Monday, June 12, 2006
Mascarpone Cream Cake with Toffee and Figs
Just now I said that the fish was a perfect finish to the day. That was not entirely true though. I actually made desert. Yesterday I found a tub of mascarpone cheese that was coming close to the use by date in the back of the fridge. I've packed way too much stuff in there of late, I had simply forgot that I had it. But mascarpone will rarely go to waste in this house. Normally, Lofty and I simply spread it on slices of crusty bread and smother it with jam - a sort of creamier replacement for butter or lighter version of clotted cream. It is, however, also perfect for all kinds of summer deserts, such as my quick and easy berry tiramisu (that I shall make as soon as Irish summer berries are in season), regular Italian tiramisu or fluffy no-bake cheesecake. Or something in between, which is exactly what I made tonight.After my earlier success with dinner I was on a bit of a high and felt all creative. So I got reckless and did something I rarely do; I tried to create my own desert. Normally I stick to savoury food and simple tarts. Sweets and deserts are quite difficult and prone to disaster if you don't know exactly what you are doing. You can always adjust the seasoning of a soup, but a messed up custard is a case for the bin. But tonight I was confident that my planned concoction of mascarpone cream cake with figs and toffee sauce would turn out all right. And I was almost right. It was quite tasty, but way too soft. This was a minor setback, though. It would have been perfect if we had had the patience to let it set properly.
For the crumb base:
250g toffee, caramel or almond biscuits (try to go for soft, fluffy biscuits to keep the base nice and light; digestives will do, but obviously the result will be heavier and less tasty)
75g butter, melted
For the filling:
1 large egg
1 tbsp caster sugar (more to taste)
2 tbsp toffee sauce
175g mascarpone cheese
2 drops vanilla extract (optional)
1 fig, cut into wedges
3 to 4 tbsp toffee sauce to drizzle over the cake
For the crumb base, process the biscuits in a mini blender until you have coarse crumbs. Alternatively you can put the biscuits in a plastic bag and bash them with a rolling pin, but be gentle to prevent the bag from splitting.
Thoroughly mix the crumbs with the melted butter to make a thick paste. Spoon the mixture into a 10 to 15cm cake tin with a removable bottom or a chef's ring on a flat plate. Press it in firmly, but not so hard that the base becomes thick and compacted. Refrigerate until set.
In the meantime make the filling. Separate the egg. Put the yolk in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and beat until light yellow and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone, making sure it is well incorporated. Now add the toffee sauce and vanilla extract. The result will be slightly runny, but don't worry, it will set in the fridge. (If you leave it long enough that is.) With a clean whisk, beat the egg white with the remaining sugar until it stands stiff, then gently fold it into the mascarpone cream, adding more sugar if needed. Again incorporate well, but this time make sure not to overmix. You would not want the mixture to collapse.
Spoon the mascarpone mixture on top of the biscuit base, spreading it smoothly right out to the edges. Cover and rest in the refrigerator for several hours, preferably overnight. Make sure you keep it airtight, mascarpone cream quickly takes on the flavour of its environment and stale fridge tart is not nice.
About 20 minutes before you are ready to dish up, take the cake out of the refrigerator and remove the springform or chef's ring. To do that, briefly heat the outside of the ring with a blow torch to loosen the bond with the mascarpone, then run a knife around the inside edge to free the cake completely. If everything goes to plan, you should end up with a neat looking cheesecake. If not, the result will resemble the picture above. Drizzle the top of the cake with toffee sauce and arrange the fig wedges on top. Keep cool until you are ready to serve.
Christine at 9:45 pm
