Berry Tiramisu Cake Recipe
This is the most stunning berry tiramisu cake recipe you’ll make because it’s an actual cake. This layered tiramisu cake with fruit has simple ingredients and is surprisingly easy to make.
You will love the mascarpone cream frosting and berry syrup. Just like our Tres Leches Cake, this looks really impressive without a ton of effort which is an added bonus!
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I made this for my sister’s birthday and the following week for my niece’s birthday and it was a big win both times. The phrase, “I love that it’s not too sweet”, was said again and again.
What is a Tiramisu Cake?
Tiramisu Cake is a dessert with layers of sponge cake (or often ladyfingers which are basically dried out sponge cake), soaked with liqueur or coffee and frosted with mascarpone cheese. The word Tiramisu itself literally means “pick me up” in Italian, hence the reason it has the liqueur or coffee in it.
Classic Tiramisu works surprisingly well as a Berry Tiramisu and this adds a fresher layer to it with the delicious berries. We have our own traditional Tiramisu Recipe to give you a better idea of where this recipe stems from.
Ingredients for Berry Tiramisu Cake:
The base starts with a super simple, traditional European sponge cake. The mascarpone cheese can be found at most major grocery stores and the liqueur is usually only found in liquor stores. We love Grand Marnier Orange Liqueur for its amazing flavor. If you don’t want to buy a big bottle, you can purchase 2 tiny bottles as pictured (1.5 oz each) to get 6 Tbsp for this recipe.
You’ll also need fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, some whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Can I Use Ladyfingers Instead of Sponge Cake?
Yes! Ladyfingers are a great substitution and make for a good mix between this recipe and the classic tiramisu recipe. You wouldn’t need to bake anything with this quick substitute, making this recipe even easier.
I would recommend layering it in a springform pan like the way we have done with our Charlotte Cake Recipe giving it a finished look. Slicing your cake completely covered in berries is made easy using this method. The ladyfingers line the outer edge of the cake and you can cut even slices all the way around!
Can I Substitute the Liqueur?
The flavor of the liqueur mellows out but you can use less with 3 Tbsp liqueur in the syrup and 1 Tbsp in the cream or make it a virgin (alcohol-free) by replacing liqueur with freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste. The berry tiramisu cake will taste delicious either way!
How to Make a Tiramisu Cake:
1. Bake the easy 4-ingredient sponge cake. Once cakes are at room temp, use a serrated knife to cut in half for a total of 4 layers.
2. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 package raspberries, 1/4 cup water, 4 Tbsp orange liqueur, and 2 Tbsp sugar. Mash those together with a fork and set aside.
3. Just before assembling your cake, make the cream: In a large bowl, use a spatula to fold together 16 oz mascarpone cheese and 2 Tbsp orange liqueur until well incorporated.
4. In a second large mixing bowl, beat with a mixer 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla just until fluffy with soft peaks (note: mascarpone stabilizes whipped cream so don’t over-beat or it will become grainy). Use a spatula to fold half of the whipped cream into the mascarpone to lighten it then fold in remaining cream and blend until fully incorporated. It may seem loose at first but it thickens as it sits.
How to Assemble Berry Tiramisu Cake:
- Place your first cake layer on a serving platter and use a spoon to spread 1/4 of your raspberry syrup (no need for perfection).
- Top with 1/4 of your cream and a generous layer of sliced strawberries and whole blueberries.
- Repeat with remaining layers and cover the top with remaining whole strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.
Tip: if you spread the cream and place berries just past the cake’s edges, it will look prettier and more loaded when stacked.
Can I Make this Cake Ahead?
The sponge cake is so easy and can be made a day ahead or stored in the freezer for up to 3 months and because it doesn’t get soggy, it will stay yummy assembled in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. If you’re worried about it looking fresh, you can add the berries to the top layer the day of and your guests will be none the wiser! It tastes delicious when chilled so no need to let it sit out before serving. It actually slices best when chilled anyway.
Love Layered Cake Recipes?
Here are some of our most popular layered cakes. Whether you love chocolate layered cakes or berry layered cakes, these are definitely crowd-pleasing desserts!
- