A classic transformed, this layered tiramisu cake pairs coffee and rum soaked cake layers with a whipped mascarpone and zabaglione frosting. Don’t forget the dusting of cocoa powder to finish! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Tiramisu Cake (with a Twist)
While classic tiramisu certainly shares some of the qualifications of a cake, but today we’re making a *true* tiramisu cake, as in, what comes to mind when you think of a classic cake. Complete with fluffy cake layers and frosting, t’s perfectly sliceable with distinct layers that capture each element of the classic dessert. It was tricky to pull off all of the components, but I feel like the end result translates so nicely into a layer cake.
4 Things to Know About This Recipe:
This tiramisu cake is more intermediate/advanced in skill level compared to my other cakes. We will make quite a few components both on and off the stovetop, there’s some technique involved in making the frosting, and you need to know how to whip egg whites and cream to stiff peaks. Nothing too complicated, but when making each component from scratch, this one isn’t as easy peasy as my vanilla cake or chocolate cake recipe, for instance.
Chilling before serving is non-negotiable. This allows the frosting to set up and the flavors to fully develop. You can even make the cake a whole day before–it will taste great that way!
The zabaglione we are making today is thicker than a zabaglione you’d make for a traditional tiramisu. This is intentional; we need it to be sturdy and pipeable for our frosting.
Mascarpone is essential, but it can be finicky to work with; it’s sensitive to over-mixing and temperature. I provide a few tips for working with it throughout the recipe and in my video, so make sure to read through the recipe and watch the video in its entirety before beginning if you’re new to working with mascarpone.
I won’t lie–tiramisu cake requires dirtying quite a few bowls, but it’s worth it!
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What You Need
Rum. I use rum, but marsala wine is technically a more traditional choice and you can substitute that if you prefer it.
Eggs. You’ll divide the eggs; the yolks will go in the zabaglione/frosting (don’t worry, they’ll be cooked) and the whites will go in the cake. Note, you will need five egg yolks for the zabaglione and SIX egg whites for the cake; I tried (oh, did I try!) to make these numbers even, but you ended up with either way too much frosting or a cake that wasn’t fluffy enough. So you will ultimately end up with an extra egg yolk, which you can use in many of my other recipes, like my churro cookies or Nutella brownies.
Mascarpone cheese. Mascarpone is traditional tiramisu ingredient, so I knew I needed to use it in this tiramisu cake. It can be kind of tricky to work with as it’s very sensitive to temperature and over-mixing. I like to pull mine out of the fridge 10 minutes before I plan to make my frosting. Also be sure to drain any liquid that may have pooled on top before you use it!
Coffee. Pick a kind you like the flavor of; either regular or decaf will work. We will brush this over each cake layer, soaking it, before frosting.
Cocoa powder. Stick with natural cocoa. This is the unsweetened cocoa you would use in brownies or chocolate buttercream frosting. I don’t recommend using Dutch process cocoa powder here; the flavor won’t be quite right.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: If you need to make an alcohol-free tiramisu cake, you could try substituting the alcohol with strongly brewed coffee.
How to Make Layered Tiramisu Cake
Make the Zabaglione
We’ll start with the zabaglione first since it needs to chill. Zabaglione is the alcohol-infused custard base that we build the fluffy frosting around. It’s essential to tiramisu and very traditional, so I knew I needed to incorporate it into this tiramisu cake.
In classic tiramisu, the zabaglione can stay soft and silky because of the nature of that dessert (it’s much, much softer), but I needed something sturdier and pipe-able here. So we make a very sturdy zabaglione that we soften into a frosting consistency with mascarpone and whipped cream. It works great, it tastes great, but I will warn that it’s not a beginner’s frosting.
Step 1: Whisk the eggs and sugar. Add your egg yolks to a bowl and whisk vigorously for about a minute. Add a tablespoon of the sugar, whisk vigorously again, then repeat until you’ve added all of the sugar.
Step 2: Add the flavorings. Add the salt, rum, and vanilla, then whisk vigorously again–we are trying to dissolve the sugar somewhat with all this whisking. It should dissolve completely in the next step, but we want to give it a head start before heading to the stove.
