Graveyard Tiramisu

i wish i had better pictures.
But you make do with what you've got.

The little pumpkins are made out of marzipan.
What a tiring two hours of kneading colouring evenly that was.
I think they came out adorable.
It should be Halloween all year round so i could have an excuse to make these to decorate little cakes all the time.

The gravestone were originally supposed to be Tim tams with 'RIP' etched out on them, but the Tim Tams in my pantry were gone. Must hire a Tim Tam Thief detective ASAP.

Say that three times, really fast.
Tim Tam Thief, Tim Tam Thief, Tim Tam Thief.

Instead, i used sponge fingers and used a toothpick and some nutella to write the 'RIP'(s)
i am a whizz at improvising, am i not?

The dirt is actually crushed oreos. Make sure that when you put them in the food processor that the cap is on tightly. Been there, done that. Not pretty. (but very tasty)

Tiramisu

Sponge fingers (makes 20):
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup cake flour
(alternatively buy ready made sponge fingers)

1 1/2 cup espresso coffee, cooled
1/2 cup whipped cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese
2 tbsp coffee liquor
1 tbsp cocoa powder

For the sponge fingers, butter and sprinkle a baking sheet with sugar lined with greaseproof paper. Separate the egg whites from yolks and beat with half the sugar until peaks keep their shape, set aside. Beat egg yolks with the remanding sugar until pale in colour. Alternately, a third at a time, fold egg white and flour into the yolks. Do not over mix. Pipe batter onto prepared tray. Sprinkle with sugar and bake in a 190 degrees C oven for 10 minutes or until light brown.

To prepare the mascarpone mixture, first whip cream with sugar until soft peaks form. Add mascarpone to the whipped cream mixture and blend until well combined.

Add coffee liquor to the cooled espresso coffee.

Put a layer, about 6-7 sponge fingers, into a 10x20 cm glass dish. Pour about 1 tbsp of the coffee mixture onto each sponge finger. Cover with 1/3 mascarpone mixture. Repeat this until you form 3 layers ending with the mascarpone mixture on top. Cover with cling film and refrigerate at least 5 hours, or overnight. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving.