This is my beloved great Zia Aurora’s famous Tiramisu recipe, but reinvented in a cake shape. The base tiramisu recipe is simple, easy and DELICIOUS. Without fail, the light and luscious classic tiramisu recipe has made an appearance at nearly all of our family lunch/dinners and, of course, holidays!! Tiramisu is a recipe my mom grew up eating, I grew up eating and one I plan to share with my kids one day as well.
Tiramisu is uplifting (quite literally… the name’s translation…Tira-mi-su = Lift-me-up in Italian), flavorful, light and oh so addicting!! Freshly brewed expresso spiked with an extra zing from orange flavored liquor is lightly soaked in lady finger cookies before being layered with a rich yet light mascarpone egg cream.
Now traditionally, we make this cake in a long shallow tray or pan and stack it two layers. But, when my mom requested this dessert for her birthday, I wanted to do something special. I wanted to give her a true cake, but keep the exact flavors of the tiramisu she knows and love. The solution? A springform pan!! Using that as a tray allowed me to give the tiramisu a cake like form and shape. I was unsure how it would come out, but after a few hours chilling in the fridge it came out PERFECT!! For some added decor, I lined the outside with extra lady finger cookies and it was the cutest cake ever…Now, this is going to be my go-to way to make tiramisu whenever we’re celebrating something extra special. BUT there are a few things to help make sure it comes out as smooth as possible, so listen up!
The bake free dessert only takes about 30 minutes to come together and is perfect to make ahead as it is ALWAYS better the next day.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Tiramisu Cake
- A bake-free dessert – no need to put the oven on at all!
- Comes together in 30 minutes – you can have this all done and dusted in 30 minutes or less!
- A make-ahead DREAM – this is one of those desserts that gets better with time, so if you can make it the day before, it gets EVEN better and makes your life easier the day of.
🍲 Ingredients
Savoiardi cookies – aka ladyfinger cookies. These are the traditional cookies my family uses for tiramisu. Their simple sugar cookies that easily soak up all the delicious coffee flavor.
Eggs – white and yolks separated, but we’ll use them all (we love a no egg waste recipe!!!)
Brewed espresso – you’re gonna need quite a bit of espresso, so I recommend trying to make it in a large format like a moka pot vs individual pods.
Touch of liquor of choice – Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Marsala, Rum, or Amaretto – can definitely be omitted but in my family we like a little “cafe corretto” (aka spiked coffee in Italian) moment for dessert.
Mascarpone cheese – a light creamy spreadable cheese, think cream cheese but less tangy. If you absolutely can’t find it use cream cheese with some heavy cream to tone the flavor.
Sugar – just a little bit for the cream, the sugar from the cookies adds the rest.
Cocoa powder – to dust on top and add some garnish
👩🍳 How to Make Tiramisu Cake
Step 1: Brew and Cool Your Coffee
Start by preparing all of your coffee. I recommend using a Moka pot or cafetière so you can make larger amounts at once. Brew in batches if needed, and let the coffee cool completely. Once cooled, optionally, mix in your liqueur and set aside.
Step 2: Beat the Egg Whites
In a clean bowl, beat all the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form — this should take about 5 minutes.
Tip: If you’re using a stand mixer, transfer the beaten whites to another bowl so you can reuse the mixer bowl for the next step.
Step 3: Make the Mascarpone Cream
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow and airy, about 3–5 minutes. Add in the mascarpone cheese and continue to mix until smooth and fully incorporated.
Step 4: Fold the Mixtures Together
In batches, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the yolk and mascarpone mixture. Take your time and fold gently until you have a smooth, creamy mixture.
Step 5: Prep Your Springform Pan
Use a 9- or 8-inch springform pan. Cut parchment paper to match the height of the pan and line the sides. This helps with clean edges and easy release once set.
Step 6: Layer the Cookies and Cream
Dip each savoiardi (ladyfinger) cookie into the coffee mixture, coating both sides. The cookie should be well-soaked on the outside but still slightly firm in the center — it’ll continue to absorb as the tiramisu rests.
Allow excess coffee to drip off, then place the soaked cookies along the bottom of the pan. Break cookies as needed to fill in any gaps. Spread a layer of the mascarpone cream on top.
Repeat this layering — coffee-soaked cookies, then cream — until you reach the top of the pan, finishing with a final layer of cream. In a 9-inch pan, you’ll likely get 3 full layers.
