Strawberry tiramisu with Nomu matcha
Strawberry and matcha are an excellent combination; especially in a rich tiramisu style sponge cake. The sweet berries complement the umami astringency of matcha.
Ingredients
For the sponge:
4 large eggs, separated
130g caster sugar
2 tablespoons hot water
120g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
70g ground almonds
For the strawberry syrup:
250g strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
100g sugar
150ml orange juice
For the matcha cream:
250g mascarpone
300ml cream
¼ cup icing sugar
2 tsp Nomu matcha powder
To assemble:
A small handful (3-4 tablespoons crushed) Fresh As freeze dried strawberries (optional)
1-2 tsp Nomu matcha powder for dusting
250g strawberries, cut into slices
2 Tbsp icing sugar
Method
For the sponge:
Preheat the oven to 200°C or 180°C fan bake.
Grease and line a baking tin approx 38 x 26cm with baking paper.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in an electric mixer until thick and creamy. Drizzle with the hot water and combine well. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt, stir through the almonds then fold through the egg mix.
Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and fold gently through the mix a ⅓ at a time until just incorporated. Spread onto the lined baking tray and bake for 15-18 minutes until the top bounces back when lightly touched with a finger. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Place a wire rack on top, flip over, remove the tray and carefully peel off the baking paper. Set aside to cool.
For the strawberry syrup:
Put the strawberries, sugar and orange juice in a small pan and simmer for a few minutes, mashing the pulp. Cool then strain the mix through a fine sieve. This can be done ahead and kept in the fridge for a few days.
For the matcha cream:
Put the mascarpone and cream in a large bowl then sift in the icing sugar and matcha powder. Whisk with an electric beater until thick and creamy.
To assemble:
If using freeze dried strawberries, crush to a powder in a mortar and pestle just before using.
Cut the sponge to fit your baking dish or tin.
Put the strawberry syrup in a wide dish big enough to soak the sponge. Dip one half of the sponge in the syrup for 20 seconds, flip over and repeat then put into your baking dish or tin (we used a 18x 18cm dish with a depth of 7.5cm). Sprinkle over half of the freeze dried strawberries if using. Cover with half of the matcha cream and smooth the top. Repeat once more. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours but ideally overnight.
Mix the strawberries with the icing sugar and leave to macerate for 20 minutes.
Just before serving dust the top of the with extra matcha powder. Cut with a sharp knife and serve with the strawberries.