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
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In a stand mixer, beat 8 eggs until foamy. Then slowly add the sugar and vanilla while the mixer is still beating.
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Sift the flour, baking powder, and cornstarch. Then fold it into the beaten eggs using a whisk.
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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.
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Bake in a preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 28-30 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack.
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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.
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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.
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Add the egg product to the cream cheese mixture and mix just to incorporate.
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In a small bowl mix together the espresso,
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with 3 tbsp Kahlua and 1 tbsp sugar.
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Slice each cake in half so you are left with 4 thin slices.
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Soak each layer of cake with the espresso and Kahlua mixture.
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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.
Sandy says
May 3, 2019 at 10:00 pmI made this recipe, but the final sponge xale tasted too much like egg? Please help.
simplyhomecooked says
May 4, 2019 at 1:43 amHi 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.
Kanika says
March 28, 2019 at 12:28 pmIs the egg product egg white or egg yolk??
simplyhomecooked says
March 28, 2019 at 3:50 pmHi Kanika, I believe the egg product is whole pasteurized eggs.
Tere says
March 14, 2019 at 12:23 amDina, 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
simplyhomecooked says
March 14, 2019 at 1:52 amHi Tere, the cream cheese helps thicken the filling, making it easier to frost the cake. I hope you love this tiramisu cake recipe Tere!
Katya says
February 26, 2019 at 11:12 amThis tiramisu cake looks phenomenal Dina! My husband is a huge tiramisu lover. Definitely bookmarking this one.
simplyhomecooked says
February 26, 2019 at 7:56 pmThank you so much, Katya! This Tiramisu cake is my husband’s favorite cake as well!
Natalya says
February 25, 2019 at 8:34 amDina, this tiramisu cake looks lovely. I love the thick layer of cream. Thank you for such an amazing recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
February 25, 2019 at 9:09 amThank you, Natalya! This tiramisu cake is a timeless dessert. You just can’t go wrong with such a classic! 🙂
Julia Frey says
February 25, 2019 at 5:15 amTiramisu 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.
simplyhomecooked says
February 25, 2019 at 9:08 amThank you so much, Julia! My whole family is crazy over this tiramisu cake.
Suzanne says
February 24, 2019 at 2:01 pmFilling 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 !
simplyhomecooked says
February 24, 2019 at 6:42 pmHi 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 🙂
Zeina says
February 20, 2019 at 10:23 amHello, 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
simplyhomecooked says
February 20, 2019 at 4:36 pmHi 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 🙂
Ellen Blosser says
January 27, 2019 at 11:01 amYour 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!!
simplyhomecooked says
January 27, 2019 at 5:47 pmThank you for catching that Ellen. I have just updated that 🙂
Galina says
November 27, 2018 at 4:02 amI had this cake at a recent party and it was AMAZING!!!! Thanks for sharing!
simplyhomecooked says
November 27, 2018 at 3:42 pmThank you Galina! I’m so glad to hear that it was a hit at the party! 🙂 Thanks for the feedback.
Olga Migashkin says
November 22, 2018 at 5:54 pmMy sister made this for our Thanksgiving gathering (I think it was 4 portions) and it was so delirious! Thank you for sharing the recipe
simplyhomecooked says
November 24, 2018 at 1:22 pmOlga, I’m so glad to hear you all enjoyed the tiramisu cake! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to write such kind words!
Ella says
November 21, 2018 at 9:07 pmHi 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!
simplyhomecooked says
November 22, 2018 at 5:58 pmHi Ella, the recipe does require 8 eggs. Thanks for catching that, I will fix that.
Chelsea says
May 29, 2018 at 4:21 pmIs egg product raw egg whites?
simplyhomecooked says
June 1, 2018 at 9:13 amHi Chelsea, egg product is safer than raw eggs because it was been pasteurized.
Diane day says
March 6, 2018 at 4:54 amCan you tell me how to make egg product as we don’t have here really want to make this thks xx
simplyhomecooked says
March 8, 2018 at 1:17 amHi 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!
irina khoma says
December 12, 2017 at 9:29 pmThis cake is really soft and delicious!
simplyhomecooked says
December 20, 2017 at 8:32 amThank you for the kind review!