Step 7: Chill the Tiramisu
Place the tiramisu on a large plate (to catch any seeping coffee) and in the refrigerator to set for at least 1–2 hours, but ideally overnight. The longer it rests, the better the texture and flavor.
Step 8: Finish and Decorate
Before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan and gently peel away the parchment paper. Dust the top generously with cocoa powder. For a little decorative touch, line the edges with trimmed savoiardi cookies and tie with a ribbon.
Step 9: Slice and Serve
Use a sharp knife to slice clean portions and serve cold.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- USE PARCHMENT along the inside of the cake pan. This helps ensure an easy release without losing any cookies.
- Allow the cake time to chill in the fridge. Ideally overnight but at least 1-2 hour. This will help you easily slice the cake and keep its form.
- Trim the cookies that line the outside of the cake. I find that the full cookie is too tall, so just take a knife a cut off about an inch or so so that it is not too tall over the cake.
🗒 Variations
I’ll be honest and say I still have some experimenting with variations to do myself, but to give you some ideas. You can totally play with the cream sauce and soaking liquid:
- Lemon tiramisu – make a lemon scented egg cream and soak in limoncello spiked milk
- Pistachio tiramisu – make a pistachio flavored egg cream and soak in pistachio liquor spiked milk or coffee
- Nutella hazelnut tiramisu – make a nutella flavored egg cream and soak in amaretto spiked coffee, plus drizzles of nutella in each layer Nutella-
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy cold for up to 5 days.
🤔 Common Questions
Yes! Just leave out the liqueur and use strong brewed coffee or espresso. You can also add a splash of vanilla extract or a bit of orange zest for extra depth.
At least 1–2 hours, but overnight is ideal. The longer it rests, the better the flavors come together and the layers set.
You can, but the texture and structure will be different. If you prefer not to use raw eggs, look for pasteurized eggs or use whipped cream as a substitute — just know it’ll be softer and slightly sweeter.
Classic Tiramisu Cake
Ingredients
- Two 14oz packs of savoiardi cookies, if you’re not lining the outside with cookies you can get away with one pack but I always like to have extra just in case.
- 6 eggs, white and yolks separated
- About 1.5-2 cups of brewed espresso
- 2-3 shots of liquor of choice, Cointreau, Rum, Amaretto, Marsala
- 16 oz mascarpone cheese
- 6 tbsp sugar
- cocoa powder to dust on top
Instructions
Step 1: Brew and Cool Your Coffee
- Start by preparing all of your coffee. I recommend using a Moka pot or cafetière so you can make larger amounts at once. Brew in batches if needed, and let the coffee cool completely. Once cooled, optionally, mix in your liqueur and set aside.
Step 2: Beat the Egg Whites
- In a clean bowl, beat all the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form — this should take about 5 minutes.
- Tip: If you’re using a stand mixer, transfer the beaten whites to another bowl so you can reuse the mixer bowl for the next step.
Step 3: Make the Mascarpone Cream
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow and airy, about 3–5 minutes. Add in the mascarpone cheese and continue to mix until smooth and fully incorporated.
Step 4: Fold the Mixtures Together
- In batches, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the yolk and mascarpone mixture. Take your time and fold gently until you have a smooth, creamy mixture.
Step 5: Prep Your Springform Pan
- Use a 9- or 8-inch springform pan. Cut parchment paper to match the height of the pan and line the sides. This helps with clean edges and easy release once set.
Step 6: Layer the Cookies and Cream
- Dip each savoiardi (ladyfinger) cookie into the coffee mixture, coating both sides. The cookie should be well-soaked on the outside but still slightly firm in the center — it’ll continue to absorb as the tiramisu rests.
- Allow excess coffee to drip off, then place the soaked cookies along the bottom of the pan. Break cookies as needed to fill in any gaps. Spread a layer of the mascarpone cream on top.
- Repeat this layering — coffee-soaked cookies, then cream — until you reach the top of the pan, finishing with a final layer of cream. In a 9-inch pan, you’ll likely get 3 full layers.
Step 7: Chill the Tiramisu
- Place the tiramisu on a large plate (to catch any seeping coffee) and put it into the refrigerator to set for at least 1–2 hours, but ideally overnight. The longer it rests, the better the texture and flavor.
Step 8: Finish and Decorate
- Before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan and gently peel away the parchment paper. Dust the top generously with cocoa powder. For a little decorative touch, line the edges with trimmed savoiardi cookies and tie with a ribbon.
Step 9: Slice and Serve
- Use a sharp knife to slice clean portions and serve cold.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yummm!