Tiramisu Cake: Chocolate, Coffee And Cream Cheese
A recipe to transform a favourite Italian dessert into cake form. This two layered chocolate and coffee tiramisu cake is filled and topped with a luscious cheesecake icing lightly flavoured with coffee. It’s quite sophisticated in flavour and contains a little alcohol. Maybe keep it for grown up celebrations.
Oh dear where does the time go? Back in November, my mother asked me if I’d make a cake for her. She volunteers at her village community centre and wanted the cake as a leaving and thank you present for her boss. I knew it was time to make Ruth Clemens’ Tiramisu Cake. The recipe is in The Pink Whisk Guide To Cake Making cookbook.
This is not a natural choice for me as I’m in a small minority of non-coffee lovers. However, I do know it’s considered to be one of the most popular flavours ever and I have supporting evidence. When The KitchenMaid chose coffee as the We Should Cocoa special ingredient, we had a record number of entries and Lucy had to do the round-up in two parts.
Two Layer Tiramisu Cake
Tiramisu, everyone assures me, is a delicious dessert. So transformed into cake form, how could it fail to please? That was my reasoning anyway.
Ruth is one of those bakers whose recipes I trust. I’ve made a number of her bakes and not once has she let me down. However, as I’m completely incapable of following a recipe, I did make a few adaptations.
But first, I brewed a strong batch of filter coffee and left it to cool. If you’re a coffee drinker, this is an ideal excuse to brew up a decent amount to keep you going whilst you’re baking.
The cake is a fairly simple one to make. It’s a classic cream the butter and sugar together type of cake. As long as you beat the sugar and butter together long enough, it produces a light and fluffy sponge. The only downside to this method is making sure your butter is soft enough. I’ve come a cropper on this one many a time. I just forget to take it out of the fridge an hour or two before I need it.
In my continual quest to make my bakes a little bit healthier, I reduced the amount of sugar in the icing and also used slightly less sugar in the cake. I also used half wholemeal flour.
I didn’t cover the cake with ganache either as I wanted the contrast between the chocolate and cream colours to stand out. The original recipe uses buttercream to fill and coat the cake which is then finished off with chocolate ganache. I thought my coffee cheesecake icing was more in keeping with a tiramisu dessert.
Top Tip
Decorate the top of the tiramisu cake with chocolate coated coffee beans if you can get hold of them. They do add a bit of distinction.
Grated or shaved chocolate over the top is a good addition too. Failing that, chocolate sprinkles are always a good bet.
Tiramisu Cake: The Verdict
I wasn’t expecting this tiramisu cake to turn out to be quite such a stonker of a cake, but petite it was certainly not. CT was rather upset to find his tasting services were not required; unlike me, he enjoys coffee flavoured cakes. Nevertheless, the feedback I received via my mother was very positive and was most gratifyingly demonstrated by an empty plate.
Tiramisu Mascarpone Icing
As the inspiration for this cake is a classic tiramisu, I used cream cheese in the icing. I wanted to use the traditional mascarpone, but when I went down to our local co-op, I found it had stopped selling it, which was mighty annoying. I had to make do with Philadelphia cream cheese instead.
Nevertheless the coffee cheesecake icing was incredibly good. I can vouch for it as, unlike the cake, I actually got to try some. Please do use mascarpone if you can get it though.
Top Tip
Don’t over beat the icing. Cream cheese can go gloopy and soft surprisingly quickly.
Chocolate Mocha Layer Cake
I made a similar cake to this a few years ago for a friend’s sixtieth birthday. It was a chocolate mocha layer cake. It went down a storm. Coffee gives gorgeous depth to chocolate and even I really enjoyed this one.
The main differences were that I used melted dark chocolate instead of cocoa powder, sea salt and quite a bit of Greek yoghurt. I do love yoghurt as an ingredient in cakes. It gives them such a lovely texture.
I filled and topped the mocha cake with coffee buttercream icing rather than a coffee cheesecake one. If you’d prefer to use that in this tiramisu cake, here’s the recipe:
Coffee Buttercream Icing
- 150g unsalted butter – softened
- 300g icing sugar – sifted
- 2 tsp instant coffee – dissolved in a little water
- 1 tbsp milk
- Cream the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the coffee and milk and beat well.