Step 3: Cook over a double boiler. Add your bowl to your prepared double boiler (the water should be simmering at this point!). Whisk constantly, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl, until thickened and fully cooked (160F if you are using a thermometer). The mixture will be thicker than pudding, and the sugar should be completely dissolved. Remove from heat and carefully transfer to another bowl to cool completely; I like to press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface after 10 minutes and place in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
Make the Cake Layers
My goal for the cake layers was to make tasty enough to eat on their own, but not too rich or bold that they overpowered the rest of the cake. We’ll infuse them with a coffee/rum-based simple syrup (making that next!), which we’ll brush on after they’ve cooled.
Step 1: Make the tiramisu cake batter. Cream the butter with an electric mixer, then stir in the oil and sugar. Add the vanilla, then scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then alternate adding them with the milk (start and end with the flour mixture). Set this aside.
Step 2: Whip the egg whites. Add your egg whites to a separate clean, dry, grease-free bowl. Whip with an electric mixer until you see stiff peaks; the eggs will be thick, fluffy, and hold their shape.
Step 3: Fold in the egg whites. Gently fold the whipped eggs into the prepared cake batter. You want the mixture to be cohesive, but you don’t want to deflate all of that air we just whipped into the eggs. DO NOT use a mixer for this step–use a spoon or spatula.
Step 4: Divide into pans and bake. Evenly divide the batter between three greased, floured, and parchment lined 8″ cake pans. Bake until light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs, about 22 minutes.
SAM’S TIP: Just like when making white cake or Funfetti cake , it’s critical that the bowl and beaters you use for your egg whites are completely clean, dry, and grease-free. If not, your egg whites may not whip properly, which will affect the outcome of your cake.
Simple Syrup & Assembly
Step 1: Make the simple syrup. Cook the coffee and sugar over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum. Let this cool a bit while you prep your frosting.
Step 2: Pierce the cakes. Use a fork to poke holes allover the tops of each cake layer. This will allow the simple syrup to soak nicely into the cake.
Step 3: Add the simple syrup. Brush the syrup over each cake layer; you’ll need about ¼ cup per cake layer. Use all of the syrup!
Step 4: Stack and frost. Spread a thick layer of frosting over your first cake layer, add the next cake layer, and repeat until you have stacked and frosted all three layers. Keep the frosting layers thick here; we are just doing a thin coat around the outside.
Step 5: Decorate & chill. Add a thin coating of frosting around the sides; it’s fine if the cake layers peek through. I like to take the remaining frosting and pipe it in dollops around the top of the cake before I add my cocoa powder dusting. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before attempting to slice.
SAM’S TIP: Do NOT skip the chilling time! This tiramisu layer cake *must* chill for at least an hour (preferably two) before you try to slice it; otherwise it will fall apart on you. Trust me and don’t ask me how I know 🤣!
Frequently Asked Questions
Tiramisu is a layered no-bake dessert made with rum and coffee soaked ladyfinger cookies, a fluffy cream made from zabalgione and mascarpone, and unsweetened cocoa powder. It’s much softer than the tiramisu cake I’m sharing today, and it is sliced and served directly from the dish it’s assembled in instead of as a standalone stacked layer cake.
Not too sweet, with primary notes of coffee and rum soaked in the vanilla cake layers softened by the custard/whipped cream frosting and a dusting of unsweetened cocoa. It’s beautifully balanced and a coffee lover’s dream!
Also, if you love coffee, definitely give my coffee frosting a try!
I don’t give this tiramisu cake to my kids since there’s a fair amount of rum in it (and coffee too!).
If you want to try to make an alcohol-free and low caffeine tiramisu cake, you could try substituting the rum with strongly brewed decaf coffee. I haven’t tried this myself, so if you do, I would love to know how it turns out for you!
Or just make my homemade dirt cake recipe instead–kids usually love that one 😉
This tiramisu cake took a lot of research and hard work (and dishes 😂) to develop–I really can’t wait to hear how you like it!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
Tiramisu Cake
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Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 839kcal
Instructions
For the zabaglione
Set up a double boiler by filling a medium-sized saucepan with 1-2” (about 4cm) of water. Place a medium-sized heatproof bowl on top, making sure the bottom does not touch the water. Remove the bowl, and turn the heat to medium-low to bring the water to a simmer.
