Ever since I got these cute silicone cloud molds, I wanted to make some aesthetically pleasing mousse cakes with them! One idea is taking a classic Italian tiramisu, and literally setting it into cloud-like shapes just for a cozier feel. Italian tiramisu consists of a sponge, usually ladyfingers or savoiardi biscuits, dunking them in a spiked espresso mixture, and layering them up with mascarpone(sometimes flavored with marsala wine), and dusting the whole thing with cocoa powder to finish. It is Italian for “pick me up”, because having a mouthful of that would perk you right up, from all of the sharp flavors contrasting with the soft textures. I have been seeing so many videos of matcha tiramisu cloud-shaped cakes in Japanese cafes, so I just figured it would be fun to so something similar, but with a coffee-based tiramisu instead of the matcha. That and I had a ton of cold brew that I made, so I wanted to use up some of that in a cute little dessert! When it came to the flavors, that was where I did debate on if I wanted to do any riffs on the typical amaretto-coffee situation. One thing I remembered was tonka bean. Tonka beans are very similar in flavor to a vanilla bean, but with cocoa, almond, and cherry notes as well. Which is kind of perfect given the fact that my tiramisu uses amaretto(almond liquor) and cold brew in them already! The tonka bean, having similar flavors to that, really accentuate the other classic tiramisu ingredients, and adds something surprisingly new altogether. I wouldn’t say that this is a reinvention(or deconstruction ew) of an Italian classic, because I am keeping in line with a lot of the traditional components of a tiramisu in the coffee soaked sponge layered with mascarpone, but rather, I am taking what already works, building upon it with an ingredient that compliments those things, and throwing it all into a silicone cloud mold to make it extra whimsical and fun!

I will admit that from a technical standpoint, this recipe is actually on the easier side to execute. There are only four components to these mousse cakes: an almond sponge, a tonka bean-mascarpone mousse, cold brew-amaretto soak, and a dusting of cocoa powder just to keep in line with the classic. In terms of difficulty, a lot of these parts come together really easily. The sponge does require whipped egg white, but if you use a stand mixer, it is super easy to make. The mascarpone mousse admittedly is the most technical part of this recipe; whipping mascarpone can cause it to separate and curdle due to the high fat content, so the key is to be gentle with your folding of it so that it does not start to do that. The other part is the waiting time. Since we are putting these tiramisu into silicone cloud molds, it will take at least 2 hours for them to fully freeze before you can safely unmold them. That being said, for the less patient people out there, you can just layer up all of the components into a serving glass and have just a classic tiramisu instead and in probably 1/4 the amount of time! Ultimately, the cloud molds are just there to make them look cuter, but the flavor will be all the same, with nutty almond sponge, creamy tonka bean mascarpone, a nice hit of cold brew and amaretto, and the classic cocoa powder to finish.

Makes 6 mousse cakes:
For the almond sponge:
1 egg white
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1oz brown butter
.1g finely grated tonka bean
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder

In a bowl, whip the egg white with sugar until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, mix the brown butter, tonka bean, salt, and almond flour together. Sift into that the flour and baking powder, then fold in the egg whites to form your batter. Pour the batter into a lined 1/8 sheet tray and spread the batter in an even layer. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Allow the cake to fully cool before cutting out 1/2 inch by 1 inch rectangles, keeping in mind you will need three per mousse cake.

For the mascarpone-tonka bean mousse:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp gelatin powder
.1g finely grated tonka bean
a pinch of salt
8oz mascarpone cheese
4oz heavy cream, whipped stiff

In a pot, heat up the sugar, water, gelatin, tonka, and salt until everything is dissolved together. Pour the liquid over the mascarpone and mix together using a rubber spatula. Fold into that the heavy cream to form your mousse. Transfer the mousse into a piping bag for assembly.

For assembly:
1/4 cup cold brew
1 tsp amaretto or frangelico
cocoa powder

Mix the cold brew and liquor together. Dunk the pieces of sponge into the soak. Pipe silicone cloud petit gateau molds 1/3 the way full with the mousse. Then press in the soaked sponge pieces. Then pipe more mousse up another 1/3 the way full. Then add in a second soaked sponge. Then pipe the molds all the rest of the way up with the mousse, scraping down the tops with an offset spatula to remove any excess mousse. Then place a third soaked sponge onto the tops of the molds. Freeze the mousses for 4 hours before attempting to unmold. After unmolding, dust the tops of the tiramisu cakes with cocoa powder to finish.