Baileys and Hot Chocolate Tiramisu

Please welcome Jacklyn, of A BitterSweet Wife, a delicious food blog I discovered a few months ago. Jacklyn is a NYC fashion designer turned food writer with an incredible sense of design and very creative recipes. I'm especially fond of Jacklyn's desserts. Tiramisu is our family’s favorite dessert, so it’s a special treat to be sharing Jacklyn’s Baileys hot cocoa tiramisu recipe. Please visit Jacklyn's A Bitter Sweet Wife for more delicious dessert recipes!

This year is turning out just as wonderfully as I had predicted. I know it's a little soon to judge the entire year, but three weeks in, I'm very satisfied with the outlook. One of the very exciting opportunities that has presented itself to me this year is that I was asked by Jackie of PhamFatale.com to create a guest post for her blog! Seeing as though my blog is still a baby at six months old this month, it was an unexpected but great surprise that she reached out to me a few weeks ago asking me if I would be interested in creating a dessert post for her blog. Of course I said yes and began brainstorming for something that would be unique, but easy and delicious for my recipe. I am beyond pleased with my decision and the outcome of the dessert. It is a for sure crowd pleaser in anyone's kitchen.

It's a twist on a timeless classic that will have you dreaming of nights in front of the fireplace as you watch the snow fall outside your window.

Who doesn’t like to cuddle up with a nice mug of hot cocoa on a cold winters night? Add a little splash of Baileys and your sitting pretty. Well I decided that for my first attempt at tiramisu I was going to mix things up a little bit and do my own take on this Italian classic. (Hence were my opening statement about the Baileys spiked hot chocolate comes in to play.) I decided to swap out the coffee and brandy liquor for hot chocolate and Baileys, hoping that the taste would be reminiscent of the popular winters night beverage. And I have to say I think I was extremely successful. The taste of Baileys soaked cake hits you first, and then you get the sweetness from the chocolate powder mixed with the creamy tartness of the mascarpone mixture. It’s quite a divine combination.

Lemon Tiramisu Recipe

Lemon tiramisu is a great dessert to end a very romantic dinner. Yesterday, I served my Valentine a dinner that is reminiscent of our recent trip to Rome. Instead of the traditional ladyfingers in between the layers of mascarpone cream, I used chocolate chip biscotti instead. I flavored the mascarpone cream with Meyer lemons, which paired wonderfully with theItalian chocolate cookies.

We looked at the photos of our trip to Italy, while feeding each other from the dessert cups. My favorite place was, of course, the Vatican (thanks for the link, Bill!) with its magnificent frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. Oh so romantic!

Raspberry Trifle (Charlotte aux Framboises)

At first blush, charlotte aux framboises closely resembles an Italian tiramisu. The lady fingers and cream are where the similarities end though. This recipe is made with raspberry extract, fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce. For a more grownup treat, you can use framboise, which is a raspberry-flavored liqueur. Charlottes are traditionally made with fromage blanc, which is a thick yogurt that you can find in any market in France. I didn't have any, so I substituted mascarpone in instead. It's delicious either way.

Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Syrup and Mascarpone Cream Dessert

We hosted a dinner party at home this evening. I wanted to make a "summery" tiramisu parfait, as opposed to the "wintry" coffee tiramisu I made in the past. I found some beautiful sweet Maui Gold pineapple and decided to add a refreshing twist to the classic Italian dessert. I added some fresh mint from the garden, some coconut, mascarpone and crème fraîche.

I served a wide variety of sweet petit fours and other desserts along with the pineapple mascarpone desserts. I know it was a hit because there wasn't a bit left. When everyone went home, I gathered 14 empty parfait glasses. It looked like the guests washed the dishes themselves. I'm definitely going to make this again!

Sweet Mascarpone and Berries with Lemon Ganache

If you're looking for a fast and easy yet elegant dessert recipe, this one is for you. I usually make this dessert to please my little 9-year-old sister-in-law who is allergic to eggs.

The rich cinnamon-flavored mascarpone mixture with the refreshing combination of blackberries and blueberries makes a very festive sweet treat for little kids and big kids as well.

To give more body to the dessert, I sprinkle a layer of coarsely-crumbled Italian puff pastry and top with a layer of lemon ganache. The result is to die for!