Punchy, creamy, and endlessly scrumptious — it’s no wonder tiramisù has its own day, and it’s fast approaching!

 

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The 21st of March is considered World Tiramisù Day, and we really do love this dessert, if you couldn’t tell. Layers of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, whipped eggs, sugar and mascarpone cheese come together perfectly to create one of the most mouthwatering, quintessentially Italian puddings.

While there is no need to limit your tiramisù consumption to 21 March, we believe that, as much as it is unbelievably gorgeous, it is also overshadowing some other incredible Italian desserts — and there are lots of them. Many Italian desserts are centred around flavours like coffee, dark chocolate, and alcohol; take for instance, the classic tiramisù or traditional torta al cioccolato. They also rely heavily on milk and cream, both of which can be found both in panna cotta and zabaglione.

So, for when this World Tiramisù Day comes and goes, here are our top three Italian desserts you probably don’t know about, and how to make them.

1. Babà al rum

Babà al rum, also known as Babà Napoletano, is a small yeasted rum cake, similar to brioche, drenched in citrusy rum syrup and glazed with apricot jam. Some versions feature whipped cream as a topping, or even orange peel and raisins added to the batter. This recipe is quite straightforward, but it can be hugely improved with homemade jam instead of store-bought.

Ingredients

For the sponge

• 600g strong white flour
• 50g caster sugar
• 5g active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• 12 medium eggs, cold and lightly beaten
• 200g butter, cubed at room temperature
• A pinch of salt
• 400g apricot jam (for the glaze)

For the syrup

• 2 litres of water
• Zest of a whole lemon
• Zest of a whole orange
• 800g sugar
• 400ml rum

Method

1. Combine 30g of flour with yeast and milk until a smooth ball of dough is formed. Place in a bowl, cover with cling film, and leave in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes. The dough should double in size.
2. Add the remaining flour into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Incorporate the yeast mixture on low-medium speed, add the eggs and sugar and let the mixer run for about 20 minutes, until the dough becomes elastic.
3. Switch to a dough hook attachment and add salt as the mixer works. One cube at a time, incorporate the butter — make sure the cube is fully mixed before adding the next one.
4. When all of the butter has been added, keep working the dough for a further 10 minutes. The result should be a soft and pale yellow mixture.
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and wrap in cling film. Let rise for three hours in a warm place.
6. While the dough rises, make the syrup. Pour the water into a pot and incorporate the lemon and orange zest as well as the sugar. Over a medium heat, bring to a simmer.
7. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat. When slightly chilled, add the rum and put the pot aside.
8. Grease and flour your baby savarin moulds and preheat the oven to 180°C.
9. Create 70g balls from the dough and place each in a mould. Leave to rise until the dough grows into the mould and forms a dome.
10. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until deeply golden brown.
11. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning the cakes out of the moulds and placing them on a cooling rack.
12. Heat the syrup until warm (but not boiling). Using a pair of tongs, dip each cake into the syrup and soak on all sides. Gently squeeze any excess.
13. Transfer the cakes onto a cooling rack over a baking sheet, turning occasionally to encourage even soaking.
14. Brush the cakes with apricot jam.
15. Drizzle with more syrup when served.

2. Tartufo

Probably the most impressive dessert on this list, tartufo (literally meaning ‘truffle’) is a gelato-based bombe that tastes just as good as it looks. A molten chocolate ball (or fruit syrup) wrapped in two flavours of gelato and covered in a chocolate shell (think Ferrero Rocher taken to the extreme) — what can be better? The most notable version is Tartufo di Pizzo, which features hazelnut ice cream, but other options are available too.

Ingredients

For the chocolate gelato

• 500ml whole milk
• 25g skimmed milk powder
• 125g caster sugar
• 200g dark chocolate

For the hazelnut gelato

• 500ml whole milk
• 25g skimmed milk powder
• 125g caster sugar
• 65g hazelnut paste

For the chocolate sauce

• 50g dark chocolate
• 90ml double cream
• 80g caster sugar
• 85ml water
• 30g cocoa powder

For the sugared hazelnuts

• 50g hazelnuts
• 50g sugar
• 25ml water

Method

1. To make the chocolate gelato, set a pan over medium heat and combine the milk, milk powder and sugar.
2. Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches a simmer, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted and fully incorporated.
3. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a plastic container. Chill for a few hours and then use an ice cream machine to churn and return to the freezer until needed.
4. Repeat the process to create the hazelnut gelato: bring milk, milk powder and sugar to a simmer and add the hazelnut paste. Blitz with a hand blender to combine and then pass through a sieve, chill and churn.
5. For the chocolate sauce, add double cream, sugar and water to a pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiled, remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth.
6. Return to the heat and bring the mixture to a boil again, whisking constantly. When it starts bubbling, remove from the heat and stir in dark chocolate until melted and fully combined. Chill until ready to assemble.
7. To make the sugared hazelnuts, preheat the oven to 180°C and line two baking trays with baking parchment.
8. Spread the hazelnuts out on one of the trays and toast in the oven for a couple of minutes until golden brown and fragrant. Watch them carefully as they can burn quite quickly!
9. Over high heat, pour the water into a small pan and add the sugar. Without stirring, allow the mixture to reach 140°C.
10. Add the hazelnuts straight from the oven, mixing quickly over the heat until the sugar becomes dry and powdery. Remove from the heat and tip over the clean baking tray to cool.
11. In order to assemble the tartufo, you need to remove the ice cream from the freezer to let it soften a little bit.
12. Line eight ramekins with a large square of parchment paper, allowing for generous overhang. Scrunching up the paper first can help with that.
13. Place a large scoop of chocolate gelato at the base of each ramekin. Using a spoon, form a well in the centre.
14. Fill the wells with 2-3 sugared hazelnuts and 1 tsp of the chocolate sauce.
15. Cover with a scoop of hazelnut gelato, pressing it down to fill any gaps.
16. Layer another spoonful of the chocolate gelato on top, covering completely.
17. Fold up the overhanging parchment to cover the ice cream fully, twisting slightly to hold in place. Allow to set in the freezer for at least two hours.
18. To serve, remove from the parcels onto serving plates and peel off the parchment. Sprinkle with a generous amount of cocoa powder.

3. Zeppole

A timely dessert, Zeppole di San Giuseppe are cream-filled choux pastries traditionally made for the Feast of St Joseph — celebrated on 19 March. The Italian version of profiteroles, they are stuffed and topped with crema pasticcera (pastry cream), dusted with powdered sugar, and garnished with a cherry.

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 150g flour
• 100g butter
• 1½ tsp sugar
• 250ml water
• 4 eggs, room temperature

For the filling

• 2 egg yolks
• 200ml milk, room temperature
• 150g sugar
• 2¼ tbsp corn or potato starch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar for dusting
• Pinch of salt
• Maraschino cherries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. For the choux pastry, place the butter, sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a rolling boil, then add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from the heat.
3. Add an egg and beat until incorporated fully, then repeat with the remaining eggs. The batter formed should be smooth.
4. Move the mixture into a piping bag. Onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, pipe small puffs with a well in the middle. Make sure to keep the puffs about three inches apart.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the pastries in for another 10. Remove and place on a cooling rack.
6. While they are baking, prepare the filling. Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, corn or potato starch, salt and vanilla in a pot. Pour in warm milk slowly, and place on the hob on low heat, continuously whisking and pouring and increasing the heat gradually. Cook for a few minutes, until the mixture thickens.
7. Using a skewer, punch a hole into the side of the pastries and fill with the cream with a piping bag. Pipe more cream into the well at the top.
8. Dust with powdered sugar and crown with a cherry.