Old Bust Head Bourbon Barrel Aged Gold Cup Tiramisu

Recipe and Photos by Kaitlin Hill

With notes of espresso, vanilla, and dark chocolate, Old Bust Head Bourbon Barrel Aged Gold Cup is practically made to go into tiramisu. The beer gets boiled down into a syrup which further concentrates the flavors of this already robust beer. Homemade, or store-bought, lady fingers are generously soaked in the rich beer syrup and then layered with decadent mascarpone cream and fluffy whipped cream resulting in the ultimate indulgence. Though this recipe has its fair share of steps, you can make it the night before for an easy dessert the next day. In fact, I recommend it, as the flavors get even better the longer the tiramisu sets. 

Ingredients: 

Lady Fingers:
3 eggs (separated)
¼ teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
½ cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder

Tiramisu:

1 bottle (750 milliliters) of Old Bust Head Bourbon Barrel Aged Gold Cup

¼ cup of freshly brewed coffee
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, divided 

2/3 cup of whole milk

6 egg yolks

16 ounces of mascarpone cheese 

1 ¼ cups of heavy whipping cream 

1 teaspoon of vanilla 

Pinch of salt 

1 tablespoon of cocoa powder 

Directions: 

To make the lady fingers, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large cookie trays with parchment. 

Place the egg whites in a large bowl and using a hand or stand mixer on medium-high speed, whip the egg whites until they are opaque and soft peaks are starting to form. Add in the salt and sugar slowly, while continuing to beat the egg whites. Mix until they are completely opaque, glossy, and hold stiff peaks. 

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks on high speed for 2 – 5 minutes until they are pale in color and have doubled in volume. 

Add the egg whites into the egg yolks and gently fold them to combine using a spatula. 

Next, gently fold in the flour and baking powder until there are no dry or wet pockets. 

Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle. Pipe lines of batter that are 3 inches in length, leaving about an inch between each line of batter.

Once all the batter is piped, place the cookie trays in the oven and bake for 12 – 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove the trays from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely. 

Next, make the soaking liquid by adding the Gold Cup to a large saucepan. Boil the beer on high heat until it has reduced to 1 cup of liquid, about 25 minutes. Stir in the coffee and ¾ cup of sugar and boil for one more minute until the sugar is dissolved. Set the soaking liquid aside to cool completely. 

To make the pastry cream, whisk the egg yolks, the remaining two tablespoons of sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Add the milk to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until simmering. Add half of the milk to the eggs and whisk to combine. This will temper the eggs. Add the warmed eggs back to the saucepan with the remaining milk while whisking. Whisk constantly for 2 – 3 minutes until the cream has thickened slightly. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, and place in the fridge to cool completely. 

Once the pastry cream is cold, whisk it into the mascarpone and set aside. 

Place the heavy cream in a large bowl and beat with a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until it starts to thicken. Next, add a pinch of salt and the vanilla extract. Keep beating until stiff peaks form. 

To assemble the tiramisu, use a 9x9-inch casserole dish or container of a similar size. Working with one lady finger at a time, dip the lady finger into the beer soaking liquid and place it at the bottom of the dish. Continue this process until the bottom of the dish is covered in a single layer of dipped lady fingers. 

Using an offset spatula, spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the lady fingers covering them completely. Top the mascarpone with half of the whipped cream and spread it out completely covering the layer below it. 

Repeat the process of layering the lady fingers, mascarpone, and whipped cream one more time. Place the dish in the fridge to set for at least 6 hours or overnight. 

When ready to serve, dust the top of the tiramisu with the cocoa powder and divide into serving bowls. Enjoy with a tall glass of Gold Cup!