Rich and creamy vanilla cake soaked in a coffee bourbon syrup topped with a cream cheese frosting. This Tiramisu cake is unbelievable! It tastes so good and lasts for days in your fridge. You have to try it!
This cake is creamy, buttery, and filled with a rich vanilla flavor. Of course, there are large chunks of dark chocolate mixed into this fabulous cake. The cake is then soaked in a coffee bourbon syrup and topped with a cream cheese frosting. It is so moist and delicious. I couldn't stop eating this cake. The best part is that it is just as easy to make as Tiramisu!
I learned to make Tiramisu a few weeks ago from a good friend of mine. His parents own an Italian restaurant so he knew all the inside tricks to make a classic Tiramisu. I like eating Tiramisu so when I found this cake version I knew I had to try it out. I love making different variations of classic desserts. It is so exciting to taste the traditional flavors in a different baked good form. This cake could be made for a celebration or for a small gathering. It is easy to make and stores well in the fridge so you can make the cake ahead of time.
Why soak the cake?
The coffee bourbon syrup adds an extra kick to the buttery vanilla chocolate chip cake. A traditional Tiramisu soaks cookies in coffee syrup and to emulate that process this cake is soaked in a coffee syrup as well. This is an added step and it is worth the wait! I let the coffee soak for 45 minutes because I wanted that extra coffee flavor. The coffee syrup seems like a lot but you should use every last drop to make sure the cake is soaking in the coffee. I would recommend tasting the syrup before using it because you might need to adjust the ingredients based on your liking.
What is Tiramisu?
Tiramisu is a coffee-based Italian dessert that is made with ladyfingers dipped in coffee layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese. Savoiardi, the Italian name for ladyfingers, are sponge cake biscuits that are shaped like thick digits. There are so many different variations of Tiramisu. I often can't find ladyfingers at the store so I order them online or you can try to make them fresh at home! You can find that the cream is replaced with zabaglione, almonds, or chocolate chips added to the cream, different spirits used mixed with the coffee, this list goes on and on. That is what I love about Tiramisu is that you can make your own variations that you enjoy. It is all about being creative and finding the right mix of ingredients that tastes delicious. I love that Tiramisu is light in sweetness and flavor but I think this cake version is even better. Because it is CAKE with COFFEE and CHOCOLATE! This cake is so GOOD. You have to try it.
A few tips to success:
Soaking the cake - Don't skip this step because soaking the cake elevates the flavor a ton. Without the coffee-bourbon syrup, the cake is quite boring in flavor. I used bourbon as my liquor but you can use rum or Grand Marnier which is more traditional in a tiramisu. Feel free to leave the liquor out if you prefer. I would recommend soaking for longer than 30 minutes or poking small holes in the cake to get that extra kick in every bite.
Coffee vs espresso - If you love the coffee flavor I would recommend using freshly brewed espresso as this is the most traditional flavor in Tiramisu. The espresso will elevate the cake and give an even extra coffee flavor to the cake. For me, I used my favorite dark roast coffee blend because I don't have an espresso machine.
Mascarpone vs cream cheese frosting - I love cream cheese frosting and it is my preference, however, the original recipe called for mascarpone cheese as that is more fitting for a Tiramisu cake. I also added more sugar to the frosting because I prefer a very sweet frosting. If you want to lighten the sweetness you can add less sugar or use 1-2 tablespoons of honey.
Greek yogurt vs sour cream - I always have greek yogurt in my fridge so that is my go-to ingredient to add to cakes however, sour cream will create the same moist and tasty results in the cake.
Chocolate shavings - for an extra look I made chocolate curls on top of the cake. To do this take a chocolate bar preferably a thick extra dark chocolate bar and a peeler. Use the peeler and shave off the chocolate from the thickest side of the bar. I used an extra dark Lindt chocolate bar. You can use any type of chocolate that you like best.
Storage - this cake will last for a week in the fridge in an air-tight container and it still tastes so delicious! So you can make the cake ahead of time. I think it tasted even better one day later because that coffee syrup flavor came out extra strong.
Check out how to make this cake below:
Coffee Soaked Vanilla Tiramisu Cake
Serving size: 1 9-inch cake
Total Time: 1 hour and 30 mins
Source: Adapted from halfbakedharvest
Cake:
1 stick of unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped
Coffee mixture:
1/3 cup strong coffee or espresso
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting:
1/2 cup mascarpone or cream cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan.
Step 2: In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until combined or you can do this with a handheld mixer. Add the sour cream and 1 tablespoon vanilla, mixing until smooth. Add in the eggs and mix until combined.
Step 3: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, fold in the chocolate chunks. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Step 4: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Flip the cake onto a plate and let cool.
Step 5: To make the coffee mixture, in a small saucepan add the coffee, bourbon, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 3 minutes. Brush the top of the cake with the coffee mixture, repeating until all of the mixture has been used. You can poke tiny holes on the top of the cake if you want a stronger coffee flavor. Let the cake sit to absorb the liquid for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Step 6: With an electric mixer, whip the mascarpone or cream cheese, heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar until smooth. Whip until the frosting has formed soft peaks. Once the cake is ready add the frosting onto the cake. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top of the frosting and add chocolate shavings on top to serve. The cake will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Comments