I made many types of matcha sweets including matcha tiramisu because I was working at a Japanese Tea House. However, no matter how much matcha is popular, I know many people are not a big fan of matcha flavor. So then try this hojicha tiramisu? Hojicha has less bitterness than matcha and also has a pleasant nutty roast flavor. Hojicha has less caffeine than matcha or coffee. So it’s great if you are worried about consuming too much caffeine.
What’s Hojicha?
Hojicha is the same tea leaves as green tea but it’s roasted. Hojicha is a popular tea, and many restaurants offer hojicha complimentary as well as green tea as is the practice in Japan. It has a nice pleasant nutty roasted aroma. Hojicha has less caffeine and tannin.
Yes, more Hojicha in the U.S!!
In 2016, I asked many Japanese food distributors “Do you have hojicha powder?” It was not easy then to get hojicha powder in the U.S. Meanwhile, there was a hojicha flavored boom growing in Japan. For example, Haagen-Daza Japan launched its Hojicha Latte Ice Cream, Starbucks Japan introduced a hojica latte drink. I always like the roast hojicha flavor so I really wanted to make more hojicha desserts for the restaurant where I was working at. Luckily, I can now find hojicha powder more in the U.S in places such as Amazon.
Should I Make Own Hojicha Powder?
Since it was not easy to get hojicha powder back in 2016, I used a coffee mill and a fine strainer to make my own hojicha powder from the hojicha leaves. It worked for some of my desserts like hojicha financier, hojicha chiffon cake or hojicha cookies, etc. However, for hojicha tiramisu, it was not fine enough to dust on the top. So I was only able to make this hojicha tiramisu when I got the hojicha powder from Japan.
Do Not Mix Too Much
Mascarpone has a very high-fat content, so many times it will split more easily than whipping cream or cream cheese. Make sure that you do not mix mascarpone too much. Be aware that the different brands of mascarpone will split more easily than others. After many many times using different brands of mascarpone cheese during my chef career, Polenghi Mascarpone I has become my favorite.
Decorations for Hojicha Tiramisu
Dusting hojicha powder on the top of the cream is already gorgeous enough as a dessert. However, you can do a little more fancy to using stencil and powder sugar. Regular powder sugar or confectionary sugar is okay to use for the decoration of many desserts. Unfortunately not for this dessert. Because regular powder sugar will melt eventually of the moisture from the cream. So you have to use a non-melt powder sugar. It also called snow sugar or donuts sugar.
Non-Melt Sugar
Equipment and Ingredients Recommendations
Hojicha Powder
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Ingredients
[Hojicha syrup]
- 1 ½ (10g) tablespoon of hojicha powder
- 2 tablespoons(26g) of brown sugar
- ½ cup of hot water
- 1 tablespoon of dark rum (optional)
- Ladyfingers
[Cream]
- 8.8 oz. ( 250g) Mascarpone cheese
- 2 pc (43g) Egg yolk
- ⅓ cup(67g) of sugar
- ¾ cup (180ml) of heavy cream
[Decoration]
- Hojicha powder
- Non-melt powder sugar
Instructions
- Make hojicha syrup. In a medium bowl, add brown sugar and hojicha powder. Add hot water gradually by whisking with a small whisk. Add dark rum if you like. Let it cool down.
- Add the mascarpone to a medium bowl, smooth up by using a rubber spatula. Do not mix too much.
- Add the egg yolks and sugar to a double boiler or glass bowl. Whisk together over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the water does not touch the bowl and continue mixing to prevent getting a scrambled egg. Whisk over heat until the mixture is light yellow color and thickened.
- Pour the egg mixture into the mascarpone and whisk together until combined. Transfer it to the refrigerator until the whipped cream is ready.
- In another bowl, pour the cold heavy cream and make whipped cream. You can use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer. Whipping them until soft peaks appear.
- Take the mascarpone mixture out from the refrigerator and gently fold the whipped cream into them.
- Dip the top and bottom of the ladyfingers briefly in the hojicha syrup. Arrange them in the 5 x 7-inch dish. Try to not make gaps between the ladyfingers.
- Pour the cream mixture onto the dipped ladyfingers in the dish, smooth out the top using an offset spatula.
- Dust top with hojicha powder and chill overnight. Decorate with non-melt powder sugar.
