Tiramisu cake is a classic Italian cake that’s made with coffee soaked sponge cake and layered between a sweet mascarpone cream. Its also commonly dusted with cocoa powder.
Do you love Italian desserts? Be sure to give our chewy amaretti cookies and mini almond biscotti a try!
This tiramisu cake recipe was originally published on July 20, 2015, it has been updated since.
Tiramisu Cake
Tiramisu Ingredients
- Cake- Tiramisu is typically made with ladyfingers, but this recipe is made with a sponge cake instead. The sponge cake consists of eggs, sugar, vanilla, flour, cornstarch, and baking powder.
- Tiramisu Cream- The cream is made of cream cheese, mascarpone, powdered sugar, Kahlua, and egg product.
- Tiramisu Coffee Soak- Each layer of cake is soaked in a combination of espresso, Kahlua, and sugar.
How to make Tiramisu cake
- Beat the eggs in a stand mixer on high speed for 4 minutes, then add the sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until the eggs are fluffy and pale.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and cornstarch into the eggs and fold it in with a whisk. Pour the batter into the parchment-lined baking pans and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 28-30 minutes. Then let the cake cool on a cooling rack.
How to make Tiramisu cream
- Meanwhile beat the cream cheese, mascarpone, Kahlua, and powdered sugar. Whip the egg product until it thickens then add it to the cream cheese mixture.
This post has Amazon affiliate links for tools we used to make this recipe.
How to assemble a cake
- Slice the cooled cake layers in half, and soak them in a combination of coffee and sugar. Then assemble the cake in this order; coffee soaked cake, cream, cocoa powder with all the cake layers. Be sure to reserve some cream to coat the outside of the cake. I find that using a Martellato soaker bottle is the best method for soaking cakes. It doesn’t drench it as other methods do.
What is Mascarpone Cheese
Mascarpone cheese is one of the main ingredients in a tiramisu cake recipe cream. Different brands of mascarpone cheese can have different consistencies. Therefore if you end up buying a brand that has a runnier consistency, make sure to refrigerate the cream for at least 40 minutes before combining it with the egg product.
Egg Substitute
Cakes like tiramisu are made with raw eggs. If you prefer not to use raw eggs, you can use egg substitute also known as (egg product). Egg product is pretty much eggs that have been pasteurized. I have tested this recipe multiple times and came to realize that certain brands of egg product don’t thicken as much as others do. So far, the best brand for this recipe is Lucerne.
Love Italian Dessert?! Take a look at these AMAZING Italian dessert recipes.
Almond Biscotti– Crunchy and full of toasted almonds.
Amaretti Cookies– A chewy gluten-free cookie with almonds, egg whites, and powdered sugar.
Chocolate Salami– A quick no-bake dessert with minimal ingredients.
Note: If you prefer to use real eggs over egg product, add 1/4 cup granulated sugar to 3 eggs instead of the egg product.
Bring a pot of water (about 2 cups) to a simmer. Place the sugar and eggs into a bowl and place the bowl over the simmering pot. Using an electric mixer beat the eggs and sugar until they double in size and remove from heat. Once the eggs are cooled completely continue to step 7.
A classic Italian dessert made with coffee soaked sponge cake and layers of mascarpone cream.
- Cake:
- 8 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Cream:
- 32 oz 4 pkg cream cheese
- 16 oz mascarpone cheese
- 2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup Kahlua
- 1 cup egg product
- Soak:
- 1 cup espresso
- 3 tbsp Kahlua
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
In a stand mixer, beat 8 eggs until foamy. Then slowly add the sugar and vanilla while the mixer is still beating.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and cornstarch. Then fold it into the beaten eggs using a whisk.
- Line 2 round baking pans (10 inches in diameter) with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Then distribute the batter evenly between the two pans.
- Bake in a preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 28-30 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile combine the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and Kahlua in the bowl of your stand mixer. If your mascarpone cheese has a runny consistency, refrigerate this mixture for 40 minutes before adding in the egg product.
- In a separate bowl beat the egg product with an electric mixer until it becomes thick and creamy. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the egg product to the cream cheese mixture and mix just to incorporate.
- In a small bowl mix together the espresso,
- with 3 tbsp Kahlua and 1 tbsp sugar.
- Slice each cake in half so you are left with 4 thin slices.
- Soak each layer of cake with the espresso and Kahlua mixture.
- Then begin layering the cake in this order: 1 layer of soaked cake, 1 1/4 cup cream cheese mixture, and cocoa powder. Repeat this until you stack the last layer of cream. At this point you can decorate the sides and top of the cake with extra cocoa or cream.
