If you want to have Tiramisu and cake at the same time, then this Tiramisu Cake is the solution. 5 ingredient genoise cake brushed with strong espresso and filled with irresistibly creamy coffee mascarpone cream. No raw eggs in the frosting. Just 10 ingredients! With detailed step-by-step instructions including process photos and video.
What you will learn:
- How to make Tiramisu Cake from scratch
- What does Tiramisu Cake taste like
- How to store it and how long does it last
- How to freeze it
- Is it safe for pregnant and toddler
- Does it contain caffeine or alcohol
How to make Tiramisu Cake from scratch
Tiramisu Cake is not as hard to make as you might think. Let’s start with the cake layer. It is a genoise cake and made of 5 ingredients: eggs, granulated white sugar, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder.
You can mix the batter with a handheld mixer, but I encourage you to use a stand mixer (if you have one) just because it is so much easier and also faster. The cake batter needs to be mixed about 10 minutes when mixed with a stand mixer when you use a hand mixer plan 3-5 minutes longer to get the required consistency.
Start with mixing the eggs just until combined. Then add sugar and mix for 10-15 minutes on medium-high speed. Watch the following pictures to see how the egg/sugar mixture transforms while mixing it.
Mixing progress after 1 minute:
Mixing progress after 5 minutes:
Mixing progress after 8 minutes:
After about 10 minutes mixing with a stand mixer or 15 minutes with a hand mixer, the egg mixture is pale white, fluffy, and tripled in size. You know that the batter has the required consistency when you drip off batter from the mixing attachment on top of the mixed batter. The drop should be visible for 10 seconds. If it sinks into the batter before the 10 seconds are over, you need to mix longer.
Using a wooden spoon, carefully fold in flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Do not overwork the batter or work too fast. Otherwise, you will destroy all the air pockets which are necessary to create light and airy cake layers, which don’t fall flat.
For easy removing the cake from the pan after baking, line the bottom, and the sides of three 8″ baking pans with parchment paper. Therefore cut out a circle for the bottom and stripes for the sides. I always spray a little bit of non-stick spray under the paper that it sticks to the pan.
Divide the batter into the three baking pans equally. Immediately after filling the batter into the pans, bake all three pans at the same time. When the batter stands too long before baking, it loses too much air, and the genoise cake gets flat and eggy.
After baking let stand for 5 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans and remove the paper immediately (caution: it’s still hot). Let cool on a wire rack. The cake needs to be room temperature before filling.
Let’s do the mascarpone filling. You need mascarpone, powdered sugar, strong coffee, and heavy whipping cream.
Please make sure that you use full-fat mascarpone and no low-light or substitute product. Also, don’t interchange it with ricotta. Ricotta does not work with this recipe. Mascarpone should not be room temperature when using it but cold and straight out of the fridge.
The mascarpone must be thick and firm straight out of the container. See picture below. I buy mascarpone which is from Italy, and it is smooth, thick and firm. 100g of my mascarpone contains 42g fat, and it is made of cream and citric acid. The wrong mascarpone can break your frosting and will never get firm.
Before you buy mascarpone maybe you research on the internet, with which mascarpone brand the people had troubles like their Tiramisu didn’t set etc. Here is a post about the 11 best Mascarpone cheeses for Tiramisu.
The mascarpone should look straight out of the container like in the picture below:
There are no raw eggs in the mascarpone frosting as it is in original Tiramisu. I added strong coffee to the mascarpone frosting to enhance the coffee taste in the cake because it’s not possible to soak the cake layers as much in coffee as you do it with ladyfingers. The whipping cream makes the frosting lighter in texture.
Start with mixing the mascarpone on medium speed until it is creamy for about 2 minutes:
Sift in powdered sugar and mix on medium speed until creamy and combined about 1-2 minutes:
Add the strong coffee and don’t stop mixing until it is completely combined and creamy. The coffee needs to be cold and chilled. Watch the two photos below to see how it looks when you add the coffee and when it is completely combined. You see that it looks curdled in the beginning, but this is normal. Keep mixing until it comes together (it will). Mix on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes.
