Tiramisu Cake
Tiramisu Cake: A layered, Italian espresso-infused mascarpone dessert, in cake form. Get your caffeine fix, plus a boozy kick!
Would you look at that tiramisu cake?
I mean, what a stunner! Imagine the reaction this would get from your guests!
There’s just nothing like an amazing cake recipe to make a special occasion. They give that wow factor like nothing else!
I’m all about a magnificent ice cream cake to celebrate a birthday, a fluffy cloud of a coconut cake, or an eye-catching red velvet cake for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or the Fourth of July.
But if you have a coffee lover in your life, you’re going to want to make them this tiramisu cake recipe!
Table of Contents
- What is tiramisu cake?
- What’s great about this tiramisu cake recipe
- What does tiramisu birthday cake taste like?
- Ingredients
- Special equipment
- How to make tiramisu cake
- How to serve tiramisu cake
- Expert tips
- FAQ’s
- A few more of my favorite Italian recipes
What is tiramisu cake?
The word tiramisu means “pick me up” in Italian. It’s pronounced “TIER-ah-mee-sooh” or “tier-ah-MEE-sooh.”
Tiramisu is a classic dessert made with ladyfingers soaked in espresso and layered with a fluffy, sweet cheese filling and whipped cream. It’s soft, creamy, and rich, and it’s got a toasty, warm flavor from the coffee and alcohol.
If you want to learn more about it, click here: Classic Tiramisu Recipe.
This recipe is just like the traditional Italian dessert, only in layer cake form.
Rather than using ladyfingers, aka Savoiardi, we are baking three layers of genoise.
Genoise is just like a light, fluffy sponge cake, with the added richness of melted butter. If you’ve ever made homemade ladyfingers, it’s pretty much the same thing. Only instead of piping it into long lines, you just bake it in cake pans.
The genoise is cooled and then soaked with a rich coffee syrup. I added brandy for a boozy kick, but if you don’t like the taste you can totally leave it out.
The filling is light and fluffy, yet rich at the same time. It’s made with mascarpone, which is a soft, buttery Italian cheese similar to our cream cheese (but without the tang). It’s folded together with an egg and sugar mixture, then lightened even more with whipped cream.
When the genoise, coffee syrup, and mascarpone mousse have all had a chance to meld, it’s pure heaven. Moist, soft, and so creamy, with tons of rich flavor. We frost it all with whipped cream and sprinkle it with a little cocoa powder for garnish.
Delizioso!
What’s great about this tiramisu cake recipe
- Tastes amazing: The coffee, brandy, and marsala flavors come together in the most delicious way!
- Light yet rich: The texture is unlike anything else. Rich and creamy, yet whisper-light!
- Stunning presentation: Your guests’ jaws will drop!
What does tiramisu birthday cake taste like?
If you like tiramisu then you’ll love this cake! It’s got all the same flavors, but in layer cake form.
The first thing you’ll notice is the creamy richness. The cake is covered with my famous whipped cream frosting and the filling is very rich and creamy as well, with a hint of marsala wine.
Marsala is a sweeter wine that’s been fortified with brandy, so it has a very deep, toasty flavor.
The cake layers are soaked in an espresso-infused simple syrup that also has a touch of brandy.
So everything comes together in a cohesive way and all the flavors speak to one another. It’s incredibly delicious!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this showstopper of a cake.
Genoise cake
Genoise is a light and airy sponge cake that’s enriched with a kiss of butter. Because it’s so spongy it really soaks up the espresso syrup well.
You’ll need three 8-inch diameter layers of Genoise to make this tiramisu cake. You can find tons of details on how it’s made here: Genoise Cake.
Water
This forms the base of the simple syrup soak. Warm or hot water are best, but it’s not critical.
Espresso powder
This ingredient may also go by the name “instant espresso powder.”
I typically order it online; here’s a link: Instant Espresso Powder.
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit that’s made by distilling wine. It has a fruity, slightly sweet taste and gives a pleasant warmth at the back of the throat.
This ingredient is also used in the soak, but if you don’t want to use it you can leave it out.
Powdered sugar
Just a little bit, to sweeten the syrup.
Eggs
This is a very eggy dessert! There are a lot of eggs in the cake layers as well as the filling.
The eggs and egg yolks provide a rich flavor and allow lots of air to be incorporated, so the final result is almost mousse-like.
Sugar
The rough texture of granulated sugar creates friction with the eggs and helps to create that airy texture.
You can sub for another type of sweetener if you like. As long as it has a crystalline texture and swaps 1:1 for granulated sugar it should work.
