Tiramisu Cake

Tiramisu is a well-known Italian cake, with its name in Italian translating to “lift me up, cheer me up”. Originally created as an homage to Grand Duke Cosimo Medici III’s visit, the work took place in Siena, in the province of Tuscany, Italy. His love of the cake inspired him to bring the recipe to Florence. A sizable group of English artists and scientists lived and worked in Florence, helping to bring this recipe to England where the cake then became rather well-known.

The modern version of tiramisu is believed to have started in the 1960s at the Treviso, Veneto province, restaurant “La Beccherie”. This cake is called Tiramisu since it is said that a brothel existed above this restaurant where the women and courtesans needed something to energize them between their several visits.

Food writers Klara and Gigi Padovani claim at present that they have found a 1950s recipe originating in the province of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. These provinces are now engaged in fierce competition about the source of their tiramisu.

This cake first became well-known in San Francisco, then started to spread around America. With so many variants across many civilizations, the cake has become a worldwide known treat. The recipe called for light cream at first, but lately mascarpone cheese has been included.

Ladyfinger cookies, carefully soaked in espresso, are arranged in this dessert in a neat manner and topped with a rich mascarpone filling, so enhancing the whole taste sensation. Though not a cake in the traditional definition, tiramisu’s layered composition and connection with festive events help to classify it as often as one.