Make this heavenly, show-stopping, Easy Tiramisu Cake with Ladyfingers for dessert! The classic Italian dessert inspires this cake. It includes a fluffy vanilla sponge, aromatic coffee and a sweet mascarpone frosting. Serve on special occasions.
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This cake is a dream for coffee lovers and dessert lovers alike! It is a luscious dessert that combines the best of both worlds: a moist and airy vanilla sponge soaked in rich coffee and a creamy and decadent mascarpone filling with hints of vanilla and chocolate. To add some crunch, there are crispy ladyfingers on the edge of the cake, and to top it all off, a generous dusting of cocoa powder. This cake is not only delicious but also stunning to look at. It is a perfect way to celebrate any occasion or just to treat yourself. This cake is a tribute to the classic Italian tiramisu but with a twist.
If you are a fan of tiramisu, you'll love this lemon curd tiramisu, Easy Lotus Biscoff Tiramisu (Speculoos Tiramisu), Easy Coffee and Walnut Cake and Japanese matcha tiramisu.
What I Love About This Recipe
- It is absolutely beautiful and makes a great dessert centerpiece.
- It is easier to make than you think.
- This cake tastes amazing.
- Tiramisu cake is easy to customize.
Ingredients
Cake
- Caster sugar: Sift the caster sugar to remove excess lumps and dirt.
- Unsalted butter: Make sure the butter is at room temperature. This will give the cake a nice fluffy texture.
- Eggs: The eggs must be at room temperature.
- Self-raising flour: Sift the flour to remove excess lumps and dirt. This will give the cake batter a smooth consistency. Do not use plain flour instead as it will affect the cake's texture.
- Milk: The milk must be at room temperature. Use full-fat milk for the best flavor.
Coffee Mixture
- Boiling water: You can use water from a kettle or bring the mixture to a boil on the stove.
- Granulated sugar: To add sweetness to the syrup.
- Instant espresso powder: Use good-quality espresso powder for the best flavor.
Mascarpone Frosting
- Unsalted butter: Use room-temperature butter as this will help the frosting mix easily. Do not use salted butter, as this will affect the taste of the frosting.
- Mascarpone: It should be at room temperature. This will ensure that it mixes well with the other ingredients and give the frosting a smooth and creamy texture.
- Powdered sugar: Sift to remove lumps. This will ensure that the frosting is smooth.
- Vanilla: For sweetness.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Use good quality cocoa powder for the best flavor.
- Ladyfingers: Chop them into half for decoration.
Tips and Substitutions
- Room temperature: All of the wet ingredients should be at room temperature for ease when mixing.
- Dry ingredients: Make sure you sift all of the dry ingredients before mixing.
- Weighing ingredients: Use a measuring scale to weigh the ingredients to avoid any pitfalls.
- Size: This recipe can be doubled or tripled. You can also change the cake tin size to suit your preference.
Recipe Variation
Adding a splash of your favorite liquor to the coffee mixture is one way to make this tiramisu with sponge cake even more delicious. Depending on your taste, you can choose from brandy, dark rum, marsala or coffee liqueur. This will enhance the flavor of the cake and make it more indulgent. However, be careful not to serve this cake to kids, as it will contain alcohol. You can also make a separate batch of coffee mixture without liquor for them if you want. This way, everyone can enjoy this amazing dessert!
This tiramisu cake with sponge is very versatile and you can customize it to your liking. For instance, you can skip the ladyfingers if they are not your cup of tea or go for a simple naked cake look using less mascarpone frosting. You can also add some fresh berries, chocolate shavings, or whipped cream to make it more festive.
How to Make Tiramisu Cake
Sponge Cake
- First, preheat your oven to 160°C/320°F/Gas mark 3 and lightly grease two 7-inch non-stick cake tins. Set aside for later.
2. Next, take a medium-sized bowl and whisk some unsalted butter for 2 minutes until it becomes soft. Then, add some caster sugar and whisk for another 3 to 5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. You want the mixture to be pale yellow or almost white in color.
3. In a separate bowl, crack some eggs and add some vanilla. Mix them gently with a fork or a whisk. Then, gradually add the egg mixture to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition until you have a smooth and well-combined batter.
4. Now, sift half the flour over the batter and add half the milk. Stir gently with a spatula or a whisk until just incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, adding more milk if needed to achieve a silky batter. Be careful not to overmix or the cake will be tough.
5. Then, divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake them in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Once they are done, carefully remove the cakes from the pans and let them cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
7. While the cakes are cooling, make the coffee mixture. In a small bowl, combine some instant espresso, boiling water and sugar. Stir well and set aside to cool.
Mascarpone Frosting
8. Next, prepare the frosting. Mix some unsalted butter and mascarpone cheese in a large bowl for 2 minutes or until combined. Then add one-third of the icing sugar and some vanilla and whisk until incorporated. Repeat this step with the remaining icing sugar. Then whisk for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy.
9. Divide the frosting in half and combine one-half with some unsweetened cocoa powder (optional). This will give you two different flavors of frosting: vanilla and chocolate.
As an alternative, you can opt for my Easy Chocolate Buttercream with Cocoa Powder or Fluffy Buttercream Frosting instead.
Assemble Tiramisu Cake
10. Now it’s time to assemble the cake! Place one cake layer on a serving plate or a cake board. Pour some coffee mixture evenly over the cake, making sure to moisten the edges. This will give the cake a wonderful coffee flavor.
