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
This post contains affiliate sales links.
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.
Instead of baking it in rounds could I do it on a baking sheet to make the iconic rectangular shape? Looks delicious though.
Hi Ashly! I’m sure you could do that no problem. Good luck and enjoy!
I was just concerned with the bake time. I did it today and it took 20 mins to get a good golden edge bake. For anyone else looking to make the rectangle shaped.
Thanks so much for reporting back Ashley! What was the size of your pan?
I used a baking sheet pan. 11×17
Thanks so much!
Hello,i love the idea of this recipe! Im going to make it for a wesding.can i freeze the cake assembled a day or two in advanced of the wedding? I do not have alot of refrigeration. Thank you,Victoria
Hi Victoria! Honestly I haven’t really tried it but it seems like it would work(?). If you have success that would be great if you could swing by and let us know!
Hi what cake flour do you use is it plain or self raising. Im in Australia and plain flour we use baking power as raising agent
It would be plain Rosa! There’s no chemical leavener needed for a Genoise. All the lift is from whipping the eggs. I actually linked to the brand of cake flour I use in the recipe card. Not sure if it’s available in Australia, but maybe it can help give you a better idea… Good luck and thanks for reading!
Hi Allie, thanks for your reply l did use cake flour which is (plain flour) in Australia and the cake come out fantastic. I made it for my husband’s birthday and he loved it .Being Italian i usually make the traditional one with savoardi biscuits. But l wanted to make a cake for hubby and when i saw yours Allie i thought wow thats the one . I had no problems with the steps cake tasted so much better the next day .
I too lost my father a year ago its been very difficult as l also lost my mother 10 months before.
You feel totally lost but im getting over my grief slowly..
Thanks again Allie
Oh, I’m so sorry Rosa! I know just how you feel. Losing a parent is the hardest thing… we lost my dad after a long battle but then my mother in law died a little less that a year later. We were completely unprepared. I can’t believe it’s been over 10 years now… it still feels like yesterday sometimes. That hurt never goes away, but over time it becomes a part of you and you just get used to it. I’m really happy you liked the cake! I’m glad it was easy for you and I hope your husband enjoyed it too! Happy belated birthday to him!
Hello. So, my mascarpone filling kind of collapsed when I put together the cake and it just oozed out the sides ave slopped everywhere. It tasted awesome and I want to try making it again sans the failure. I definitely whipped it to twice it’s size. Did I not cook it enough or should I have chilled down the espresso mix before putting it on the cakes(like maybe did it warm up the filling too much)? Thanks!
Hey Sarah! So sorry you had trouble. The filling can be a little loose and it will do that; you probably saw from the video that it did it for me a little bit too. That said, I do have some tips that might be helpful next time:
1) Be sure to cook the yolk/sugar mixture until it’s well-thickened.
2) Whip the cream until it’s quite stiff
3) Refrigerate the filling (about 2 hours) before layering it between the cakes
4) Refrigerate the filled cake (about 2 hours) before frosting it with the whipped cream.
Hopefully that’s helpful! Thanks!
Your recipe sounds wonderful except, The eggs are left raw in the filling? That does not seem good.
No they are not left raw- they’re cooked over a double boiler.
What could I substitute for the marsala wine?
Hey Melody! You could probably just leave it out if you don’t like it. It’s really only there for that traditional Tiramisu flavor.
Hi Allie. The recipe looks divine. I know that Tiramisu is traditionally a little boozy – but I have been asked if I could just stick to the coffee flavour. Can you give me any advice on how to adjust the recipe without the alcohol?
Hey Monica! You can leave the booze out if you’d like. Or you can try this version that’s a little more kid-friendly (and super delicious!): https://bakingamoment.com/chocolate-tiramisu/.
Hi, can i substitute mascarpone cheese for the cream cheese in the icing? I’m making this for a friend and she doesn’t like cream cheese. Thank you,from Victoria
Thanks for asking Victoria! I think that should work just fine. Hope you and your friend enjoy!