- Use half of the mixture to sandwich the cakes together and the other half to ice the top.
- Decorate with chocolate coffee beans if liked.
Other Coffee Recipes You Might Like
- Biscuits sandwiched with whipped coffee ganache
- Choc chip cookies with coffee & cardamom
- Coffee brownies with almond nut butter
- Coffee cardamom chocolate mousse cake
- Coffee and walnut cake
- Wholemeal spelt pancakes with coffee cardamom chocolate sauce
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this tiramisu cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Tiramisu Cake. PIN IT.
Tiramisu Cake: Chocolate, Coffee And Cream Cheese
Ingredients
Cake
- 165 g unsalted butter softened
- 250 g soft brown sugar (I use muscovado)
- 70 g dark brown sugar (I use muscovado)
- 3 large eggs (I used duck eggs)
- 260 g flour (I used half wholemeal and half plain (all purpose)
- 70 g cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 220 ml kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt (see note below*)
- 4 tbsp strong black coffee
Coffee Cheesecake Icing
- 60 g unsalted butter softened
- 250 g icing sugar
- 100 g full fat cream cheese go for mascarpone if you can
- 1 tbsp marsala wine
- 3 tbsp strong black coffee
Instructions
Cake
- Brew the coffee. You'll need seven tbsp for the cake and icing.
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4)
- Cream the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. I do this by hand with a bowl and wooden spoon, but you could use an electric mixer if you prefer.165 g unsalted butter, 250 g soft brown sugar, 70 g dark brown sugar
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time.3 large eggs
- Sift in the flours, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda.260 g flour, 70 g cocoa powder, ½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Stir this in gently, alternating with the sour milk.220 ml kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt
- Add the cooled coffee and stir until just incorporated.4 tbsp strong black coffee
- Divide the mixture between 2 x 20 cm silicone cake moulds or lined tins and bake for 30 minutes or until the cakes are well risen and an inserted skewer comes out more or less clean.
- Leave to cool for ten minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Coffee Cheesecake Icing
- Whilst the cakes are cooling, cream the butter with a couple of large spoonfuls of icing sugar.60 g unsalted butter
- Beat in the cream cheese, then slowly add the rest of the icing sugar.100 g full fat cream cheese, 250 g icing sugar
- Add the marsala and coffee, then stir until all is smooth and you have a good spreading consistency. Be careful not to over beat at this stage or it might become too soft.1 tbsp marsala wine, 3 tbsp strong black coffee
- Spread one cake with half the mixture, place the other cake on top then spread over the remaining icing.
- Sprinkle with grated or shaved chocolate.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sending this tiramisu cake off to Javelin Warrior for his Made with Love Mondays. And I’m also entering it into Emily’s Recipe of the Week over at A Mummy Too.
I made your chocolate mocha layer cake and it was delicious. I covered it with chocolate ganache and a lot of pink sprinkles. Thank you Choclette. x
Pink sprinkles sound like a fabulous way to celebrate Kath. So pleased you enjoyed it.
I can testify this chocolate mocha layer cake recipe produces the lightest cake I’ve ever made – I just baked a cupcake version (and blogged about them, attributing the recipe to you in full). Thank you Choclette!
Thank you Laura. Great to hear it works so well in cupcake form too. Yoghurt is amazing stuff.
That looks simply gorgeous! Yum 🙂
Totally drooling here 🙂 Love it!
Thank you Jane, very good of you. Going to have to come up with a good dairy free alternative soon.
Now that is a cake! Fabulous, love chocolate cake! #recipeoftheweek
Haha, thanks 🙂
Oh my, that looks gorgeous
Thank you Alison
I love coffee bakes even though I don’t like drinking coffee and this cake looks amazing!! Wish I could have a slice of it now!
Strange that Ros. CT doesn’t like drinking coffee either, but he loves the flavour in cakes and chocolate.
I couldn’t possibly miss this one! This is a superb tiramisu’ much better than the traditional one made with biscuits. Really really well done!!
