As an Italian girl, I love tiramisu… like, I LOVE tiramisu. I love the soaked lady fingers and that mascarpone cream and while a classic tiramisu isn’t too tough to make, this cake version is even easier and gives all of those beautiful tiramisu vibes.
You are going to love this cake…
What you have here is a vanilla espresso cake soaked in a creamy espresso mixture and topped with a rich mascarpone cream topping and a cocoa powder dusting. It’s just like you took some tiramisu elements and put them together in a different way. All of the fabulous flavors and textures are there and this cake is fantastic.
Let’s get started…
Begin by creaming 4 large eggs with 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar until it is pale in color and about doubled in volume. While you could do this by hand, this is easiest done with an electric hand mixer on medium to medium high speed for a few minutes.
Next, sift 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and gently mix until mostly combined. We will be mixing a bit more in a few minutes, so don’t worry about getting everything fully incorporated quite yet.
Set the batter aside for now and place a saucepan over medium heat. Add 8 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of whole milk into the saucepan and heat them up a little. As soon as the butter has melted and the milk starts to steam, transfer the saucepan off of the heat and whisk in 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, a tablespoon of espresso powder and a tablespoon of vegetable oil.
Pour that beautiful mixture into the cake batter while it is still hot and whisk until it is fully incorporated.
Transfer the batter into a 9’x13″ cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-38 minutes or until the center feels set.
Transfer the cake onto a cooling rack to cool while we prepare the espresso soak.
In a small dish, combine 3/4 cup of hot freshly brewed coffee with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar in a cup and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of whole milk and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Take a thick toothpick or slim wooden skewer and poke holes all over your vanilla espresso cake and then brush the espresso soak over the entire surface being sure to get around all of the edges.
Set the cake aside to cool. If your home is warm, set the cake in the refrigerator to speed things up a little.
While the cake is cooling, make your mascarpone cream by creaming 8 ounces of mascarpone with 3/4 cup of heavy cream, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 1/2 – 2 cups of sifted confectioners sugar (depending on how sweet you prefer your frosting to be).
Once the mascarpone mixture is thick and fluffy, transfer it into a piping bag and add it to the cooled cake however you want! I ended up doing a single layer of small drops and then I went back over the whole thing and filled in any of the spaces until all of the mascarpone cream was added.
Cover the cake and chill for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight before serving. This time will allow the espresso soak to work its way into the cake and create a beautiful texture.
Before serving, dust the cake with cocoa powder just like you would do with a traditional tiramisu and get ready to fall in love with a very special cake.
The way that moist vanilla espresso cake soaks up that beautiful espresso flavor is very reminiscent of the lady fingers in tiramisu and then you add that rich, fluffy mascarpone cream on top and this cake will have everyone asking for your recipe…
Tiramisu Cake
Ingredients
Vanilla Espresso Cake
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 8 tablespoons of butter
- 1 cup of whole milk
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon of a neutral oil
Espresso Soak
- 3/4 cup of strongly brewed coffee, hot
- 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons of whole milk
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
Mascarpone Frosting
- 8 ounces of mascarpone
- 3/4 cup of heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted
Assembly
- 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Grease a 9”x13” baking dish and set aside for now
Make the cake…
- Add 4 large eggs into a large bowl and use an electric hand mixer to whip on medium speed until bubbly
- Gradually add 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar while continuing to mix on medium speed
- Increase the speed to medium high and whip until pale, airy and more than doubled in volume
- Sift 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the whipped eggs and gently mix only until mostly combined (this batter will be mixed a little more later, so don’t over mix at this point)
- Place a saucepan over medium heat and add 8 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of whole milk
- Once the milk is steaming and the butter has melted, transfer the saucepan off of the heat and whisk in 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, a tablespoon of espresso powder and a tablespoon of vegetable oil
- Add the hot milk mixture into the rest of the batter and mix until fully incorporated
- Add the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake on the center rack of a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick will come out of the center clean
- Transfer onto a cooling rack or cutting board for now
Make the espresso soak…
- Combine 3/4 cup of hot freshly brewed coffee with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar in a cup and stir until the sugar has dissolved
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of whole milk and a teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Use toothpicks, a fork or thin chopstick end to poke small holes all over the surface of the cake and brush the espresso soak all over the top surface of the cake
- Set the cake aside to continue cooling
Make the mascarpone frosting…
- Use an electric hand mixer to whip 8 ounces of mascarpone with 3/4 cup of heavy cream and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until completely combined
- Sift 1 1/2 - 2 cups of confectioners sugar into the bowl and whip until thick and fluffy
Chill & assemble the cake…
- Once the cake is completely cool, transfer the mascarpone frosting into a piping bag and pipe the frosting over the cake in your desired shape
- Cover the cake and cool for a minimum of 4 hours before serving
- Dust lightly with cocoa powder before serving