Hi
Unfortunately there is no market near me that provides mascaporne cheese. Is it possible to switch it cream cheese?
You can try that! It won’t be quite the same as traditional tiramisu, but it will be close. Good luck!
Hi Misbah,
Mascarpone is actually quite easy to make yourself. Just heavy cream and fresh lemon juice. There are tons of recipes on the internet. I always make mine because organic mascarpone isn’t available where I live. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It turned out amazing and my Italian in-laws loved it!
That’s so wonderful to hear! If Italian in-laws love it then it must be really good, lol. Thanks so much for the positive feedback Bree!
Hi Allie! I love this recipe and am planning on making it for a 4-tier wedding cake this weekend. I’m wondering – is there a reason you bake it in three 8″ pans instead of making it in one pan and then slicing three layers? If you think it would bake properly in one pan I would prefer to do that but if you think it’s too delicate to hold up with that much batter I’ll do it in three.
Thanks!!
Hey Johanna! You know, I do think it would work ok in just one pan. I baked it in three just because that’s normally how I do multi-layer cakes, but in this particular case the layers ended up being pretty thin so I think it would be fine. With some of my other cake recipes, they puff up a lot as they bake, and might overflow the pan. But this one didn’t really rise much higher. If you do it that way though, just be aware that the bake time will probably have to be extended. Good luck and thanks for reading!
Hi! This cake looks amazing! I have a customer wanting a tirimsu cake for her wedding – an 8″ and 6″ stacked. Is this stable enough for something like that or too wobbly? I love the idea of it being more custard-like, like actual tiramisu, but gonna need that structure if it’s gonna survive stacking.
Thanks so much!
Hi Megan! Thanks for the great question. Any time I’m needing extra structure for a cake such as what you’ve described, I always just dowel it. If you aren’t familiar, that’s just inserting several dowel rods vertically down into the bottom layer, and then trimming them so they are exactly the same height as the cake. Then, sit your upper layer on a cardboard cake round and place it on top. This way all the weight is supported by the cardboard and the dowels. Probably a good idea for this tiramisu especially, since it’s such a soft and spongy cake. Good luck!
Hi – Beautiful cake, thank you for sharing!!!! Could this genoise be made a day ahead of assembly?
Hi Ashley! Thank you- and it absolutely can! That is often how I approach a cake like this. I would suggest just wrapping the layers tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerating them until you’re ready to assemble the cake. Good luck and thanks for reading!
Is this okay to make a day ahead or is it better within a few hours of assembling it? Thank you!
Hey there! I think this is probably better if it’s sits for a bit. Hope that’s helpful!
Really nice post Alison. ???? Father’s Day is rough.
Hi Allie,
Great post! I love that you made Tiramisu into a cake. This is one of my favorite desserts of all time and yet, I haven’t made it in a really long time. I do remember that the word means “pick me up.” Probably because of the coffee. I love how you frosted with whipped cream then dusted with cinnamon. You’re so creative. Beautiful piping too.
I’m so sorry about your dad. I literally almost cried when I read this post because I feel the same way. My dad died 4 years ago and I still can’t believe he’s gone. Thank you for sharing.
I’ve never commented here before, but I’m a big fan of yours!
Happy Baking!
Lise (Leeza)
I’m a big fan of yours too Lise! Thank you so much for the kind words. Losing a loved one is the hardest thing to go through. I’m so sorry to hear that you lost your dad too. And I’m sure that Father’s Day was a hard one for you as well. Big hugs to you!
Hi Allie!!
Your cake is absolutely gorgeous! And it happens to be my favorite!! Never tried it with brandy though, every time I make it I use coffee liqueur (Kahlua), it tastes really good too!
I feel what you feel about your dad, I lost mine 9 years ago, and like you said, still hard to believe he’s not around any more.
Thank you for sharing!!
F
Aw, thank you so much Fabiola! I’m so sorry to hear about your dad. It is so hard, but I feel comforted by your kind words. Big, warm hugs to you and ps- I love the Kahlua idea!