Tiramisu Cake
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This Tiramisu Cake brings together everything you love about the classic Italian dessert, with layers of light sponge, espresso, mascarpone, and a touch of brandy, all in a beautiful cake perfect for celebrations.
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!
Now, if you're looking for a caffeine-free, booze-free version that's more kid-friendly, check out my Chocolate Tiramisu recipe! And be sure to check out my Father's Day category for lots more recipes.
Here's Why You'll Love This 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!
Ingredients You'll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you're cooking.
For the genoise cake
Genoise is a light, airy sponge cake enriched with a kiss of butter. Because it's so spongy, it really soaks up the espresso syrup well.
- Large eggs: Use the best eggs you have available, and make sure they are at room temperature before you start.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens and helps stabilize the egg foam.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract, not imitation!
- Kosher salt: Don't sub in table salt. It contains iodine, which impacts the flavor.
- Cake flour: Keeps the crumb delicate and tender.
- Unsalted butter: If you only have salted butter, you can use it, but omit the additional Kosher salt.
For the espresso simple syrup
- Hot water: Dissolves everything quickly.
- Instant espresso powder: This ingredient may also be called "instant espresso powder." I typically order it online; here's a link: Instant Espresso Powder.
- Brandy: Optional, but traditional. Adds a lot of flavor.
- Powdered sugar: Make sure you're using fresh powdered sugar. It goes stale surprisingly quickly!
For the mascarpone filling
- Large egg yolks: The base of a rich sabayon.
- Granulated 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.
- Dry Marsala wine: Classic pairing with mascarpone for 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 cheese: Mascarpone is basically just Italian cream cheese. The texture is nearly identical, but the flavor is more mellow and less tangy.
- Heavy whipping cream: Use full-fat heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks. If you are outside the US, this product may also be called "double cream."
For the whipped cream frosting
- Brick-style cream cheese: Make sure it is room temperature so it mixes smoothly.
- Powdered sugar: Fresh powdered sugar is important!
- Heavy whipping cream: Make sure this is as cold as possible for the best results.
- Cocoa powder: I used regular unsweetened cocoa powder. But you can use any kind of cocoa you like!
Special Equipment
These tools will make your life a lot easier when making this cake.
- Measuring cups and spoons: So your ingredients can be measured precisely. Baking is a science!
- Large mixing bowl: You'll need either a metal or a glass bowl.
- Whisk: For whipping up the filling as it cooks.
- Medium pot: Filled with simmering water for cooking the eggs.
- Springform pan: An 8-inch-diameter springform pan with tall, removable sides makes 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.
In Photos: How To Make Tiramisu Cake
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 of simmering water, leaving about an inch or two of water, and add the egg yolks, sugar, and marsala.
Cook the mixture over a double-boiler-style setup, whisking, until it thickens. 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 genoise round in the bottom of a springform pan and soak it with about ⅓ of the syrup.
Smooth about half the tiramisu filling on top.
Then top it with another cake layer, and repeat.
Soak, add the filling, layer on the last cake circle, 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 both the flavor and 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, then flip both over in a swift motion.
Remove the sides and bottom (which are now on top) of the springform, and cover the cake with 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!
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Make the genoise ahead: There's a lot going on in this recipe! A lot of components and 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: Refrigeration for a long time will help this cake hold together and improve its taste. The filling stiffens up as it chills, the cake absorbs all the liquid, and the flavors "meld" into something truly magical!
Recipe FAQ
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 really makes the assembly much easier.
The first time I made this, I did not use a springform pan. The filling really wants to slide out of the sides. It can be frustrating, even for an experienced baker.
A tall-sided springform pan holds everything together and keeps it upright, making 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 be kept 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.
More Italian Recipes
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
- ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) kosher salt
- 1 cup (125 g) cake flour, sifted
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the espresso simple syrup
- 1 ½ cups (354.88 g) hot water
- 2 ½ tablespoons (12.5 g) instant espresso powder
- 2 ½ tablespoons (37.5 g) brandy
- 2 ½ teaspoons (5 g) powdered sugar
For the mascarpone filling
- 4 (72 g) egg yolks, large
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ 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)
- ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
- 2 ¼ 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 ½ of the cake flour, and fold it in gently until almost combined.
- Fold in about ½ 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 ⅓ 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.
Hi Allie!
I prepared the cake a day ahead and assembled it on the day of a function.Everyone loved it ,it was excellent.Thank you for sharing your tips and the recipe.
Only the mascarpone filling was a bit runny so I added gelatine to it to firm up a bit..It was perfect!
So glad to hear it worked out for you Samantha! Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Hello! Your cake looks amazing! Makes me really excited to bake using this recipe! 🙂 just one question though, can I just half the recipe you have if I like to make the cake for 4 servings only?
Hey Kim! I suppose so but I'm not sure how you would bake it, in what size pan, etc. And if it is a different size pan then the bake time would need to change. If you can provide more specifics as to what you had in mind, I could probably give you a better answer.
