Tiramisu Sponge Cake
I love a classic tiramisu, especially when eating at a little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant (which I hope to one day be able to do again). Usually I only eat (or ate I guess I should say) tiramisu when dining out because I find that making one from scratch can be a bit tedious and the wait to dig in is too much for me to handle sometimes. I do have a classic tiramisu recipe on here though because I’m full of contradictions. With Valentine’s Day around the corner though I thought I’d make and share a cake that we can all surprise our valentines with. This Tiramisu Sponge Cake is everything you know and love from that classic dessert but without all of the work and waiting. I found this tiramisu cake on King Arthur Flour and decided to revamp it to be an easy and effective single layer cake. It’s the only way I’ll be tiramisu-ing from now on and I think you will too.
This makes for a great dessert for a special occasion because I feel like tiramisu is fancy enough to impress, and this cake takes out most of the hard work when it comes to making tiramisu so it’s a win win all around. You really cant go wrong with this one.
Tiramisu Sponge Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- Mixing bowls
- Mixer
Ingredients
Sponge Cake:
- 1 cup cake flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Coffee Syrup:
- 1 cup hot coffee or espresso
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dry marsala wine
- 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur
Topping:
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese softened
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder for dusting
- 1 tablespoon shaved chocolate optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 or 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla and almond extract until pale in color and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle a third of the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and gently fold with a rubber spatula until just incorporated. Continue by adding another third of the dry mixture and fold. Finish with the remaining third and fold once more. The batter should look fluffy and sponge like. Carefully pour it into the prepared pan and bake until the top is lightly browned and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the pan to cool on a wire rack.
- To make the soaking syrup, in a large glass measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the hot coffee or espresso with the sugar, marsala wine and coffee liqueur until the sugar has dissolved. While the cake is still warm brush with the syrup. It might seem like a lot of liquid but make sure to use it all, the cake will absorb it. Allow to finish cooling completely.
- To make the topping, beat together the mascarpone, powdered sugar, coffee liqueur, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Pour in the heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Once the cake has cooled, top with the mascarpone frosting and spread out using a spatula. Dust with cocoa powder and top with shaved chocolate, if using. Slice and serve immediately or store in the fridge, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until ready to eat. Enjoy!