Then add the heavy cream (straight out of the fridge). Watch the following three process photos how the consistency changes. In the beginning, when you add the heavy cream, it seems to be very liquid, but this is normal. You add a lot of liquid to the frosting. Just keep mixing on medium speed until it is creamy and stiff peaks form for about 2-3 minutes.
Do you see? It starts to get creamy:
That is how it should look like in the end:
Now we assemble the cake. Cut off the edges of the cake layers to create a flat surface if needed. Then place the first layer on a cake turner or plate. If you have a cake turner, use it. It’s easier to frost cakes with a cake turner. Lightly brush the cake with strong coffee.
The more coffee you use, the more intense the taste will be, but it will also be wetter. Less coffee leads to lighter coffee taste and dryer cake layers. I used 1/2 cup of coffee because for me it was the best balance of coffee taste and consistency.
If you want to adjust the amount of coffee to your taste, I recommend staying in the range between 1/4 – 3/4 cup coffee. With 1/4 cup the taste will be very light. With 3/4 cup of coffee, the cake will be wetter, and the coffee might leak around the cake, the longer it stands in the fridge.
Top with about 1/3 of the mascarpone cream and spread evenly.
Make sure that you spread every layer of the mascarpone frosting evenly that the cake is straight. Use the last third of mascarpone frosting to level the cake and frost the outside. I use most of the remaining frosting for the top to level the cake. I just lightly frost the sides of the cake because I love naked cakes. If you don’t want to make a naked cake, you might want to reserve more frosting for the sides.
The mascarpone frosting should stick out between the cake layers. It makes it easier to frost the sides of the cake more evenly. Watch photo below to know what I mean.
Then level the frosting on the top and sides of the cake with an offset spatula.
Chill the cake at least 4 hours in the fridge or overnight. Decorate the cake with whipped cream (watch the video how I decorated the cake), cocoa powder, or whatever you desire.
What does Tiramisu Cake taste like?
It tastes like the Italian coffee infused mascarpone dessert we all love so much just in cake form. It’s a rich and decadent cake with coffee, mascarpone, and cocoa taste.
How to store Tiramisu Cake and how long does it last?
Tiramisu Cake needs to be refrigerated. It’s not possible to store it at room temperature because of the mascarpone frosting. The cake wouldn’t last long, and it would lose its shape when you store it at room temperature. The best is to store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Don’t store it open in the refrigerator because the mascarpone frosting would taste like everything you store in your fridge.
Tiramisu cake is best eaten within 2 days but stays fresh up to 3 days. On day three, the cake layers start to get wetter and wetter because they soak the moisture of the frosting. Because there are no raw eggs in the frosting, it’s safe to store it up to 3 days.
How to freeze Tiramisu Cake?
The whole cake: After chilling for 4 hours, place the Tiramisu Cake in the freezer until it is firm, for about 2-3 hours. Remove the cake from the freezer and tightly wrap in plastic foil twice. Make sure that everything is covered. Then wrap two layers of tin foil around until completely covered. It freezes well up to 2 months.
Unwrap the cake and thaw in the fridge overnight. Then decorate with whipping cream and cocoa before serving. Eat within 2 days.
Single slices: Remove whipping cream and cocoa powder from the top, if there is some. Place the slice in the freezer for about 1 hour. Then remove from the freezer and tightly wrap in plastic foil twice, until fully covered. Place in a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. It freezes well up to 2 months.
For thawing, unwrap the cake and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Then decorate with whipping cream and cocoa before serving. Eat within 1 day.
Just the cake layers: After baking the cake layers, remove the paper and let cool completely. Then tightly wrap each cake layer in plastic foil twice. Place in freezer bags and remove as much air as possible. Freeze up to 1 month.
For thawing, unwrap the cake layers and let sit on the counter for about 1-2 hours. Once it is room temperature, make the frosting and assemble the cake.
Is it safe for pregnant or toddler?
Because there are no raw eggs in the mascarpone cream, it is safe for pregnant or toddler. You may want to use decaffeinated coffee for toddlers.
Does it contain caffeine or alcohol?
