Tiramisu Cake is a classic Italian cake that’s made with coffee-soaked sponge cake and layered with sweet mascarpone cream. It’s also dusted with delicious cocoa powder.
Do you love Italian desserts? Be sure to give our Chewy Amaretti Cookies and Mini Almond Biscotti a try!
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
This classic Italian dessert is typically made with ladyfingers as the “cake base,” but to be honest, this cake version is so much BETTER! You’ll love the way the flavors absorb into the fluffy layers.
- TASTE: This sweet and creamy espresso combination is every coffee lover’s dream. The addition of cocoa makes it even tastier.
- TEXTURE: The fluffy and airy sponge cake absorbs all the coffee liqueur, mascarpone cream, and cocoa powder all too well. And the frosting is so creamy.
- TIME: This cake will take 55 minutes.
- EASE: As elegant as it looks, this recipe is rather easy. Just follow the pictures and step-by-step instructions in this recipe for a perfect Tiramisu Cake.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Cake base- To make the cake layers of this sponge cake Tiramisu, we’ll be using All-purpose flour, Cornstarch, Baking powder, Eggs, Sugar, and Vanilla extract.
- Mascarpone cheese- This is for the frosting and is sweet with some hints of acidity.
- Cream cheese- Sweet and tangy, this mixes with the mascarpone for the frosting.
- Egg product- These eggs make the frosting extra creamy, as is traditional for tiramisu.
- Kahlua– To add extra coffee flavor along with hints of vanilla and caramel. This liqueur is sweet and rich.
- Powdered sugar- To sweeten the frosting.
- Espresso- This is what adds the delicious coffee flavor that Tiramisu cake is known for.
- Sugar- This is to add sweetness to the coffee soak.
- Cocoa powder- This is added to each layer of the cake for delicious chocolaty flavor to pair with the coffee taste.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute the espresso- If you haven’t got an espresso maker, you can use instant espresso powder or really strong brewed coffee. You will need 1 cup of either one
- Use real eggs- Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar to 3 eggs instead of the egg product. Then simmer 2 cups of water in a pot. Place the egg mixture in a bowl, and the bowl in the pot. Beat until double in size, then remove from heat and cool before adding the mascarpone.
- Substitute the Kahlua- If you haven’t got any or don’t want to use it, you can substitute a few teaspoons of coffee extract to replace it.
- Add toppings- Top the cake with shavings from a bar of chocolate for a prettier presentation and more chocolaty flavor. You can also add espresso beans.
How to Make Tiramisu Cake
- Beat the eggs. Beat them 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 dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder and cornstarch into the eggs and fold it in with a whisk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Bake the cake. Pour the cake batter into the parchment-lined round 10-inch cake pans and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 28-30 minutes. You can check for doneness with a toothpick. Then let the cake cool on a cooling wire rack.
- Make the frosting. Meanwhile beat the cream cheese, mascarpone, Kahlua, and powdered sugar. Whip the egg product using an electric mixer until it thickens, then add it to the mascarpone mixture.
- Slice the cake. Slice the cooled cake layers in half, and soak them in a combination of coffee and sugar.
- Assemble it. Then assemble the cake in this order: coffee-soaked cake, cream, cocoa powder, and repeat until all the cake layers are used. Be sure to reserve some cream to coat the outside of the cake.
Pro Tip: I find that using a Martellato soaker bottle is the best method for soaking cakes. It doesn’t drench it as other methods do.
Recipe Tips
- Thicken runny mascarpone- If the brand of mascarpone cheese you bought has a runnier consistency, make sure to refrigerate the cream for at least 40 minutes before combining it with the egg product.
- Make sure you beat the eggs well- Your mascarpone cream frosting can get runny if the eggs are not beaten well, until they are pale and fluffy.
- Don’t oversoak the cake- Be careful as you soak the cake not to dench it. It will fall apart if it becomes too wet. A soaker bottle works really well here, like this Martellato soaker bottle.
- Let the cake set- Tiramisu tastes best when it has had time to absorb all the delicious flavors of coffee, cream, and Kahlua. Therefore you want to let the cream infuse into the sponge cake overnight in the fridge.
FAQs
Mascarpone cheese is one of the main ingredients in a tiramisu cake recipe. It has a mild flavor similar to creme Fraiche and is used in the frosting.
This could happen due to the eggs or egg products not being beaten well enough. You want to beat the egg mixture until its pale in color and fluffy. If you want to thicken up a runny cream, place it in the fridge for about 1 hour before frosting the cake.
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 come to realize that certain brands of egg products don’t thicken as much as others. So far, the best brand for this recipe is Lucerne.
