Coconut Cake AND Coffee! "Stitch's" Tiramisu

(Click here to jump to the recommended song, Burning Love as performed by Wynonna Judd!)

It's June 26th, which means it's time to celebrate the best and cutest long-eared, beady-eyed Disney alien: Stitch!

If you don't know, Stitch was one of the main characters in Lilo and Stitch. He was the 626th experiment by the mad alien scientist Jumba Jookiba, specifically designed for evil.

In the movie, Stitch steals a spaceship and crash-lands in Hawaii, where he meets Lilo. As Stitch learns about Earth and becomes a "model citizen", he and his new friend bond over Elvis songs and their difficulty to fit in. Sounds like my kinda people.

 

Where'd he get that suit? I want one.

 

Here's why I decided on coconut tiramisu: in Stitch! The Movie, the third movie in the franchise, Lilo asks Stitch if he had coffee that morning because he was being hyperactive. He says he had "Coconut cake and coffee!"

I realized if I combined those two, I'd have a coconut tiramisu. It's coconut, cake, and coffee. Technically.

INGREDIENTS:

An Indeterminate Amount of Lady Finger Cookies

1 lb Mascarpone Cheese

5 Egg Yolks

1/2 plus 1/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

3 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut flavor (mine was labeled "bakery emulsion- don't ask me why)

1 cup strong espresso (I used instant)

Note: I couldn't find actual lady fingers at the store, so I used Margherite cookies as I've heard they're an acceptable substitute. I needed 27 cookies when one package contained 24... good thing I had two packages! All I'm saying is you may need more than you think. If you have extras, you can have them with your coffee or tea.

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar until thick and pale. Add mascarpone and beat until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of espresso along with coconut flavor, vanilla flavor and 1/2 cup of coconut and stir until combined.

Put the remaining espresso in a shallow dish to soak the lady fingers for 5 seconds each.

Line your desired cake dish with the soaked lady fingers. I used a plastic salad container. It did the job fine.

Use a rubber spatula to spread your mascarpone mixture over the lady fingers, then layer mascarpone and lady fingers until you run out of mascarpone. Ideally the top layer should be mascarpone for aesthetic reasons. Garnish with the other 1/4 cup of shredded coconut. I also put espresso powder on top.

Put the tiramisu into the fridge to set for 2-8 hours or overnight. Serve to your Ohana while blasting Elvis songs from your phonograph.

This is a late post for Stitch Day, I'll admit. I have excuses, but I don't need them. It's still Stitch Weekend, isn't it?

As always, remember to stay sexy, and I'll leave you rebels off the same way the movie did: with Wynonna Judd's cover of Burning Love!