About a week ago my husband and I celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary (the crystal glasses seen in my previous post were our gift to one another to remember this rather special milestone). We also decided to take our two boys out for dinner that evening to a local Italian restaurant to delight in some really wonderful food. After a relaxing meal and a glass or two of wine, it finally came time for dessert… tiramisu was spotted on the menu and my choice was made (all rather swiftly). It arrived at the table and naturally the children were keen to have a taste, but with the infusion of coffee and liqueur, a small spoonful was more than enough and they were straight back to their gelato. Phew… all the more for me! 😉
Following that evening, an idea has been rattling around in my head to create a version of this iconic, marvellous dessert that could be equally tempting for both adults AND children. So, despite not having posted a savoury recipe in well over a month, I am hoping that you will indulge me just one more time, so that I can put my head down to rest tonight and get a full night’s sleep! It really has been bothering me to the point of distraction.
One other thing that’s been causing a little lack of sleep lately is the fact that we were given a wonderful big pot of honey just before Christmas from our very kind bee-keeping neighbour. Those of you who follow G&G on Facebook may remember seeing photos of the Honey Bee Swarm in our backyard last October and our fabulous bee-keeping neighbour who came to save the day and remove them for us. I have to say that this pot of honey is very well loved, but I really didn’t want to see it all disappear, slathered onto slices of toast (never mind how delicious that is…)! So, developing this dessert has also allowed me to celebrate the amazing honey bees that visit our garden, along with the incredible-tasting honey that my neighbour and his hives have produced. Thanks very much D!
Honey Chocolate Tiramisu | Gather and Graze
- 12 Savoiardi Biscuits
- Chocolate (for grating over the top)
Chocolate Dipping Sauce
- 60ml/¼ Cup Heavy Cream
- 60ml/¼ Cup Full-Cream Milk
- 25g Milk (or Dark) Chocolate (chopped into chunks)
Honey Mascarpone Cream
- 300ml Heavy Cream
- 100g/½ Cup Mascarpone Cheese
- 3 Tablespoons Honey
For the dipping sauce, heat the cream and milk in a small saucepan over low heat, until just below boiling point. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Leave for a couple of minutes, then stir until completely melted and combined. Allow to cool to room temperature.
To make the Honey Mascarpone Cream, whip the cream in a large mixing bowl until frothy on top. Add the mascarpone and honey and continue to whip until you have soft peaks.
To assemble the dessert, dip the savoiardi biscuits into the dipping sauce, turning them a couple of times in the sauce to ensure completely coated. Place a single layer of the soaked biscuits in the base of a serving bowl (see photos below if unsure), then add a layer of the honey mascarpone cream. Continue layering biscuits and cream, finishing with a layer of cream. Grate some chocolate over the top and refrigerate for about 6 hours (or overnight), for the biscuits to soften and the flavours to infuse. Serve chilled!
Cooking Notes:
Option of adding a little fresh fruit between the layers… berries, sliced banana or mango would all work really well in my opinion.
Gather & Graze 
Gorgeous!
Thanks Fae! I’m happy to eat tiramisu any way it comes – such a luxurious kind of dessert!
hello Margot, I see you love sweet things, and have a beekeeping neighbour and summer all at the same time while the rest of us have to tough it out with winter! lovely posts, honey-su 🙂 sounds llike a good twist on an old favourite – although I’d automatically want to soak the savoiardi biscuits in Ethiopian Tej honey wine for a more adult version, (should I be worried?) – although of course there is no way I could ever source that in Switzerland…tej :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tej
Great to hear from you polianthus and to be introduced to Tej! Sounds quite delicious, though perhaps a little on the potent side for me… I did a search on honey-based liqueurs and came across Krupnik and Bärenjäger (both made in Europe) and could be worth a try for an alternate adult version of Honeymisu. Curious as to whether you’ve come across either of these in your travels?
If you’re interested, on my Facebook page there are a few extra photos of the bee swarm we had in our garden for a week or so – before our beekeeping neighbour came to the rescue. It was fascinating to watch them, particularly on the afternoon when they were shuffled into the hive and we had several hours of watching them at close quarters before being taken away. So much respect for these truly amazing animals!
I’m looking forward to exploring your blog more over the coming week.
Cheers, Margot
Hello Margot – lovely to hear back from you, I will check out the bee swarm on your facebook page, we had one a s well and the firedepartment found a beekeeper who came to pick them up. It was impressive to watch them cluster in a tree. The Tej is actually really more like a very sweet wine, but I just found out that apparently it has a very high alcohol content, which you really cannot taste as it is so sweet. When I make doro wat (ethiopian chicken stew) I use Samos wine (muscat from greece) http://www.samosguide.com/listingview.php?listingID=72 which my taste memory tells me is similar to tej, but the last time I had tej was 1994 so I could well be wrong…..but that has a nice floral sweet taste that could also work in your honey misu. Haven’t come across the other honey liquers, I think I had one at some point in Europe but it was “rougher and harsher” than tej and I didnt get any. Cannot remember what is was called though. I will look out for Krupnik and Bärenjäger – Cheers Polianthus
Happy Anniversary Margot! That Tiramisu looks oh! so wonderful! What a genius idea to use honey. And those photos are just gorgeous!
That’s very kind – thank you Lidia! The honey came through as quite a subtle flavour… really lovely mixed with the mascarpone and cream – I could have eaten a bowl of it all on it’s own! 🙂
What a fabulous idea! I love tiramisu, but it can be tricky to serve if there are little ones around. This is a great way to please everybody!
Happy anniversary!