This Tiramisu Cake is made with strong brewed espresso for the most intense coffee taste. However, you could consider using decaffeinated coffee instead.
It does not contain alcohol. Original Italian Tiramisu does not contain alcohol as well. That’s the reason why I didn’t add alcohol to the cake.
If you make this Tiramisu Cake Recipe, leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #alsothecrumbsplease on Instagram! Would love to see your snap!
You may also like Authentic Italian Tiramisu, Super creamy Chocolate Strawberry Tiramisu, Eggnog Gingerbread Tiramisu, Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake.
If you want to have Tiramisu and cake at the same time, then this Tiramisu Cake is the solution. 5 ingredient genoise cake brushed with strong espresso and filled with irresistibly creamy coffee mascarpone cream. No raw eggs in the frosting. Just 10 ingredients! With detailed step-by-step instructions including process photos and video.
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated white sugar (200g)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted (120g)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (7g)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, espresso preferred (120ml)
- 4 + 1/2 cups full-fat mascarpone, cold (2.2 lbs / 1000g)
- 2+1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (300g)
- 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee - espresso preferred, chilled (120ml)
- 1+1/2 cups heavy cream, cool (360ml)
- unsweetened cocoa for dusting on top
- whipped cream
- cocoa powder
Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line the bottom and the sides of three 8" (20cm) baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
Make the genoise cake: In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk eggs on medium speed just until combined. Add sugar and whisk on medium-high speed for about 10-12 minutes until white pale, foamy and tripled in size. (It takes 3-5 minutes longer with a handheld mixer compared to a stand mixer). To know if you have the right consistency, let a bit of batter drip off the whisk attachment on top of the mixed batter. The dripped batter should be visible for 10 seconds before it sinks into the batter. If it sinks earlier, you need to whisk longer.
With a wooden spoon, fold in flour, cornstarch baking powder carefully. Don't overwork the batter and don't work too fast otherwise, it will lose too much air. Divide in prepared baking pans and bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick centered in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Then remove from pans and remove the paper immediately. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Make the mascarpone frosting: Whisk mascarpone on medium speed until creamy for about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and whisk until creamy and combined another 1-2 minutes. Add coffee and whisk until well combined and creamy for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and whisk until fully combined and creamy for another 2-3 minutes.
Assemble the cake: Place the first cake layer on a cake board or cake stand. Brush with a third of the 1/2 cup coffee.* Then spread 1/3 of the mascarpone cream with an offset spatula on top. Repeat one more time. Place last cake layer on top and lightly frost the outside and the sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Level the top and sides with the offset spatula. Chill at least 4 hours in the fridge.
Pipe whipped cream on top if desired. Then dust with cocoa just before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.
Recipe Video
* If you adjust the amount of coffee to your taste consider following: More coffee = more intense coffee taste and wetter cake - the coffee might leak the longer it stands in the fridge. Less coffee = lighter coffee taste and dryer cake. I recommend staying between 1/4 - 3/4 cup of coffee. I used exactly 1/2 cup of coffee for the whole cake. For me, this was the perfect balance of coffee taste and consistency.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Watch step-by-step photos in the blog post above to see the required consistencies at every step to have full clarity.
- Read additional information about mascarpone cheese in the blog post above.
- Watch the 103 seconds video to see the whole process.
- Read the blog post for additional information on how to freeze Tiramisu Cake, is it safe for toddlers, etc.
Liana
May 14, 2019 at 10:43 pmHi
I am planning to bake this for my boyfriend’s 30th. I only have 2 8” pans. How long do you recommend I bake them for..?
Thanks
Liana
Sabine
May 16, 2019 at 1:48 pmHi Liana, In this case, I recommend making just 2/3 of the recipe and do a 2-layer instead of 3-layer cake. Hope that helps! Happy birthday to your boyfriend 🙂
Liana
May 16, 2019 at 4:46 pmThanks Sabine! How long should I bake the 2 cakes for?
Hope you have a nice day 🙂
Liana
Angela
May 13, 2019 at 5:57 pmWhat a fabulous idea! I love how simple the ingredients for the cake! I can’t wait to try this!
