This tiramisu layer cake has soft genoise sponge cake layers soaked in espresso with a creamy mascarpone frosting.
This cake with tiramisu-inspired flavours of espresso-soaked sponge cake and creamy frosting is so dreamy. I've always admired the effortlessly undone nature of tiramisu with the soft crumb of the sponge cake that almost falls apart before it reaches your mouth, the burst of coffee flavour as you sink your teeth in, and the generously thick layers of cream that give way to your spoon.
Mascarpone cream without eggs
The mascarpone cream in tiramisu is traditionally made by mixing raw eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese or in modern recipes, using a double boiler to heat the eggs to a safe temperature.
In this recipe, I've opted to eliminate the eggs in the mascarpone cream frosting completely and make it by whipping the mascarpone cheese with only whipping cream and sugar. While this won't give you the exact same texture and taste as the real deal, it is a lot less technical and much easier.
This eggless mascarpone frosting is stiffer and holds its structure better which makes frosting a layer cake a breeze without the need to set the tiramisu in the fridge for hours or risk the cake layers slipping around.
Cream cheese as a mascarpone substitute
Mascarpone cheese is a main component of tiramisu but it may be harder to find depending on where you live or you might not have it on hand if you don't use it in other recipes. In my area, really great mascarpone cheese can often only be found at specialty Italian grocers.
Mascarpone can be substituted with cream cheese if you're in a pinch. In this recipe, you can substitute cream cheese directly for the mascarpone cheese. In most other recipes that call for mascarpone as a standalone ingredient, you can mix 8oz cream cheese with 1 cup heavy whipping cream as a substitute for mascarpone cheese.
How to make a tiramisu layer cake
For the genoise sponge cake
Prep oven and pans: Preheat oven to 350°F and line the bottoms of three 6” cake pans with a round of parchment paper. Set aside.
Whip air into the egg mixture: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat eggs on medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the sugar while mixing. Once all the sugar has been added, beat for at least 10 minutes until the mixture has at least doubled in volume and become a pale yellow colour.
Fold in flour mixture: In a small bowl, stir together the cake flour and baking powder. Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift these dry ingredients into the egg mixture ⅓ at a time. Use a silicone spatula to fold the flour in to combine. Don’t overmix otherwise you will deflate too much air from the batter.
Bake cakes: Divide the cake batter evenly into your cake pans (I portioned out approximately 200g into each of my 6” cake pans). Bake cakes for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cakes cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes until cool enough to handle. Run a knife or offset spatula around the edges of the cake to release from the pan and turn the cake out upside down onto a cooling rack, peel off the parchment paper, and let cool completely before frosting.
For the espresso
In a small bowl, stir together espresso powder, hot water, and coffee liqueur and set aside for when you’re ready to assemble the cake.
For the mascarpone frosting
In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the mascarpone cheese until creamy. Mix in the whipping cream and then the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
Assemble the tiramisu layer cake
Soak cakes in espresso: Place your first cake layer down on a turntable. Drizzle 4-5 spoonfuls of espresso mixture across the surface of the cake until the top is saturated.
Frost: Add a generous amount of mascarpone frosting on top of the cake layer and use an offset spatula to smooth evenly. Repeat with your remaining cake layers, espresso mixture, and frosting.
For a “naked” style cake, spread a thin layer of frosting on the sides of the cake and use a bench scraper to smooth and remove excess frosting until the cake can be seen through the frosting.
Decorate: Transfer the remaining frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large piping tip of your choice and piping a design on the top of your cake. Dust the top generously with cocoa powder.
Commonly asked questions
Tiramisu cakes should be stored wrapped or covered in the fridge. The mascarpone frosting is food safe at room temperature for about 4 hours but it's best to refrigerate the leftovers immediately.
You can store this cake in the fridge for 3-4 days but it tastes the freshest if eaten within 1-2 days.
Yes! Wrap your tiramisu cake slices with plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.
Espresso or espresso powder tastes stronger than coffee. In a pinch, you could use a very strongly brewed coffee but keep in mind that coffee will be more watery than espresso and the taste may be more bitter.
To make a fluffy sponge cake, whip the egg mixture for at least 10 whole minutes. The eggs should be very pale in colour and tripled in volume. You want to incorporate lots of air into the batter so that your cakes will be fluffy once baked. Gently fold the flour into the eggs and don't open the oven door while the cake is baking until it is ready to come out to prevent it from deflating.
Other cake recipes to try
Recipe
Tiramisu Layer Cake
Ingredients
Genoise Sponge Cake
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 130 g cake flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon espresso powder
- 150 ml hot water
- 30 ml coffee liqueur, e.g. Kahlua
Mascarpone Frosting
- 500 g mascarpone cheese, softened
- 250 g whipping cream
- 150 g powdered sugar
- cocoa powder, for dusting
Instructions
Genoise Sponge Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line the bottoms of three 6” cake pans with a round of parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat eggs on medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the sugar while mixing. Once all the sugar has been added, beat for at least 10 minutes until the mixture has tripled in volume and become a pale yellow colour.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cake flour and baking powder. Using a fine mesh sieve, sift these dry ingredients into the egg mixture ⅓ at a time. Use a silicone spatula to fold the flour in to combine. Don’t overmix otherwise you will deflate too much air from the batter.
- Divide the cake batter evenly into your cake pans (I portioned out approximately 200g into each of my 6” cake pans). Bake cakes for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes until cool enough to handle. Run a knife or offset spatula around the edges of the cake to release from the pan and turn the cake out upside down onto a cooling rack, peel off the parchment paper, and let cool completely before frosting.
