Tiramisu, a layer cake made of a nice blend of savoiardi (ladyfingers sponge cake) dipped in strong bitter espresso and topped with mascarpone and sprinkles of cocoa, is the bittersweet Italian way for a "pick-me-up".

For the sweet-toothed here in Jakarta, Bara Pattiradjawane, 44, host of a TV cooking show and owner of cake shop Gula Goela, has developed 36 flavors of tiramisu.

"Tiramisu is a phenomenal cake. It's famous all over the world. I'm wondering what 36 different flavors will do," he said Tuesday after a cooking demonstration in a South Jakartan mall.

Bara's new flavors include chocolate, caramel, praline, ovaltine and baileys, and has made cakes featuring the most controversial ingredients ever to find their way into tiramisu: Mallacan sago, Tutti Frutti, durian, strawberries, blueberries, lemons and mangoes.

"I like to be creative, to try new stuff and think out of the box while cooking," Bara said about his inventions.

He said he got the recipe for the classic tiramisu when he was staying in Europe 20 years ago, "from an Italian, who is a family friend".

He started making tiramisu in Indonesia in 1993, after finding a place that sells the essential mascarpone, one of the main ingredients of tiramisu.

Mascarpone is a triple cream cheese made from fresh cream blended with tartaric acid. It has a slightly sweet taste.

"Before I found that place, it was almost impossible to make tiramisu," he said.

Tiramisu, which means "pull me up" in English, originated from Italy. It is deemed to be a "pick-me-up" cake for its high energy content of eggs, sugar and caffeine.

The history of its origin in Italy remains obscure, although there are various versions. Fernando and Tina Raris in their 1998 book La Marca Gastronomica claimed the cake was from Treviso in Italy, served for the first time at the restaurant Le Beccherie. They quoted Giuseppe Mafiolli, who wrote in Vin Veneto magazine in 1981 that tiramisu was born in Le Beccherie restaurant, 10 years earlier. Other versions report that the recipe dated back to the 17th century in Siena, when it was invented in honor of the Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III during his visit to the town.

Meanwhile, in Indonesia, Bara said he was one of those popularizing tiramisu by selling it at his shop.

Having studied arts and international relations, he opened Gula Goela in 1995 to cater to his hobby of making sweet cakes. Bara said he had no formal education in cooking.

"I learned to cook by myself. My hobby comes from my love of sweet cakes," he said, adding he has a sweet tooth.

"When I was little, I would eat dessert for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

In 2003, Bara's popularity as a chef rose after he secured his own cooking show, Gula Gula, on Trans TV.

This year, Bara and his partner Eva Noor are focusing on transforming Gula Goela into a tiramisu shop, which he said was going very well.

"We started the tiramisu concept two months ago and already the response has been very good. We already have orders from companies sending holiday gifts to clients," he said.

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