First, I need for any and all readers to know that this is NOT my recipe, but I DID IT! I follow Boone Bake on YouTube (and that link will take you to her amazing video) ...but it was my 57th Birthday yesterday and I needed to move some energy! Hey, I'm a bit of a kitchen witch, and getting grounded means I head into the baking space and "sacred alchemy" isn't always chocolate, but this time it was all about the chocolate.
And nothing says Happy Birthday more than two days in the kitchen pouring chocolate cups and making my own Savoiardi (Ladyfingers) for the mix! They are formed by using a pastry bag and shaping them in the little circles big enough to fit inside the chocolate cup, which I measured ahead of time, thanks to the gentle reminder in the video.
She used real chocolate, and I tried. I really did. And it was a disaster, so I managed to make the mold from a "candy coating" chocolate mix. It was difficult making the cups, but that's actually the whole point of this recipe ...The Big Guy (my husband 
Here's a picture.
The real treat though, was creating that mascarpone filling. And yes, she does add lemon zest sugar to the filling, which is why it's necessary to press it through a sieve. I thought it was odd too, but I'm telling you, I followed the recipe to the letter. Which reminds me, oh the joy of having a partner who knows how to evaluate the metric system into the standard American system! It is a benefit when doing true cooking here in the United States.
I don't know if it's acceptable to place her recipe here, because I read through the rules of plagiarism and I'd hate for my first post in Foodies Bee Hive to get tossed into the river. You CAN click on her video though, and the ingredients are all listed. If someone can tell me in the comments section whether or not that is allowed, I can edit this post and remove it should that be an issue. I just felt that you would want to see her list:
● Chocolate Cup
250g compound chocolate (1 cup + 1/2 cup)
● coffee syrup
100g hot water (1/3 cup + 1Tbsp+1tsp)
5g Instant coffee (2tsp)
10g sugar (1/2Tbsp+1tsp)
10ml Amaretto (Almond extract, dark rum, kahlua can be substituted)
● Savoiardi (Ladyfinger)
1 yolk
10g sugar (1/2Tbsp+1tsp)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg white
20g sugar (1Tbsp+ 2tsp)
25g cake flour (3Tbsp)
5 g (2 tsp) cornstarch
1 g baking powder
Powdered sugar
● Special Mascarpone Cream
100g milk (1/3 cup + 1Tbsp+1tsp)
5ml Negrita Dark Rum (1tsp)
1 yolk
15g sugar (1Tbsp)
1/4 lemon zest
8 g cornstarch (1 Tbsp)
270g mascarpone (1 cup + 1/3 cup)
60 g (1/3 cup) sugar
150g Heavy cream (60% whipped) (2/3 cups)
As a side note, I used Kahlua and a blend of Almond Essence in the coffee syrup.
And there, gentle readers, was my "Birthday Cake"!
They were delicious. I am so grateful to the fabulous chefs who come up with these amazing treats.
The next time I make these, I'll probably just put them in a ramekin though, because those cups were A LOT of work. The fun and the beauty were worth it, at least once though. Thank you for reading and again, if I've "done it wrong" (not the recipe, LOL, the post) do let me know. I just had to share my process.
Any images and graphics (unless noted) are mine.