Thanks very much Mary! The options are endless for adapting this recipe to suit the tastes of family/friends. I hope you give it a go sometime. Cheers, Margot
Happy anniversary Margot! my apologies for being so late to comment. I am not a fan of coffee so I have always avoided Tiramisu – what a lovely alternative you have come up with. I am a big fan of honey especially NZ Manuka honey 🙂
Thanks Karen! I’m not sure why I hadn’t thought of trying to modify this recipe before. I do love tiramisu, but there’s not much point making it if the whole family isn’t going to enjoy it… Ahhh, manuka honey – another gorgeous food product to come out of NZ!
Gorgeous! Tiramisu is always a winner in my book. ALWAYS.
Absolutely! Comfort food at it’s finest!
Happy 15h Anniversary dear Margot! I have not the slightest info re your hubby but he has the good taste and wisdom to be your partner in life, so, I thus deduce that he’s at least nearly as lovely as you yourself have revealed yourself to be through the writing and sensibility of your blog and your generosity as a blogger friend.
Do people call their significant others “honey” and “sweetheart” in Australia? Because if so, how apropos to have a sweet dessert recipe with honey!
Thank you Azita for your lovely comment.
My husband is quite the adventurous type (mountaineering, rock climbing, endurance events etc) and in that regard the complete opposite to me (more of the ‘love being at home pottering in the kitchen and garden or reading’ type! We kind of balance each other out in this regard. 🙂 One of the most wonderful things in our relationship is that we still make each other laugh a lot – a sense of humour really is necessary if you’re going to hang out with the same person for 20+ years! 😉
Sweetheart/Sweetie can be heard around our home quite a bit – so clever of you to link that to this post! Love it!
Have a fabulous week Azita!
Congratulations to your Anniversary Margot! I love the use of honey in this delicious recipe. It is such a good food. Love reading your posts 🙂 warmest, danny
Thanks so much Danny! What a lovely comment to receive – you’ve brought a big smile to my face! I really enjoy reading your posts too and look forward to hearing more about your new home and life in Hong Kong, along with all your cooking adventures of 2014! Cheers, Margot
Hi There, This is a terrific post ! I am in love with this dessert, looking so appetizing and terrific presentation. It’s wonderful to see your each and every post. Hope to see more of your creative endeavors ! Have bookmarked this recipe of yours and shall give it a shot soon. Wish you and your family a very Happy and Blessed New Year!!!
Thanks & Regards, Sonia !!!
Such a kind comment Sonia – thank you! Please do give the dessert a try at some stage.
I was really hoping to check out your own blog, but saw that it’s marked ‘private’. I hope this is perhaps just as you get the site up and running, as it would be wonderful to see some of the food that you love to cook!
Cheers, Margot 🙂
Anniversary greetings to you both! And what a great version of tiramisu – I love alcohol (!) but no so much in desserts so love the sound of this gorgeous dessert.
Thanks Chica! I’m not terribly fond of alcohol-laden desserts either… much prefer to have a little glass of something on the side… or after… or before… 😉
Happy anniversary!! Really like the ideas of bananas mixed with chocolate and honey. Probably because I’m trying to do something with a few bananas about to go spotty. Great idea!
Thanks so much! Yes, I think banana is the way to go, scattering the top with a few extra slices and a drizzle of honey. Oh my, I might need to go buy some more ingredients to make another one! 🙂
Many congrats on your anniversary. And I’m loving the slideshow – I still don’t know if my theme has one or not. Anyway, it’s a while since I’ve had tiramisu. And as I’m off the booze this would be a really nice alternative. Must Google those biscuits.
Thanks Johnny! I think the slideshow is a pretty cool feature too, though I would have preferred my first main photo of the post to show up as the feature image in people’s Reader, rather than one of the slideshows – can’t quite work out whether I have control over that or not… Not sure if I’ll ever completely understand WordPress and all the possibilities that go with it.
I find the savoiardi/lady finger biscuits are actually quite pleasant also just to eat as they are (with a cup of tea of coffee), so well worth tracking down.
Congratulations on your anniversary! This looks delightfully indulgent and delicious…I love the idea of layering some fruit in there too 🙂
Thanks so much for the congrats Sam! I’m going to try layering this dessert with sliced banana next time – something lovely about pairing honey and banana, perhaps even with a little spice?! It’s not an everyday dessert, but perfect for those occasions which call for a little indulgence! 🙂
Nice on on the 15 years too 🍸
Cheers Mick! Much appreciated!
Congratulations on the Anniversary! How wonderful that you have been together 15 years. Wonderful dessert, so creamy. Love it!
Thanks Suzanne 🙂 we’ve been together for about 20 years, but only married for 15 of them… How time flies! The dessert is definitely something I’ll make many times again and will adapt with layering fruit and flavours, though there’s something pretty moreish about having that subtle honey taste in there!
First, Happy Anniversary! Second, thanks for the kid-friendly tiramisu recipe. It’s a very much beloved dessert around here, too, but I’ve never once made it! It’s about time. XOXO
That’s really kind of you Angie – thank you! 🙂
Apart from the obvious, it’s also a little different from a classic tiramisu in the fact that I’ve used cream and haven’t added any raw eggs. Separating them and beating the yolks and whipping the whites gives an added lightness, which is really lovely, but you just need to be absolutely certain of the freshness of the eggs, particularly if serving to children.
My kids really loved this… I hope yours will too!
Lovely work again dear Margot. I’m very sorry I missed the occasion last week; where do the years go! Thinking of you both. Ade.
Thanks dear Adie! These years have certainly flown by way too quickly for my liking. Need it all to somehow slow down a little… 🙂 Love to you all. xx