Hi, seems like a great recipe. Can you pls suggest sustitute for brandy and (marsala) wine? Also, by instant expresso powder do you mean the regular nescafe coffee? Thx
Hi Rabya! If you are looking for an alcohol-free version, please have a look at the chocolate tiramisu recipe that's linked at the end of the post. There is also a product link to instant espresso powder in the recipe card. Thanks!
Okay thank you. Can I use regular packed cream instead of heavy, as we do not have it in our city. Its just the regular cream or whipping cream we can get 🙂
I've never heard the term "packed cream" but if it's the same as whipping cream then yes!
Okay great, would definitely try it over the weekend. Looking forward to enjoying this yummy recipe 🙂 Thanks
Hi! I love the sight twist on a classic dessert.
I made the filling, following the directions exactly, and it is curdled. Any thoughts on how to fix this? I’m hoping if I chill for a while and whip it again it will come back together.
Amy- at what stage did it begin to look curdled? Was it during the step where the yolks/Marsala are being cooked over the steamy water, or after that?
could I use 1.5 cups of brewed expresso in place of water and expresso powder? Powder only available online but I have plenty of expresso on hand.
Yes absolutely! Use what you have. It will be delicious!
I just made the genoise but I think it came out bad. its thin... I think maybe i didn't incorporate the butter properly. Going to redo it tomorrow. I think I shouldn't of folded everything in the Kitchenaid mixer and I should've transferred the whipped mixture into a bigger bowl to have more room to fold....
It's definitely better to fold by hand than with an electric mixer, but I should warn you that the layers do come out on the thinner side. But once the filling goes on, the cake is nice and tall! Hope you have better luck tomorrow. Let me know if there are any questions I can answer for you. Thanks Kasia!
looks lovely! Just wondering about the nutritional info.. is it based on 8 or 10 portions?
Hey Terri! So sorry for the confusion there. The plugin I use pulls the first number, so that would be for 8 servings. Which would honestly be a pretty big serving! Hope that's helpful!
I have the wine, but not the brandy. Does the brandy bring an extra level that is otherwise unattainable? I want to make this cake for my wedding in August and I’m doing a dry run now to test it out 🙂
I would suggest testing it out without the brandy, and if you feel it's lacking you can always add it on your next test run. Good luck and congratulations!
Hello! I have a question about the cream cheese icing! I am trying to make it now but I can't get it to form any peaks or even be a thicker consistency. It's been mixing for over 20 minutes and it's still runny. Any idea why this would be happening? How can i fix this?
I think you've overworked it at this point Ramona! I'm so sorry. It should only take a few minutes. Are you using heavy whipping cream and full fat cream cheese (the kind in a brick)?
question: do i have to poke the cake before brushing on the soak? thank you
-Christina
No, you do not have to poke the cake. It soaks in very well. Good luck and enjoy!
Hi Allie! This looks delicious! I’d like to make a mini 6inch layered cake for this. Any idea regarding baking times and adjustments? Thanks in advance!
Hi Charlene! For a 6-inch diameter cake the bake time may need to be extended slightly. I'd give them a check at around the 25 minute mark. You'll know they're done when they're springy in the center. Good luck and enjoy!
This isn't Tiramisù. I'm from Italy.
No it is not- it is actually a tiramisu layer cake. So it's like tiramisu but in layer cake form. Thanks for the helpful comment!
Hi my cake was super flat out of the oven, did i not whip it long enough?
No worries Pen- my layers are usually pretty flat too. It all works out in the end, there's plenty of filling so your final product should look proportional. But you do want to whip as much as possible to get plenty of air into the cakes. Hope that's helpful!
Thank you for responding. The frosting and filling would not whip to stiff peaks. Not sure what happened. Both turned to liquid even after fridgeration.
I was given this tip by an awesome Baker. I'm in Louisiana and humidity here is awful. All utensils used for filling, frosting and even cake batter, put it all in the fridge the night before. Bowl, whisking attachment.
That's excellent advice Clinton! Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi, the recipe looks amazing and I wanna make it for a food competition, but my only worry is if I could make it like 2 days earlier and store it in the fridge, would it have any effect in the taste?
Not at all Zulekha! In fact it actually gets better as it sits. Everything firms up and the flavors have a chance to meld. I'd definitely recommend making this cake at least a day ahead. Good luck!
For my mascarpone filling I use orange or tangerine zest, instead of Marsala 🙂 It gives the filling a nice and natural flavor.
I'm one of your fans. Keep up the good work.
That is a great tip Saeed! Thank you so much for sharing, and for the encouragement!
Hi. Can i ask what can i use if i dont have any marsala wine? Thank you.
Hey Pola! If you don't have it or you don't want to use it, you can either leave it out altogether, or sub with espresso for an extra flavor punch. Hope that's helpful!