Serving Suggestions
This Tiramisu Cake is such a versatile dessert and works great with lots of other sweets. Put together a dessert buffet and serve this with cookies, other cakes, coffee, and more.
- Cookies: Serve a slice with some Jumbo Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, Chocolate Meringue Cookies, Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies, or Coffee Macarons.
- Cakes: Add this cake to your dessert spread with others, like this Chocolate Mousse Cake, New York Style Cheesecake, Gingerbread Cake, or Chocolate Honey Cake (Spartak Cake).
- Sweet treats: Pair this Tiramisu Cake with Coffee Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Pot De Creme, White Chocolate Creme Brulee, or Chocolate Covered Dates.
- Beverages: Enjoy a cup of Hot Chocolate or coffee with a slice of this cake. Or make your own Pumpkin Spice Latte or Iced Caramel Macchiato.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: This cake works best when it sets overnight, so you can make it the day before you plan to serve it. It also stores well in the fridge or freezer.
Storing: This Tiramisu Cake will last in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, covered or stored in an airtight container.
Freeze: Leave off the cocoa topping and wrap the cake in plastic wrap (twice). Once it is frozen solid, wrap tightly in foil. You can keep it frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
More Tasty Italian Desserts!
Full Recipe Instructions
Tiramisu Cake
Ingredients
Spongecake
- 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 cream cheese (4 packages)
- 16 oz mascarpone cheese
- 2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup Kahlua
- 1 cup egg product
Coffee Soak
- 1 cup espresso
- 3 tbsp Kahlua
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- 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. If you don't have egg product, see notes below on how to make this cake without it.
- 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. I find that using a Martellato soaker bottle works best.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
This tiramisu cake recipe was originally published on July 20, 2015, it has been updated since.
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Abby says
How long would this cake last in the fridge if I were to make it ahead of time? Is three days pushing it too long?
Dina says
Hi Abby 🙂 3 days for this Tiramisu cake is pushing it. It may become too soggy. I would recommend making the cream and cake layers 2 days in advance and then assembling them the day before. Keep the cream in the fridge and the cake layers at room temperature. Keep them both covered. I hope that helps and you love this recipe! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Zen says
Hi Dina,
This recipe sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it. I had a question about the Kahlua. Can I replace it with something non alcoholic? Thanks!
Dina says
Hi Zen, you can make a substitute for the Khalua by mixing 1/2 teaspoon of instant espresso powder with 1 tablespoon of simple syrup for every tablespoon of Kahlua. I hope that helps 🙂
Vin says
Made this cake few months ago for my aunt’s birthday. It was sooooo good! Thanks again for your lovely recipes!
Dina says
You are so welcome! 🙂 Happy to hear you loved this Tiramisu cake so much 🙂 It really is a delicious recipe for any party or gathering! Thank you so much for your kind review and support! 🙂
Gaby Ccellccaro says
Hola soy de perú quisiera saber que es producto de huevo y que es kahlua o como se puede reemplazar , gracias
simplyhomecooked says
Hola 🙂 El producto de huevo son solo huevos pasteurizados. Esto los hace seguros para comer. Al final de la publicación de recetas explico cómo puedes hacer tus propios huevos pasteurizados. Kahlua es solo licor de café. Puede usar extracto de café como sustituto. ¡Espero que tengas la oportunidad de hacer este pastel!
Angela Gates says
Hi, I really want to make this but I don’t have 10” pans…I am guessing that 9” pans would be ok…maybe just have a little thicker layers ?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Angela, you can make it in the 9-inch pans, but yes, the cake layer will be thicker.
Ros says
Hi Diane
I would like to use 8inch tins, what quality and baking time would you suggest please?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Ros, that is a really hard question to answer. I have never tried making this Tiramisu cake with 8in tins so I am not sure. I don’t want to give an estimate and be wrong. If you give it a try with the 8in tins let me know how it goes 🙂
Monica Hjalmarsson says
OMG its look wery tasty, I have my 70-e burthday soon I will make this cake so thank you for the recips 🥰
simplyhomecooked says
You are very welcome Monica 🙂 Happy early birthday and I hope you absolutely love this Tiramisu cake! 🙂
Jacky says
I made this cake yesterday and it was a bit of a challenge as an amateur baker, but it turned out great! I didn’t have any Kahlua on hand so I left it out and it still turned out well. It was absolutely delicious and well worth the time and effort!
simplyhomecooked says
That’s so awesome Jacky! So happy that you gave this Tiramisu cake a try! Yes, it does require some work but it really is delicious! Thank you so much for your feedback 🙂
Helen Huber says
They didn’t have egg product at the store so I did the 3 eggs with sugar. Do I use all of that mixture or 1 cup as indicated in the recipe?
