Tiramisu Layer Cake - slice

Tiramisu Layer Cake

Coffee, alcohol, and cake - what's not to love?

Here's a classic Tiramisu dessert - in layer cake form! 

Tiramisu cake is a decadent and indulgent dessert - long-loved and popular for its delicate and rich flavors!

It's a classic Italian treat consisting of layered coffee- and liqueur-soaked wafer cookies and mascarpone cream.  It is often topped with a dusting of cocoa powder and decorated with shaved or chopped chocolate. And I probably don't have to work hard to convince you that it's *incredibly* good!

I got a request for a Tiramisu cake for a friend's party. Having never tackled Tiramisu in a cake form, I did some searching online for ideas. However, I hit a couple of snags.

  • First, most of my searching produced either cake mix-based recipes or complicated 'hours-of-assembly' recipes.
  • Second, I struggled to find mascarpone cheese, and had it curdle when beaten with other filling or frosting ingredients.
  • Finally - my last limitation - I knew the party would be outdoors. So I knew the cake needed to handle some time at room temperature or warmer! 

So I started into some recipe testing! Eventually I reached a recipe that I still love! 

This Tiramisu cake replaces the ladyfingers cookies with cake layers. It incorporates all the other ingredients between the layers and over the top! 

Why make this Tiramisu Cake?

  • Scratch white cake recipe that's  filled with flavor, and easy to infuse with liqueur!
  • Cake layers bake up even and simple to stack and decorate 
  • Filled with chocolate neufchatel filling (soo good!) 
  • This Tiramisu layer cake was a big hit with my taste-testers and definitely one to make again and again! 

Let's get to the recipe, shall we? 😉 

(Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

Tiramisu Layer Cake - slice

Tiramisu Layer Cake

This Tiramisu Layer Cake features liqueur-soaked cake layers, neufchatel and chocolate filling, and a dusting of cocoa and chopped chocolate!
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 37 minutes
Decorating time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 57 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 16 servings
Calories 882 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Tiramisu cake layers

  • 3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (or 2 sticks, room temperature)
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk (room temperature)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso granules

Coffee liqueur cake drizzle

  • cup brewed espresso or coffee cooled
  • cup amaretto liqueur or rum or Kahlua

Tiramisu Cake filling

  • 6 ounces Neufchatel cheese (¾ package; softened)
  • 4 Tablespoons butter (½ stick, softened)
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-4 Tablespoons milk
  • ¾ cup cocoa powder

Cream Cheese buttercream frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese (1 package; softened)
  • 1 cup butter (two sticks, softened)
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 1-2 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp salt if using unsalted butter

Decorations

  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chopped

Instructions
 

Tiramisu cake layers

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8 inch round pans with baker's floured spray (or grease and line with parchment rounds).
  • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined.
  • Mix bits of room-temperature butter into the dry mix on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large lumps of butter are visible, and the mixture looks crumbly.
  • Pour in eggs and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk on low speed. Add in vanilla and oil, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
  • Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height. Bake for 34-37 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from pans. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
  • Once your cakes are cool, level them and cut each one in half horizontally (to make thinner layers, so the cake drizzle flavor reaches the entire cake).
  • Use a squeeze bottle (or basting brush) to infuse each layer with the coffee liqueur mixture.

Tiramisu Cake filling

  • Beat together softened Neufchatel cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until filling reaches a soft spreadable consistency. Beat until light and fluffy.
  • Divide in half; add cocoa powder to half of filling and mix until combined, adding 1-2 Tablespoons more milk to maintain a spreadable consistency.

Cream Cheese buttercream frosting

  • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla and salt if needed and beat until well combined.

Assembly

  • Spread a small bit of frosting on your cake circle (so it doesn't slide), and center the first cake layer on your circle. Pipe a small 'dam' of frosting around the cake layer rim. Add a layer of neufchatel filling and then a layer of chocolate filling. Repeat with your remaining cake layers, adding the last one on top.
  • Now you're ready to crumb-coat . If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like - a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.

Decorating

  • Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth. I like to use an offset spatula and bench scraper for this part.
  • Pipe small stars of frosting around the upper rim of the cake and sprinkle with chopped chocolate. Using your small sifter, sprinkle the top of the cake with a dusting of cocoa powder. Add a rim of chopped chocolate around the base of the cake. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

(Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate. Counts will be lower in all fields if the entire batch of filling / frosting is not used.)

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 882kcalCarbohydrates: 118gProtein: 11gFat: 42g
Keyword Coffee Liqueur Cake, Tiramisu Cake, Tiramisu layer cake
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Note: I didn't get updated pictures or video, but in the final version of this recipe I used a cake leveler to cut each of the cake layers in half horizontally, so that the coffee and amaretto mixture soaked further into the layers.

Did you make this Tiramisu Layer Cake?

Let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!

You can also add a comment or a recipe rating at the bottom of the page! 🙂

Other recipes you may love…

(Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!)

2 thoughts on “Tiramisu Layer Cake

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating