One of my favorites, my most favorite cake or dessert without a doubt is Tiramisu…
I was determined enough to make the best cake for my husband’s birthday. Way too many cake ideas rushed through my mind and most of them hardly impressed me. I then thought about the cakes that my husband enjoyed with so much enthusiasm. One cake that topped his favorite list was Tiramisu cake. Not just for him, even it tops my favorite. We’ve always enjoyed tiramisu with utmost delight and if we see this on the dessert menu at any restaurant we wouldn’t leave without ordering it.
I’ve already posted the recipe for making an easy eggless tiramisu in which ladyfinger cookies were used as the base, but for making this cakes were used and I made a two layered tiramisu cake.
I was totally blown away by how delicious this cake tasted, it was absolutely yummy and the best surprise (in food category) I’ve ever given to my husband. He was so moved and touched and was seen busy finishing up the cake. I had to literally plead him to save a few slices so that I could share with my co-workers. I made this non-alcoholic, also I used instant coffee powder to make the syrup instead of espresso.
I made the cake with gluten free flour and it turned out great, you could use all purpose flour or cake flour instead.
Tiramisu Cake
Adopted from Baking: From home to yours by Dorie Greenspan
Ingredients:
For making 2 cakes:
- All-purpose flour- 2 cups
- Baking powder- 2 tsp
- Baking soda- 1/8 tsp
- Salt- 1/4 tsp
- Unsalted butter, room temperature- 1 1/4 sticks (10 tbsp)
- Sugar- 1 cup
- Eggs, large- 3
- Egg yolk, large- 1
- Pure vanilla extract- 1 1/2 tsp
- Buttermilk- 3/4 cup
For making espresso or coffee extract:
- Instant espresso powder or coffee powder- 2 tbsp
- Hot water- 2 tbsp
For making espresso syrup:
- Water- 1/2 cup
- Sugar- 1/3 cup
For making filling and frosting:
- Mascarpone cheese – 8 ounce or 1 cup
- Confectioners’ sugar, sifted- 1/2 cup
- Pure vanilla extract- 1 1/2 tsp
- Heavy whipping cream, cold- 1 cup
Other ingredients:
- Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, grated
- Cocoa powder, for dusting
Instruction
Step 1 Making the cakes
- Place the rack in the center of the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 177 C.
- Grease two 9×2 inch round cake pans using butter, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess, and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer use an electric hand mixer.
- Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one by one, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition.
- Beat in the vanilla.
- The mixture will have a curdled look at this point, don’t worry it’s just normal.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients)
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula as needed.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with a spatula.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes run a knife into the center of the cakes, it should come out clean.
- If not, bake for a few more minutes.
- Transfer the cake pans to a wire rack and let cool down for about 5 minutes.
- Run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them, and peel off the paper liners.
- Let the cakes cool to room temperature.
Step 2 Make the espresso or coffee extract
- In a small bowl, stir the espresso powder or coffee powder and hot water together till combined well, keep aside.
Step 3 Make the syrup
- In a small saucepan, stir the water and sugar together, bring just to a boil.
- Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the prepared espresso or coffee extract, keep aside.
Step 4 Make the filling
- To a large bowl, add the mascarpone cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract and whisk just until blended and smooth.
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it forms firm peaks.
- Using a silicone spatula, fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone cheese until well combined.
Step 5, How to assemble the cake:
- Even out the top of the cakes using a serrated knife, be very gentle.
- Place one cake layer on a cake plate (place strips of wax or parchment paper along the sides of the cake so that when you frost the cake, it won’t mess up the cake plate).
- Using a pastry brush, soak the layer with about one-third of the espresso syrup.
- Spread some of the mascarpone-whipped cream filling over the cake, about 1 cup, and sprinkle the grated chocolate onto the filling.
- Soak the top of the second cake layer with half the remaining espresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling.
- Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup.
Step 6 For making the frosting
- Whisk 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining espresso extract into the remaining mascarpone-whipped cream filling.
- Taste the frosting and adjust the amount of espresso, if you want to have intense coffee flavor add more.
- If the frosting looks too soft to spread over the cake, cover it with cling wrap and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or so.
- Refrigerate the cake too.
- Using a spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours before serving.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the top of the cake with cocoa powder.
- To make the heart shape on the cake, I cut a heart shape out of parchment paper and gently placed it on the middle of the cake, sprinkled cocoa powder over the top of the cake.
- Carefully, remove the parchment paper and you will have heart shape on the cake. Also, I decorated the sides of the cake and the heart with chocolate chips.
Hands down, the best birthday cake ever!
Tips:
- Please use only mascarpone cheese and not cream cheese.
Tiramisu Cake- Non-Alcoholic and Gluten Free
Author: Thasneen
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
For making 2 cakes
- All purpose flour- 2 cups
- Baking powder- 2 tsp
- Baking soda- ⅛ tsp
- Salt- ¼ tsp
- Unsalted butter, room temperature- 1¼ sticks (10 tbsp)
- Sugar- 1 cup
- Eggs, large- 3
- Egg yolk, large- 1
- Pure vanilla extract- 1½ tsp
- Buttermilk- ¾ cup
For making espresso or coffee extract
- Instant espresso powder or coffee powder- 2 tbsp
- Hot water- 2 tbsp
For making espresso syrup
- Water- ½ cup
- Sugar- ⅓ cup
For making filling and frosting
- Mascarpone cheese - 8 ounce or 1 cup
- Confectioners’ sugar, sifted- ½ cup
- Pure vanilla extract- 1½ tsp
- Heavy cream, cold- 1 cup
Other ingredients
- Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, grated
- Cocoa powder, for dusting
Instructions
Step 1 Making the cakes
- Place the oven rack in the center of the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 177 C.
- Grease two 9×2 inch round cake pans using butter, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess, and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy.
- If you don't have a stand mixer use an electric hand mixer.
- Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one by one, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition.
- Beat in the vanilla extract.
- The mixture will have a curdled look at this point, don't worry it's just normal.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients)
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a silicone spatula as needed.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with a spatula.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes run a knife into the center of the cakes, it should come out clean.
- If not, bake for a few more minutes.
- Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool down for about 5 minutes.
- Run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them, and peel off the paper liners.
- Let the cakes cool to room temperature.
Step 2 Make the espresso or coffee extract
- In a small bowl, stir the espresso powder or coffee powder and hot water together till combined well, keep aside.
Step 3 Make the syrup
- In a small saucepan, stir the water and sugar together, bring just to a boil.
- Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the prepared espresso or coffee extract, keep aside.
Step 4 Make the filling
- To a large bowl, add the mascarpone cheese, sugar and vanilla extract and whisk just until blended and smooth.
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it forms firm peaks.
- Using a silicone spatula, fold the whipped cream to mascarpone cheese until well combined.
Step 5, How to assemble the cake
- Even out the top of the cakes using a serrated knife, be very gentle.
- Place one cake layer on a cake plate, place strips of parchment paper along the sides of the cake so that when you frost the cake, it won't mess up the cake plate.
- Using a pastry brush, soak the layer with about one third of the espresso syrup.
- Spread some of the mascarpone-whipped cream filling over the cake, about 1 cup and sprinkle the grated chocolate onto the filling.
- Soak the top of the second cake layer with half the remaining espresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling.
- Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup.
Step 6 For making the frosting
- Whisk 1 to 1½ tablespoons of the remaining espresso extract into the remaining mascarpone-whipped cream filling.
- Taste the frosting and adjust the amount of espresso, if you want to have intense coffee flavor add more.
- If the frosting is not firm enough to spread over the cake, cover it with a cling wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes or so.
- Refrigerate the cake too.
- With a long metal icing spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours before serving.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the top of the cake with cocoa powder.
- To make the heart shape on the cake,I cut a heart shape out of parchment paper and gently placed it on the middle of the cake, sprinkle cocoa powder over the top of the cake.
- Carefully, remove the parchment paper and you will have heart shape on the cake. Also, I decorated the sides of the cake and the heart with chocolate chips.
- Hands down, the best birthday cake ever!
Notes
Please use only mascarpone cheese and not cream cheese.
