Tiramisu Cake: An Elegant Twist on a Classic Italian Favorite

Our series “From Scratch” features baking recipes that are easy as pie. This delicate tiramisu cake made with Harry & David's tiramisu coffee comes from Bianca Dodson of Lenox Bakery.

One of my absolute favorite things to do in the summer is to throw some burgers or steaks on the grill and invite my sisters over for dinner. I'm always trying to come up with fun summer desserts that will go perfect with the meal, can be made ahead of time, and will help us cool off. Tiramisu is one of those desserts because not only can it be made in advance, but it's typically served cold.

Tiramisu is an Italian dessert traditionally made with ladyfingers soaked in coffee layered between smooth mascarpone cheese and dusted with cocoa powder. Typically it's made in a casserole dish or in a single-serving size, but I like to put an elegant spin on this classic treat by creating a tiramisu cake. Yes, that's right — a tiramisu cake!

Despite the different shape and slightly different ingredients, this version of tiramisu checks off all the boxes: it's moist, fluffy, easy to make, chocolatey, chilled, topped with a silky smooth mascarpone frosting, dusted with cocoa powder, and loaded with coffee flavor. It's seriously the perfect way to end a delicious dinner. Or start dinner should the mood strike.

What you'll need

Instead of ladyfingers (since those wouldn't be quite sturdy enough for a tall cake), I made a cake mix with all-purpose flour, sugar, butter, vegetable oil, milk, sour cream, leavening agents, salt, eggs, and vanilla extract. The flour and sour cream give the tiramisu the perfect crumb as well as help the cake hold up after being soaked with coffee. The oil and milk help keep it moist, and the salt, sugar, and vanilla help enhance all the flavors.

Harry & David tiramisu coffee is the secret ingredient in this recipe; normally regular coffee is used to create tiramisu, so tiramisu-flavored coffee packs a double punch! You can also mix the coffee with rum for an extra flavorful twist. This is totally optional, but highly recommended.

Finally, the filling and icing are created from mascarpone, powdered sugar, and heavy cream. Mascarpone is silky-smooth, which makes it perfect for frosting; the sugar gives it a little sweetness while the cream helps make the cheese fluffy and spreadable.

Cooking tips for tiramisu

You'll want to set all your ingredients out ahead of time so that they're at room temperature when you're ready to bake — eggs, butter (until soft), and sour cream included. This will help everything mix together smoothly. Be sure not to over-mix the cake, which can weaken it and make it fall apart after soaking it with the coffee. You also don't want to overbake it, which can make it too hard; that's not fun to eat, and not good for soaking up the maximum amount of coffee flavor. You'll know the cake's done when it starts to pull away from the edges of the pan.

For best results, make the tiramisu cake at least two to three hours ahead of time to allow the coffee enough time to soak through the cake. Plus, that saves you time for catching up with your guests rather than spending the evening in the kitchen.

Types of mascarpone

When purchasing mascarpone cheese, be sure that it is full fat. This is super important for the frosting so that it won't curdle when combined with the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and coffee. Look for mascarpone that specifically says “for tiramisu."

Storing the tiramisu cake

Since this is made with cheese, you'll want to be sure that you keep the tiramisu refrigerated until ready to serve. The best way to store this cake is to use a cake container with a lid, to seal it and prevent it from damage. This will help keep the cake fresh and moist for up to two days.