- In a small bowl, stir together espresso powder, hot water, and coffee liqueur and set aside for when you’re ready to assemble the cake.
Mascarpone Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the mascarpone cheese until creamy. Mix in the whipping cream and then the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
To assemble the cake
- Place your first cake layer down on a turntable. Drizzle 4-5 spoonfuls of espresso mixture across the surface of the cake until the top is saturated.
- Add a generous amount of mascarpone frosting on top of the cake layer and use an offset spatula to smooth evenly.
- Repeat with your remaining cake layers, espresso mixture, and frosting.
- For a “naked” style cake, spread a thin layer of frosting on the sides of the cake and use a bench scraper to smooth and remove excess frosting until the cake can be seen through the frosting.
- Transfer the remaining frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large piping tip of your choice and piping a design on the top of your cake. Dust the top generously with cocoa powder.
Tifa
Can I use bustelo expresso instant coffee?
Gail Ng
Yes, any espresso or instant coffee powder works!
Madison
Made this cake with a flavor addition: instead of coffee liqueur, I used a homemade pumpkin pie syrup to make a PSL inspired tiramisu cake. Also wanted to make it alcohol-free so my 3 year old niece could try it!
One note: make sure your heavy cream is room temp when you make the frosting. Recipe didn't instruct this, and not letting it rest at room temp first caused my frosting to break. I was able to warm a portion of the frosting and re-emulsify it, so all is well, but the recipe should probably state room temp!
Good recipe overall! Was a crowd pleased at my birthday party!
Jess
The cake looked great and was easy to make! I found it to be too sweet, even without using a sweetened coffee liquor.
Christine
Hi, any substitute for mascarapone cheese?
Gail Ng
You can use cream cheese! Same amounts 🙂
Kim
If I have 8 inch cake pans what would the cooking time be? Thanks! Looks delicious!!
Christina
Hello!
I am wondering if I can make the cake layers ahead of time and freeze them, then thaw them out when I am ready to decorate them?
Gail Ng
Yes! I do this all the time and it works well. Just thaw them in the fridge overnight before the day you’re using them.
Amalia Regalado
Was a bomb !!! Everybody love it
Thanks for share, even my sister in low that she doesn’t like tiramisu at all, she love it
Alexys Calhoun
Hello! I have made this cake twice so far and it has fallen both times in the middle. I own a cake bakery so this is very confusing to me. Any tips on how to properly whip the eggs? I used a paddle attachment the first time and a whisk arrangement the second. Both times it fell. And the second time I barely beat in the flour so it shouldn’t have fallen so much.
Lynn
Love this!! Do you know if it will work as cupcakes? Thanks
Gail Ng
Sure, it should work but I wouldn’t use parchment cupcake liners! I’d suggest only lining the cupcake pan with a circle of parchment at the bottom and don’t grease the sides. Bake directly in the pan. Since this sponge cake doesn’t use any leavening agents, it needs to “stick” to the bare walls of the pan in order to “climb up”. Parchment liners are slippery and the cupcakes might not rise as much. Also bake for a little less time since they’re smaller.
Carike
Delicious, will definitely make again!
Cindy
This recipe is amazing! I have made it 5 times in the past 2 months. So easy, tastes fabulous and looks stunning. It blows my guests away every time. I frost it “naked” style, ie: wrap circumference of bottom layer with parchment paper and build the layers from there. It is easy to keep in the fridge or transport that way, and when unwrapped, looks “bakery” quality.
Silviya
Hi. Lovely recipe, can't wait to try it out. I have one question though. Do you think that the mascarpone filling would be okay if I cover the cake with fondant. I have a friend who asked me to make a Tiramisu cake foe her, but she wants it covered with fondant. I know that buttercream is best when using fondant but I am trying to find something that best resembles the classic tiramisu.
Gail Ng
I don’t work with fondant so I can’t tell you for sure but after some research I think it might be a little risky. This frosting is a bit softer and less stable than buttercream and it also has more moisture and doesn’t really crust which might react with the fondant and cause it to soften. If you’re going to do it, I would suggest only using the mascarpone frosting in between the layers and as a very thin crumb coat and be sure to chill it before applying the fondant.
Alyssar
Helloo, i really want to make this cake but I have a simple question, i realized that you didn’t add any oil to the cake batter. Wouldn’t be too dry without oil or butter?
Gail Ng
Nope! This cake is a genoise sponge cake which doesn't typically have oil or butter in it. When whipped properly, the eggs incorporate a lot of air which keeps the cake from being dense or dry. Plus, you'll be soaking the cakes in espresso so they're actually very moist in the end!
Pamela
Hi. If I wanted to bake this cake using three (3) 8" round pans, should I double the recipe? I have no idea how to calculate this. Thank you.
Jazzijennybee
I have been on the search for a minimal ingredient, light and fluffy sponge cake for years and I've finally found the one. Thank you so much for this divine cake recipe. I just make it for the first time a few minutes ago. My place smells like a bake shop with the vanilla extract I added to the batter. Very much looking forward to the assembly and taking a bite tomorrow evening. This will be an impressive cake to make for a birthday celebration.
Can you remove some of the sugar and still get the same results?
Mélanie
J'adore ! Combien de part peut on faire ?
Ahila
So delicious. I didn’t have 6” pans only had 9”, still turned out great. Thank you