Thanks.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Helen, yes you only want to use 1 cup of that mixture. I hope you love this Tiramisu cake!
Suzanne says
I tried this and it was so good! Thank you for sharing the recipe!!!
simplyhomecooked says
You are very welcome Suzanne! So happy to hear you loved this Tiramisu cake 🙂 Thank you for your feedback and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Michelle Harper says
Should each of the two cake layers be about a half inch before separating into two? They seem awfully thin to be sliced horizontally. I whipped the eggs until they were foamy before adding the sugar and vanilla.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Michelle, that does sound thin. They should be about 1 in before slicing them, not 1/2 in. About how long did you beat the eggs? Under beating might be the problem, it’s an important step. Did you do anything differently? Let me know so I can try to help figure out what happened 🙂
Tracy says
I made this cake last night for a friends birthday and took it up to our work and OH MY heavens. It was absolutely amazing. Everyone loved it and I had multiple people ask me to make more for them. Best cake I have had in a while. Excited to try more of your recipes.
simplyhomecooked says
Yay! So happy that this Tiramisu cake was such a hit with everyone! 🙂 Thank you Tracy for your kind review! 🙂 I’m very happy that you found my blog and I hope you find many more delicious recipes here 🙂
Ama says
I was excited to make this tiramisu recipe at first as it used spongecake unlike the traditional tiramisu recipe which uses ladyfinger biscuits. I followed the recipe exactly and was very surprised by the results. The spongecake honestly tasted more like an omelette than cake and the cream tasted like cheddar unlike the sweet and fluffy cream that traditional tiramisu consists of. I don’t know how the same recipe could result in a professional looking tiramisu ( the one posted on the website) and thick pancakes and cream which my “tiramisu “ looked like. Do you know what could have made this recipe go completely wrong Dina.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Ama, I am so sorry to hear that. I think you may have under-beat the eggs for the spongecake. Whenever this type of cake isn’t beaten well enough it will result in a rubbery eggy cake. As for the cream, the only reason I can think of why it may have tasted like cheddar is maybe the cream cheese or mascarpone went bad?
Christina says
Hello – I’ve had mascarpone curdle on me before when whipped with another ingredient. Do you recommend having both cream cheese and mascarpone at rom temp or both whipped cold? Would like to make this asap and so excited to see the result.
Thanks!
Christina
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Christina, I recommend having both the ingredients at room temperature. This will ensure a smooth and creamy frosting 🙂
Rodika says
Hi Dina! I tried making the sponge cake two different times. Both times those did not rise. I made sure to follow the instruction to the dot. Beat the eggs until they’re pale and fluffy. Fold the flower in jently along with the banking powder and cornstarch… any clue what might the reason be? All products used were fresh… 🤔
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Rodika, I’m so sorry to hear that. Did you sift the dry ingredients together prior to whisking them into the eggs or did you add them into the eggs separately? Also, what type of mixer did you use? Some mixers are weaker than others and may require a longer mixing time. Let me know if you have any more questions. I am more than happy to help!
Nina says
While making the spongecake how do I know that I haven’t over beaten the eggs? Also can I freeze just the spongecake ahead of time and than thaw it out to assemble it later?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Nina, Once your batter has obtained more volume, and appears pale yellow, it should be done. It usually takes my mixer about 7-8 minutes to finish the entire mixing process (not including folding in the flour). And yes, you can freeze the spongecake beforehand. Just make sure to wrap it tightly to keep freshness. I hope you enjoy this Tiramisu recipe!
Wendy Barber says
Hi, Could I make this an 8 inch instead of 10 inch cake? if so how much longer would you bake it?
another question I have is how would I adjust this recipe for high altitude baking?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Wendy, I haven’t tried making this Tiramisu cake recipe in an 8-inch baking pan before so I can’t say exactly how much longer it will bake. I always use the toothpick test. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake when you think it’s done. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done baking. I hope that helps 🙂
Wendy Barber says
Can you tell me how to adapt this recipe for High Altitude baking? Thank you
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Wendy, I don’t have any experience with high altitude baking so I am not too sure how much to change it.
Carmel says
What could I substitute for the khalua? I would prefer not to have alcohol in the cake. Thank you.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Carmel, I can’t really think of a non-alcoholic substitute for the Kahlua. So you can just omit it completely if you’d like 🙂
Symone Harris says
I had a quick question about the cake recipe. I see that you don’t use any butter or oil or any kind of fat. DO you worry about this cake not being that moist?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Symone, this is not a typical sponge cake. Its a European sponge cake. It gets is moist and fluffiness from the well-beaten eggs. If this method is done properly, the cake comes out very moist. I hope you give it a try and love it 🙂