Meanwhile, place egg yolks in the bowl (off heat) and whisk vigorously for about 60 seconds.
5 egg yolks
Add sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time, whisking vigorously for 30-60 seconds between each addition.
6 Tablespoons (75 g) granulated sugar
Add salt and whisk to combine.
¼ teaspoon table salt
Combine rum and vanilla extract and gradually whisk the rum/vanilla mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk vigorously for at least another minute, sugar should be dissolving (but may not be completely dissolved, this is OK).
5 Tablespoons rum, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Place bowl over saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until sugar has completely dissolved and temperature reaches 160F (71C), this could take around 5-10 minutes or even longer. Be sure to whisk in anything that sticks to the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is uniform. When finished, mixture will be thicker than pudding in consistency.
Pour/spoon mixture into a separate, heatproof bowl to stop it from cooking further and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then press parchment paper against the surface and place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the rest of the cake.
For the cake
Preheat your oven to 350F (175C) and prepare three 8-inch round cake pans by greasing and flouring the sides and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Be sure to shake out any excess flour from the pans, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until creamy.
6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
Add oil and sugar and beat until well-combined.
⅔ cup (160 ml) neutral cooking oil, 1 ¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
Add vanilla extract and stir to combine, be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to combine all ingredients.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2 ⅔ cups (333 g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon table salt
With your mixer on medium speed, alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture. You should start and end with the flour mixture, stirring between each addition to completely incorporate all ingredients before adding the next. Set aside.
1 cup (240 ml) milk
In a separate clean, dry, large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer (be sure to use clean, dry beaters!) to beat your egg whites, starting at low speed and increasing to high speed, whisking until stiff peaks form.
6 (210 ml) large egg whites
Using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into your batter. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, and only fold in until just combined.
Evenly divide cake batter into your prepared pans, each pan should have around 450g of batter.
Bake in preheated 350F (175C) oven for 22-25 minutes, until cakes are a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Allow cakes to cool in cake pans for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the inside rim of the pan to loosen cakes and carefully invert onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before assembling.
For the simple syrup
In a small saucepan over medium/low heat, combine coffee and sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
½ cup (120 ml) coffee, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
Remove from heat and add rum, stir to combine. Set aside while you prepare your frosting.
2 Tablespoons rum
For the frosting
You will want to bring your mascarpone cheese out of the refrigerator to soften for 10 minutes, but no more than 20 minutes. Bring your chilled zabaglione out at the same time so that when combining them, they are the same temperature.
16 oz (454 g) mascarpone cheese
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat heavy cream and ½ cup (62g) of powdered sugar until you just hit stiff peaks. Set aside.
2 cups (473 ml) heavy cream
In a separate large bowl, add mascarpone cheese, zabaglione, and remaining ½ cup (62g) powdered sugar. Use a spatula to very gently fold ingredients together until thoroughly combined. You want to stir as little as possible while still completely combining ingredients, as too much stirring can cause the cheese to curdle.
Add whipped cream to the cheese mixture and use a spatula to very gently fold until thoroughly combined, while still trying to stir as little as possible.
Assembly
Once cakes are completely cool you may begin to assemble. Level cakes if necessary.
Place the first cake layer on your cake tray and pierce all over with a fork. Use a pastry brush to generously brush the simple syrup onto the cake layer. You will use all of the syrup, evenly dividing it between the three layers (about ¼ cup for each layer).
Top with a thick, even layer of frosting. Repeat with the next two cake layers, topping the last layer with a thick layer of frosting.
Frost the sides of the cake with a thin, smooth, semi-naked covering of frosting. Use the remaining frosting to make dollops on the top of the cake (I used an Ateco 848 tip).
Gently sift cocoa powder evenly over the top of the cake. Refrigerate, covered, for at least an hour or two before slicing and serving.
Natural cocoa powder
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 839kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 1428IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 195mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
