Tiramisu Brownies

How do you celebrate two years of Mood Artisan Coffee? This year I skipped the cake and went for something else that is equally outrageous: a fudgy brownie topped with a tiramisu layer! Yes, I know you are drooling, as am I.

This recipe brings together chocolate and coffee in the best of ways. It starts with your favourite brownie recipe, followed by lady fingers dipped in Mood espresso (or strong-brewed coffee) and then topped with a coffee-infused, mascarpone whipped cream.

Before we get into the recipe, I have to ask - are you team fudgy brownie or team cakey brownie? If you're a cakey brownie kind of person then I'm sorry but we can't be friends (jk, I would never do that but I am totally judging your brownie preferences right now).

Regardless of what team you're on, the best part about this Tiramisu Brownie is that you can use your favourite, tried and true recipe, and just add a double shot of espresso to the batter before baking. Coffee always brings out a deeper chocolatey flavour so I never skip this part. It's super quick to put together and the hardest part is waiting overnight for the tiramisu layer to set and get fully soaked.

One last thing to mention is that this recipe's tiramisu layer is non-traditional. It doesn't utilize raw eggs in the cream layer like a classic tiramisu does. I wanted to keep things easy and accessible because I'd only recommend using raw eggs if you have access to a local farmer's chicken coup near by.

Now, let’s bake.

Tiramisu Brownies

Yield: 12 brownies

Adapted from the following:

• Brownies by Lidey Heuck
• Mascarpone Frosting by Samantha Seneviratne

Ingredients

• A fully prepared and baked brownie in an 8 x 8 inch square pan. I used Lidey Heuck's brownie recipe from the New York Times (it's behind a paywall but I'm a firm believer in paying for good recipes!)
• 200mL freshly pulled espresso (about 4 double shots)
• 1 sleeve of savoiardi lady fingers
  
• 360mL heavy whipping cream (35%)
• 10g (2 tsp) fine ground coffee
• 60g (1/2 cup) icing sugar
• 230g (1 cup) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

Procedure

1. Prepare the frosting: In a small saucepan, bring 240mL heavy cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the coffee, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain the coffee through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and chill the remaining cream until completely cold, at least 1 hour.
2. Bake and cool a brownie using your favourite recipe. Once cooled, put the brownie back into the 8 x 8 pan it was baked in. This will allow you to build the tiramisu layer easily and with clean edges.
3. Brew 4 shots of double espresso (about 200mL) and pour into a wide, shallow bowl.
4. Quickly dunk each lady finger into the coffee and place on top of the brownie, ensuring to cover the brownie layer completely in a single layer of lady fingers. Set aside in the fridge.
5. Finish the frosting: Add the remaining  120mL heavy cream and the confectioners’ sugar to the coffee cream. With an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream mixture until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mascarpone and beat just until stiff peaks form. (Do not overmix or it will curdle.)
6. Top the tiramisu brownie with the frosting and let it set overnight in the fridge. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.