Ps: We’ve updated some of the photos in this recipe. Here are some of the previous photos.
I am making this cake this weekend and I’m very excited about it what did you use as a screen for the top of the cake to make the checkerboard look
Hi Genelle, I actually just crisscrossed some wooden skewers and dusted the cocoa powder on top, then carefully lifted them up. If you watch the video on the bottom of the recipe you’ll see what I mean 🙂 I hope you love the tiramisu cake!
I made this recipe, but the final sponge xale tasted too much like egg? Please help.
Hi Sandy, I’m sorry to hear that. How did the batter look before you baked the cake? Sometimes under-beating the cake batter can cause it to have an eggy taste. Also, if you let the cake sit overnight before frosting, a lot of the eggy taste disappears. I hope that helps.
Is the egg product egg white or egg yolk??
Hi Kanika, I believe the egg product is whole pasteurized eggs.
Dina, I love tiramisu and make it for special occasions, I’m just curious as to why you are using cream cheese and not all mascarpone cheese, would it be because of the consistency or what, will be making this very soon thank you
Hi Tere, the cream cheese helps thicken the filling, making it easier to frost the cake. I hope you love this tiramisu cake recipe Tere!
This tiramisu cake looks phenomenal Dina! My husband is a huge tiramisu lover. Definitely bookmarking this one.
Thank you so much, Katya! This Tiramisu cake is my husband’s favorite cake as well!
Dina, this tiramisu cake looks lovely. I love the thick layer of cream. Thank you for such an amazing recipe!
Thank you, Natalya! This tiramisu cake is a timeless dessert. You just can’t go wrong with such a classic! 🙂
Tiramisu is my favourite dessert as it has just the right mix of sweet and bitter from espresso. I love the idea of tiramisu cake, Dina. It’s absolutely stunning.
Thank you so much, Julia! My whole family is crazy over this tiramisu cake.
Filling is too loose. Hard to frost sides. Put in fridge right away to help it. Any suggestions ? Skewers to keep it from shifting. Followed recipe exactly. Honestly !
Hi Suzanne, the brand of egg product and mascarpone cheese can often change the consistency filling. Usually refrigerating the filling helps thicken it back up. In regards to the skewers, they can be a little finicky. I just make sure to place them slowly and carefully 🙂
I’m making this for a birthday party tomorrow and am wondering if it works to put it all together the day prior to serving it?
Hi Teresa, yes it is totally ok to make this tiramisu cake the day before serving it. It is actually better to have it sit for a day to let all the flavors soak together. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Hello, This cake looks AMAZING. I had a question about the egg product, I never used it before does it come in certain sizes? Is there a brand I can look for?
Thanks,
Zeina
Hi Zeina, it depends on where you’re located. Here in the states, pretty much all grocery stores carry it. I like to buy “Lucerne” brand. They typically come in a 16 oz carton. They’re usually located on the shelves with all the eggs. I hope that helps and you give this Tiramisu cake recipe a try 🙂
Your recipe list says baking powder but it doesn’t say in your recipe when to use it. I assume it’s with the flour and cornstach. Just wanted to let you know if you wanna change that. Great recipe!!
Thank you for catching that Ellen. I have just updated that 🙂
I had this cake at a recent party and it was AMAZING!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Galina! I’m so glad to hear that it was a hit at the party! 🙂 Thanks for the feedback.
My sister made this for our Thanksgiving gathering (I think it was 4 portions) and it was so delirious! Thank you for sharing the recipe
Olga, I’m so glad to hear you all enjoyed the tiramisu cake! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to write such kind words!
Hi Dina, quick question – does the cake mixture require 8 or 6 eggs? In the recipe list it says 8 eggs but then in the directions it says 6. Thanks!
Hi Ella, the recipe does require 8 eggs. Thanks for catching that, I will fix that.
Is egg product raw egg whites?
Hi Chelsea, egg product is safer than raw eggs because it was been pasteurized.
Can you tell me how to make egg product as we don’t have here really want to make this thks xx
Hi Diane, you can make this recipe with real eggs. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar to 4 eggs instead of the egg product.
Bring a pot of water (about 2 cups) to a simmer. Place the sugar and eggs into a bowl and place the bowl over the simmering pot. Using an electric mixer beat the eggs and sugar until they double in size and remove from heat. Once the eggs are cooled completely continue to step 7.
Hope that helps!
This cake is really soft and delicious!
Thank you for the kind review!