and fluffy.
- If you have an instant thermometer, remove mixture from heat when it registers between 165ºF and 170ºF. You can get close enough without one by gauging the time, warmth, and texture of the batter. Place on top of a cold towel or ice bath to stop the cooking and let cool.
- Add mascarpone into a clean mixing bowl and fold in the sabayon. Do not scrape the sides of the bowl used to make the sabayon since there's cooked egg stuck to it, be cautious when scooping out the mixture.
- Whip the heavy cream (or egg whites if you're using) to medium peaks, adding the sugar halfway. Fold in to the mascarpone mixture along with the orange zest.
- Whisk hojicha in 70ml of the hot water (do not use boiling water to avoid bitterness). Add to a long container (long enough to fit the ladyfingers), then add the maple syrup and the rest of the hot water. Mix well so the syrup incorporates.
- Quickly dip the ladyfingers into the hojicha mixture and being layering them in your pan. You want to fully coat the ladyfingers but be fast since they get soggy easily. If they don't fit perfectly you can just cut them (save the cut off bits to make tiny versions in smaller containers if you have enough of the mascarpone mixture leftover!)
- For three layers, roughly split the mascarpone mixture into thirds and alternate layering with the ladyfingers (the last layer should be the last third of the mascarpone mixture).
- Chill for at least 6 hours in the fridge. Top generously with cocoa powder before serving.
