Christmas baking: Panettone Tiramisu

Panettone. Ah Panettone! I think everyone, yes everyone, walks away with a Panettone at Christmas. They're a pretty gift, they're the perfect price point and good god, there are so so many varieties. There's a Panettone for everyone. The greatest thing about Panettone is that you can do so much with it. Obviously, you can just tear away its layers, but you can also make toasties with it, make an ice-cream sandwich and bread and butter is an obvious choice for its use. But as we're in a hard Tiramisu era, particularly here in Melbourne, it feels remiss not to make a Panettone Tiramisu. 

Enough chatter, here's the recipe! Do note - this quantity makes quite a large Tiramisu! I made it in this bowl from Robert Gordon which measures 28cm wide, which is BIG! I've also made it in this bowl, but you'll only need half - 3/4 of the below ingredients! 

Panettone Tiramisu 
INGREDIENTS 
500g thickened cream
125g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
500g mascarpone
500ml strong espresso coffee (cold)
150ml booze of choice (optional) - I used a mix of marsala and coffee liquor - rum or brandy would also be lovely. 
750g Panettone, cut into thin 5mm slices 
400g thickened cream, extra (optional) 

Method - 

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment start by whipping your thickened cream, sugar and vanilla bean paste until a very soft firm peak forms (we're looking for somewhere between a soft peak that flops back on itself and a stiff peak!). Switch to the paddle attachment and fold in your mascarpone. 

2. In a jug, mix together your cold espresso coffee and booze. Pour into a squeezey bottle or any vessel with a spout that you can control! 

3. To build your Tiramisu, you will need a large vessel - it doesn't need to be too deep - about 8 - 9cm deep. Start by popping a couple of slices of Panettone in the base of the vessel/bowl. They should cover the bottom, touching side by side, but not overlap. Taking your squeezey bottle, liberally cover the Panettone with your coffee/booze mixture. Once soaked, add two big spoons of mascarpone cream and spread over the panettone. Dust with cocoa. 

4. Repeat this process: Panettone, coffee, cream, cocoa dusting until you have run out of Panettone. Be sure to finish with a layer of cream and dusted cocoa. 

5. Now if you want to be bougie! With your extra 400g of thickened cream, whip this in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk, until stiff peaks form. Fit a piping bag with a petal tip and carefully pipe petals to form a giant rosette. But you can pipe whatever you want. You could do ribbons for instance. This step is not mandatory - this is an optional bougie extra. 

6. Allow your Tiramisu to sit overnight so your panettone is soft and your cream is set. 

Trixie Tips & Tricks! 

PREGGO FRIENDLY: By nature, this recipe is suitable for pregnancy mates, as it is raw egg free. Simply leave out the booze! 

DON'T SPLURGE ON YOUR PANETTONE (in this instance): If you were just going to be eating the Panettone by slice, then yes I would say seek out a decent, handcrafted panettone. As you're soaking it in coffee, booze and smothering it in cream, a budget Panettone will suffice. I used the chocolate chip Aldi one. 

BOWL BABY: Mix up your bowl choice! I opted for ceramic, but glass can also be magic so you can see all the gorgeous layers. 

DON'T MAKE IT: Lol, that's not a tip. But a shameless plug if you absolutely cannot be bothered making this Tiramisu (although you should, it's good). You can shop our entire Christmas range here.