Thank you Alida – high praise coming from you 🙂
I’m sure this was very gratefully received by your Mum and friends. And I completely agree a doubt Ruth’s bakes- reliable recipes and good little twists on classics make her website very popular in my kitchen!
Oh that’s interesting Kate. Do you have any particular recommendations?
now this is one hell of a cake!… I know you’re not a big fan of coffee but come on, how you this not be a winner… this really looks stunning and I do so badly want a slice right now! Glad to catch up on all your posts and Happy New Year x
Yay, you’re back Dom. Expect if I’d been able to try a slice, I’d probably have quite liked this, but I’ll never know now!
I’m always on the look out for good coffee cake recipes as it’s my dad’s favourite. I think this just made the list – it’s huge!
Haha, huge it most certainly was CC – sounds like a good one for your dad.
Wow – stunning the layers look so moorish! #recipeoftheweek
Thank you Lucy – all these positive comments are making me wish I’d been able to try some after all 😉
Ah, the great We Should Coffee Cocoa event… I think I’ve just about recovered from that epic challenge! I am in a weird minority with this as I love coffee, but rarely drink it for boring health reason. However I adore tiramisu, so in this case, I’ll definitely make an exception! Great adaptation of the recipe, I’m bookmarking!
Why is it that so many of the things we love to consume are bad for us? Well done for keeping off the coffee Lucy – moderation in all things …
Whoa, look at that! My mum is going to love this xx
Thanks Deena, it seems to be a bit of a winner.
I love the sound of this cake, Choclette. I’m personally a huge fan of chocolate with coffee and tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts, so I’m quite sure I’d love this cake. Because tiramisu + cake must be amazing…
Thanks JW – I sort of guessed this one might be popular 😉
This looks amazing. I love tiramisu and turning it into a cake is a really really clever idea x
Thanks Carolin
Good Evening to you, You had me at Tiramisu as I love it as a dessert, so I was certainly going to read your recipe and give this cake a go….. but not just yet, as we have over indulged over Christmas and so it is time to enjoy savoury food for a month or so, but when I feel the need for something sweet, I will certainly be baking your Tiramisu cake. My husband will be very impressed with your cake as not only does it sound fabulous but it looks fabulous as well.
Best Wishes
Daphne
Good to hear from you Daphne. It’s hard not to indulge over Christmas, but I hope you enjoyed it. Would love to hear about your Tiramisu cake if you get around to baking it – especially as I didn’t get to try it.
Having seen this cake made by both you and at The Pink Whisk, I am definitely going to have to give it a try. It looks really good!
Thanks Janine – do try it and do let me know when you’ve posted about it.
The cake looks spectacular! I like that you can see the contrasting layers of icing and cake, chocolate ganache doesn’t belong in tiramisu I think, although it would be very delicious.
I love tiramisu but coffee really effects me so I never order it as a dessert in the evenings, i’d be buzzing all night. This cake sounds amazing though
Thank you Katie, it was fun to have a cake with contrasting colours – it makes a nice change. As a cake aficionado, I was pleased to get your corroboration about the chocolate ganache.
That sounds lovely! Tiramisu is a favourite dessert, so I can see why it would be popular in cake form!
A favourite with lots of people Alicia, but not with me. Glad you approve though 🙂
Oh, what a great looking cake. Always when I want to be mascarpone I don’t see it in the shop and when I don’t want to buy it, I see it. Weird! I should have a go at some multi-layer cakes.
Ah Chris, after your tiramisu trifle way back in summer 2012l, I always think of you when tiramisu is mentioned. Yes indeed, do have a go at a layer cake – this one might be a good one to start with! What is that mascarpone playing at?
(trying again after blogger ate my comment) your cake looks beautiful and generous – but like you I do not like coffee and do not understand tiramisu
Sorry Johanna and thanks for trying again. Good to know we stand united in our coffee taste as well as love of nut roasts 😉
I think how you’ve adapted this is perfect and I wouldn’t mind a slice right now =)
Thank you Laura – you know how to put a smile on my face 🙂