Marsala
Marsala wine is typical in a lot of Italian desserts, particularly tiramisu.
It’s a sweet wine that’s fortified with brandy, so the flavors of the soak echo those of the filling.
If you would prefer to make a tiramisu cake without alcohol, I’d suggest leaving this ingredient out.
Mascarpone
Mascarpone is basically just Italian cream cheese. The texture is nearly identical, but the flavor is more mellow and less tangy.
Cream
Use full-fat heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks. If you are outside the US, this product may also go by the name “double cream.”
Whipped cream frosting
I love this to ice the cake because it’s quick and easy to make and it’s more stable than regular whipped cream.
One batch should be more than enough, and you can find all the details here: Whipped Cream Frosting.
Cocoa
I forgot to show this one in my photo, but the top of the cake gets garnished with a dusting of cocoa powder.
For what you see in the images and video here, I used regular unsweetened cocoa powder. But you can use any kind of cocoa you like!
Special equipment
If you have these tools in your kitchen, recreating this recipe should be a snap!
- Measuring cups and spoons: So your ingredients can be measured precisely. Baking is a science!
- Large mixing bowl: You’ll need either metal or glass.
- Whisk: For whipping up the filling as it cooks.
- Medium pot: Filled with simmering water, over which to cook the eggs.
- Springform pan: An 8-inch diameter springform pan with tall, removable sides makes the assembly of this so much easier!
- Silicone spatula: For folding ingredients together and making sure you get every last drop!
- Offset spatula: Makes frosting the cake a breeze!
- Piping bag and tip: To make the garnish. I like a 16-inch featherweight bag and a jumbo round tip.
- Fine-mesh sieve: For dusting the cocoa.
How to make tiramisu cake
Let’s walk through the process, step by step.
Step 1: Make the cake layers
You’ll want to bake these in three 8-inch diameter cake pans that have been greased, floured, and lined with circles cut from parchment.
I’ve got a dedicated post to the cake layers here: Genoise Cake Recipe.
Step 2: Make the filling
Set a metal or glass bowl over a medium pot with about an inch or two of simmering water, and add the egg yolks, sugar, and marsala.
Cook the mixture over this double-boiler style setup, whisking, until it becomes thick. It should register a temperature of around 150 degrees F.
Next, add the mascarpone cheese.
Once that’s incorporated, fold in the whipped cream.
That’s your tiramisu filling made! Pop this into the fridge while we make the soak for the cake.
Step 3: Make the coffee syrup
This is super-simple. Just whisk the espresso powder, brandy, and powdered sugar into the water until everything is dissolved together.
Step 4: Assemble the cake
Place the first round of genoise in the bottom of a springform pan, and soak it with about 1/3 of the syrup.
Smooth about half the tiramisu filling on top.
Then top it with another cake layer, and repeat.
Soak, add filling, layer on the last circle of cake, and soak again.
Finally, place the whole thing in the fridge to chill and set up. The longer this sits the better it gets! And that goes for the flavor as well as the texture.
Similar to tres leches cake, this needs some time to absorb all the liquid. I like to give it at least overnight; 24 to 48 hours is even better.
Step 5: Frost and decorate
Place your serving plate upside-down on top of the springform pan, and flip both over in a swift motion.
Remove the sides and bottom (which would now be on top) of the springform, and cover the cake in whipped cream.
Again, I have a dedicated post for that here: Whipped Cream Frosting.
Dust the top with cocoa powder.
And pipe on the garnish.
Ta-dah!
How to serve tiramisu cake
Cut the cake into slices and present it on serving plates.
It can be enjoyed chilled or at room temperature.
Expert tips
Make the genoise ahead
There’s a lot going on in this recipe! A lot of components and a lot of steps. It’s a labor of love!
But making the cake the day (or even a few days) before can really help it all to feel more manageable.
Give it lots of time
Lots of time in the fridge will help this cake to hold together, as well as improving its taste.
The filling stiffens up as it chills, the cake absorbs all the liquid, and the flavors “meld” into something truly magical!
FAQ’s
If you don’t want to use the marsala wine or brandy, you don’t have to. You can just leave them out and have a coffee-flavored cake.
Or, you can make a chocolate version that is non-alcoholic and (nearly!) caffeine-free. Just use the filling recipe found here: Chocolate Tiramisu.
I like the 8-inch size best but yes, you could do it in a 6-inch size as well. It could just get a little wobbly since it’s so tall.
Nine inches may come out a little flatter than you would like.
The short answer is no, but I find the springform to really make the assembly so much easier.
The first time I made this, I did not use a springform pan. The filling really wants to slide out the sides. It can be frustrating, even for an experienced baker.
A tall-sided springform pan holds everything together and upright, and just makes the whole process foolproof.
This 8-inch diameter cake cuts into 10 generous slices.
The nutritional info in the recipe card below reflects a serving size of 1/10th of the whole cake.
This cake can keep at room temperature for a few hours, or in the fridge for several days, maybe a week.
Or you can wrap it tightly and keep it in the freezer for around 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge.
A few more of my favorite Italian recipes
- How to Make Gnocchi
- Pork Milanese
- Chicken Piccata
- Almond Biscotti
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Tiramisu Cake
Ingredients
For the genoise cake
- 6 (264 g) eggs, large (at room temperature)
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) kosher salt
- 1 cup (125 g) cake flour, sifted
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the espresso simple syrup
- 1 1/2 cups (354.88 g) hot water
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (12.5 g) instant espresso powder
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (37.5 g) brandy
- 2 1/2 teaspoons (5 g) powdered sugar
For the mascarpone filling
- 4 (72 g) egg yolks, large
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 g) dry Marsala wine
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) mascarpone cheese, cold
- 1 cup (238 g) heavy whipping cream, cold
For the whipped cream frosting
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) cream cheese, (the kind in a brick)
- 3/4 cup (90 g) powdered sugar
- 2 1/4 cups (535.5 g) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 2 teaspoons (2 g) cocoa powder, (for garnish)
Instructions
To make the genoise layers:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, mist three 6-inch diameter cake pans* with non-stick spray, dust them with flour, and line them with circles cut from parchment.
- Whip the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large mixing bowl on high speed until tripled in volume (approx. 5 to 7 minutes).
- Sift in about 1/2 of the cake flour, and fold it in gently until almost combined.
- Fold in about 1/2 of the melted butter, then sift in the remaining flour, folding gently until amost combined.
- Fold in the remaining butter and tranfer the batter to the prepared pans.
- Bake until the cakes are set on the edges, deeply golden, and springy in the centers (approx. 20 to 25 minutes). A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Cool completely in the pans, then run the tip of a sharp knife around the edge to loosen the cakes before turning out.
To make the espresso simple syrup
- Stir the hot water, instant espresso powder, brandy, and powdered sugar together in a small bowl.
- Place one layer of cooled genoise in the bottom of a tall-sided 8-inch springform pan.
- Soak the cake with about 1/3 of the espresso mixture, and top with half the mascarpone filling.
- Repeat, then top with the last layer of cooled genoise and soak with the remaining espresso mixture.
- Frost with whipped cream frosting, dust with cocoa, and top with dollops of whipped cream frosting..
To make the mascarpone filling:
- In a medium mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and marsala wine together until pale, thick, and doubled in volume.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in the mascarpone.
- Whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks, then fold into the mascarpone mixture.
To make the whipped cream frosting:
- Place the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Fit the mixer with a whisk attachment, and whip on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.
- Turn the mixer down to medium-low speed and pour the heavy cream down the side of the bowl in a very slow and steady stream.
- When all the cream has been added, turn the mixer up to medium-high and whip until the frosting holds stiff peaks.
In the recipe says to mix the egg yolks, sugar, and the Marsala over simmering water. In the video you added the Marsala after the egg yolk’s and sugar got thick. This is probably why mine isn’t thick enough.
Please follow the recipe- the video is just for illustration purposes.
This looks so good! What a great treat to make for a special occasion or the holidays!
This looks so good! What a fun dessert to make for a holiday!
The different parts of this have tasted amazing so far! The cake hasn’t been assembled yet, taking it slow. I made the filling today, and it’s definitely not stiff enough to hold anything up without squishing out the sides. I’m currently freezing them as layers so that assembly is at least possible. I thought I followed the instructions exactly. It’s been in the fridge for a few hours now. It’s definitely thick, but still pourable. Any idea why it turned out thin?
Sorry to hear you’re having a little bit of trouble but I do think it’s salvagable! The cake is so dry it will really soak up a lot of that liquid and almost “meld” with it. That said, your problems may be because either your yolk/sugar/marsala mixture wasn’t cooked or whipped enough, or because your whipped cream wasn’t whipped enough. Or possibly even both. The thicker you can get those elements at the beginning, the thicker your final filling will be. Good luck I hope it comes out well for you in spite of this!
Hi
I am planning to bake this for my boyfriend’s 30th. I only have 2 8” pans. How long do you recommend I bake them for..?
Thanks
Janet
I’d keep a close eye on them and check them when they’re starting to turn golden around the edges. You’ll know they’re done when they’re springy in the middle. Good luck!