Sabine
May 16, 2019 at 1:45 pmI hope you like it! Thank you so much!
Randi
May 12, 2019 at 6:19 amI want to try this recipe. Can you please tell me how to make the coffee? I’m not a coffee person and don’t know measures for making strong coffee. Please tell which coffee that I need to buy and how much I have to add to make the coffee. From New Zealand.
Sabine
May 16, 2019 at 1:40 pmI’m not a coffee drinker myself. I always buy a good espresso at a coffee shop. I tried to make my own coffee with powdered coffee and water and can’t recommend it. The investment in good coffee makes all the difference.
Nancy
May 3, 2019 at 3:43 pmSince the whipped cream isn’t stabilized will it’s shape last on the cake?
Sabine
May 4, 2019 at 12:26 pmThe frosting needs to be spreadable and stabilized when frosting the cake. It will hold its shape.
Nancy
May 4, 2019 at 4:17 pmThx. I meant the whipped cream piped on top. I ended up adding a little marscapone to it and it’s holding its shape. The frosting came out perfect no problems. Only my layers were thin. Didn’t look as thick as yours. Nice recipe.
Cheryl
April 21, 2019 at 1:57 amTo be honest, I was scared to try this recipe because some reported problems with the icing not thickening up etc. But this tiramisu cake looks by far the best so I was tempted to try it anyways. I’m so happy I did! I do not understand the problems with the icing because it was easy to make and came together within a couple of minutes. Thank you very much for the very detailed recipe! It’s very delicious!
Sabine
April 21, 2019 at 2:42 amCheryl, Thank you so much for your feedback! I’m so happy that you succeeded and liked it!
Janet
April 20, 2019 at 7:35 pmI read all,the comments regarding the mascarpone not thickening, so I was very careful to follow all the directions carefully. Even so, my mascarpone didn’t thicken either. I guess it’s a loss. Disappointed.
Sabine
April 21, 2019 at 1:47 amThe mascarpone was not thick from the beginning? It must be firm straight out of the container. I’m sorry! I’ve been making this cake over and over and haven’t had any troubles with mixing mascarpone. Never. I provided very detailed instructions, step-by-step photos and a video. I don’t know what is actually happening down the process when mascarpone is curdling or not thickening. I also get lots of photos from bakers from around the world of the finished cake. So the recipe works. I’m so sorry.
Michelle
April 20, 2019 at 2:23 pmHi Sabine,
I just baked the cakes and they look great. The icing…not so much. I followed directions to the T and used Italian marscapone (BelGioioso). I used a hand mixer like you did in the photos & video however, it curdled and I couldn’t get it to mix. I strained it and transferred it to my stand mixer to try it again but it curdled. I kept at it thinking it would finally come together but no luck. I tossed it. My husband is getting more marscapone so I can try it again. Do you think I should use my stand mixer instead of the hand mixer and if so, should I use the paddle or the whisk attachment? Thanks so much!
Sabine
April 20, 2019 at 2:36 pmHi Michelle, Because of the high-fat amount Mascarpone can curdle quickly when beaten too long and with high speed. So please make sure that you just mix on medium speed and just 1-2 minutes. Please use a large mixing bowl. The mascarpone must be cold. If it’s a stand or hand mixer with a whisk or paddle attachment doesn’t matter. However, curdled mascarpone can be saved. Please google “mascarpone curdled” and you will find suggestions from heating it up to mix in whipping cream to using an immersion blender to fix it. Hope that helps!
Michelle
May 16, 2019 at 2:35 pmHi Sabine,
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly the day before Easter (and I apologize it’s taken me so long to reply). I wound up tossing the first batch, buying more cheese and trying again. The same thing happened but I was able to uncurdle it with a little cream. The problem is that it never thickened up again. I don’t know what I did wrong-I followed everything to a T (I weighed instead of measuring, everything that need to be cold was used straight from the fridge…). I know whatever it was that it wasn’t the recipe since other people have been successful. Oh well. Thank you so much for your feedback (and for posting delicious looking recipes). I really appreciate it.