11. Spread a thin layer of vanilla mascarpone frosting over the coffee-soaked cake. This will add some creaminess and sweetness to the cake. Top with another cake layer and drizzle more coffee mixture over it.
12. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the chocolate mascarpone frosting, smoothing it with a spatula or a knife. This will create a beautiful contrast between the light and dark colors of the cake.
Arrange some ladyfingers around the edge of the cake, pressing them gently into the frosting. This will add some crunch and texture to the cake.
13. Fill a piping bag with a round tip and some vanilla mascarpone frosting. Pipe small dollops of frosting on top of the cake, creating a circular pattern. This will make your cake look more elegant and festive.
Sprinkle some cocoa powder over the frosting using a sieve or a shaker. This will add some flavor and decoration to your cake.
Get ready to devour this decadent tiramisu cake with ladyfingers!
FAQs
Tiramisu cake is a delicious dessert. It combines the bold and aromatic taste of coffee and vanilla's smooth and sweet taste. It also has a chocolate touch, adding depth and contrast to the flavor. The cake is filled with a mascarpone frosting that is light and creamy, creating a perfect balance with the coffee syrup.
To make traditional tiramisu, you need to whip raw egg yolks and sugar together and then fold in the mascarpone and raw whipped egg whites.
Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
More Stunning Dessert Recipes
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Easy Tiramisu Cake with Ladyfingers
Equipment
- 1 Hand or stand mixer
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Large Bowl
- Two 7" Cake tins
- Circular nozzle
- Piping bag
Ingredients
Cake
- 350 g of caster sugar sifted
- 350 g of unsalted butter
- 6 eggs room temperature
- 350 g of self-raising flour sifted
- 3 tablespoon of milk room temperature
Coffee mixture
- 1 cup of boiling water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon instant espresso powder
Mascarpone Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cups mascarpone room temperature
- 2 ⅔ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1.5 teaspoon vanilla
- 3.5 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
- Ladyfingers chopped into half
- cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas mark 3. Lightly grease two, 7” non-stick cake tins and set aside for later.
- Add unsalted butter to a medium-sized bowl and whisk for 2 minutes. Then, add caster sugar to the bowl and whisk for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. The mixture should be pale yellow or almost white.
- Crack eggs open into a separate bowl, add vanilla and mix gently. Gradually add the egg mixture to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition until smooth and well combined.
- Sift half of the flour over the batter and add half of the milk. Stir gently with a spatula or a whisk until just incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, adding more milk if needed to achieve a silky batter. Do not over mix or the cake will be tough.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Carefully remove the cakes from the pans and let them cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
Coffee Mixture
- As the cake cools, make the coffee mixture. Combine instant espresso, boiling water and sugar then set aside to cool.
- Next, prepare the frosting. Mix unsalted butter and mascarpone in a bowl for two minutes or until combined.
- Then add one third of the sugar, vanilla and whisk until incorporated. Repeat this step with the remaining sugar. Then whisk for another 3-5 minutes or until fluffy.
- Divide the frosting in half and combine one half with unsweetened cocoa powder (optional).
Assemble Cake
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate or a cake board. Pour some coffee mixture evenly over the cake, making sure to moisten the edges.
- Spread a thin layer of mascarpone frosting without cocoa powder over the coffee-soaked cake. Top with another cake layer and drizzle more coffee mixture over it.
- Cover the top and sides of the cake with the mascarpone frosting with cocoa powder, smoothing it with a spatula or a knife.
- Arrange ladyfingers around the edge of the cake, pressing them gently into the frosting.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a round tip with the vanilla mascarpone. Pipe small dollops of frosting on top of the cake, creating a circular pattern.
- Sprinkle some cocoa powder over the frosting, using a sieve or a shaker.
- Enjoy your delicious tiramisu cake!
Notes
- To mix the wet ingredients easily, make sure they are all at room temperature. Sift the dry ingredients before adding them to the mixture. Use a scale to measure the ingredients accurately. You can adjust the recipe by doubling or tripling the amounts, or by using a different cake tin size.
- The wet ingredients should be at the same temperature as the room for better mixing. Before you combine the dry ingredients, sift them well. Weigh the ingredients with a scale to get the right proportions. You can modify the recipe by changing the amounts of ingredients, or by using a cake tin size of your choice.
- Make sure the wet ingredients are not cold when you mix them. The dry ingredients should be sifted before you blend them in. A scale will help you measure the ingredients precisely. You can alter the recipe by increasing or decreasing the quantities, or by using a cake tin size that suits you.
- 1 Ladyfinger: 19 Calories.
Marta
Tiramisu is my hubby's favorite dessert, but my traditional recipe takes me days to prepare. I loved how your cake version gave all of the amazing tiramisu flavors we love with less effort. It's going to be a repeat recipe in this house for sure!
Robin
My mother loves Tiramisu so I made this cake for her birthday. The mascarpone added a distinct flavor I'm obsessed with. Needless to say, Mom was thrilled.
kaluhi
I brought this over for a potluck birthday lunch and it was CLEARED in seconds. Not only was it so gorgeous, the taste was deeply enjoyed by everyone. I will for sure make this again!
Jessica
I hosted a few girlfriends for lunch last weekend and made this cake. There were six of us and we nearly ate the whole thing. It was absolutely delicious!
Jazz
This cake was so stunning and surprisingly straightforward to make. I served it at a small dinner party and everyone was so impressed!