Anna
April 20, 2019 at 9:33 amHi,
I’m making the cakes now for tomorrow. My question is, can I brush the coffee on the cakes, wrap them in saran wrap and keep them in the fridge over night or should I just wrap them and brush them tomorrow morning. I have other things to cook in the morning and wanted to save some time.
Thank you.
Sabine
April 20, 2019 at 12:28 pmHi Anna,
I would brush them just before you assemble and frost the cake. Store the baked cake layers in an airtight container at room temperature until you assemble and frost the cake.
Happy Easter!
Anna
April 24, 2019 at 8:46 pmThank you it was deeeeelish!!
Vanessa
April 10, 2019 at 11:23 amIs it possible to make these cupcakes?
Sabine
April 10, 2019 at 12:20 pmThe cake won’t be possible to bake as cupcakes. But you could do a vanilla cupcake and this mascarpone frosting.
maria vasquez
March 29, 2019 at 2:17 amHello, I would like to know for how long can the tiramisu cake be out of the fridge? I am trying to make it as a wedding cake for my daughter, she loves tiramisu
Sabine
March 29, 2019 at 1:06 pmHi Maria, to be honest, I don’t recommend to let it out of the fridge for a couple of hours. The frosting would get soft and the whole cake would loose stability. It definitely should be stored in the fridge. Like Tiramisu. Hope that helps!
Linda
March 24, 2019 at 2:04 pmI made the cake for a birthday party and everyone loved it. Thank you so much for the detailed instructions.
Sabine
March 25, 2019 at 2:03 pmI’m happy that everyone liked it! Thank you so much for the feedback!
Sabine
March 20, 2019 at 2:06 pmHello, I would like to try the tiramisu cake recipe and have one question: How big is the cup ? 200 ml or more ?
Sabine
March 20, 2019 at 4:00 pm1 cup equals 240ml. Grams and ml are in brackets.
Diane
March 17, 2019 at 12:47 pmI tried twice to make the frosting with failed attempts both times. I whisked the mascarpone for 20 minutes until I thought it was creamy enough. Once I added the powdered sugar I whisked it for an additional 10 minutes. It never became creamy. I pushed ahead and added the coffee and heavy whipping cream but to avail, it turned out to look like small curd cottage cheese. My ingredients were cold and I followed the directions.
How long did you whip the mascarpone? What have I missed?
Thanks, Diane
Sabine
March 17, 2019 at 1:05 pmHi Diane,
I’m sorry that it didn’t work out for you! And I’m honestly confused about that because I thought with a step-by-step tutorial as I did it, nobody ever could have troubles to make this cake. I think there must be differences with the consistency of the mascarpone depending on the brand or country. The mascarpone I buy is from Italy and is very firm and creamy (like softened cream cheese) so that I just need to mix for 1 to max. 2 minutes. I don’t need to whip the mascarpone because it is already creamy straight out of the container. I mix it just to make it smooth.
I don’t know why mascarpone would need to be mixed for 20 minutes? That sounds as it is liquid straight out of the container. I understand why it curdles after such a long mixing time because when overmixing mascarpone, cream, etc. the water separates and it starts to get butter.
How does your mascarpone look like before you mix it? Is it full fat?
Sabine
Goodme
March 27, 2019 at 9:41 amI ordered a stand mixer to make this cake but it did not arrive in time so I used my ancient hand mixer which does not have much power. Although the cake could definitely have used more whipping and I only had 8.5″ pans, the layers were still >1 inch thick and a nice spongy consistency. I was glad that I read the reviews/problems with the mascarpone because it would have been easy to over mix it and turn it into butter before adding the coffee and cream. When mixing in the powered sugar It started to get dry and chunky (BUTTER!), I moved it from a medium bowl to a large bowl during the process because in order to mix it fully and not over beat it, it needed room to spread out. I added the coffee and mixed it for only a minute, added the cream and mixed it just until completely blended. It turned out creamy, silky and easy to spread. Haven’t served the cake yet, but it looks amazing. Thank you for the recipe and all the tips!
Sabine
March 28, 2019 at 4:39 amI’m so happy that it turned out great! Yes, a large mixing bowl is recommended because you need space to mix the frosting. Thank you so much for your feedback!
Sabine
March 17, 2019 at 1:19 pmHere, I found a link where someone else had troubles with mascarpone. https://food52.com/hotline/24998-i-bought-mascarpone-cheese-and-it-didn-t-look-creamy
LaVonne
April 5, 2019 at 9:48 pmI had the same issues with the icing.
Kristin
March 11, 2019 at 6:43 pmEasy recipe compared to many tiramisu cakes. Whiskng is a must or you won’t get the right consistency. The only thing I would change b would be the whip the heavy whipping cream by itself first in order to truly get the fluffy result.
Sabine
March 12, 2019 at 10:23 amThank you so much. I’m happy that the cake was easy to make. The cream is not supposed to be fluffy because Tiramisu is not fluffy as well but creamy. The cake should be as authentic as possible to have the feeling of eating Tiramisu. But if you prefer something different as a creamy Tiramisu-like frosting, then yes, folding in whipped cream is a good idea to make it fluffy.
lucy bennett
February 16, 2019 at 7:34 pmhi! I had extreme difficulty with the frosting – I check and checked again that I had the measurements and order of steps right, and it appears that I did, however I could not, for the life of me, get the frosting to thicken up. I even added more powdered sugar and marscapone hoping to offset the liquid. The directions said to whisk (I used my standing mixer) for 2 -3 minutes, but I literally had to beat the frosting for an hour to get it to any sort of usable consistency. Any idea where I went wrong??
Sabine
February 17, 2019 at 3:44 amHi Lucy, I’m so sorry for you that you had troubles with the frosting. When did it start to be too liquid? Was it ever creamy and thick at any stage? Did you add chilled coffee, or was it still hot? I need to understand what happened along the way to be clear what could have been the reason.
Julie
February 16, 2019 at 4:01 pmHello,
Can I use cream cheese instead of marscapone?
Sabine
February 17, 2019 at 3:35 amCream cheese has a completely different taste. Although it would work to replace it because of their textures, I’m honest, I’m not confident if that tastes great.
Jen
February 14, 2019 at 9:54 amHi.. how can I make a 2 layers cake only? Can I divide in to 2 all the ingredients? Thank u
Sabine
February 14, 2019 at 1:25 pmHey Jen, if you want to make 2 layers instead of 3, divide all ingredients by 3 and multiply with 2. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Jane H
February 4, 2019 at 8:06 pmis the cocoa powder unsweetend and how much cocoa is needed?
Sabine
February 5, 2019 at 11:50 amYes, it’s unsweetened cocoa powder. The amount is to your preference. I use about 2-3 tbsp of cocoa powder.
geri
January 24, 2019 at 2:49 pmyum – what do you think about adding alcohol, like kahlua? I like to add it to my tiramisu.
Sabine
January 24, 2019 at 2:56 pmI’m sure that is delicious! You could mix a bit of Kahlua to the coffee which you brush on the cake or add 1-2 tbsp to the mascarpone cream.
Gina
November 8, 2018 at 2:59 pmHi! I only have one 8” pan. Can I bake the cake in one pan then cut the cake into three layers??
Sabine
November 8, 2018 at 3:24 pmHi, I’m sorry but because of the texture of the cake, it is not possible to cut it twice horizontally. So, you really need three pans for this recipe.
FaridabadCake
July 25, 2018 at 6:59 amHi Sabine,
Your website is full of many great ideas and recipes. I love visiting here, Every time, whenever I visit here found something new. A big thank you.
Sabine
July 25, 2018 at 12:25 pmThank you so much! I’m happy that you like my recipes.
Alicia
May 22, 2018 at 5:59 pmHi! The recipe says to line the pans with parchment paper but it doesn’t say anything about greasing them. Are you not supposed to? Alicia
Sabine
May 22, 2018 at 8:43 pmHi Alicia, no you don’t need to grease the pan extra. Parchment paper on the bottom and around the sides of the pan is fine.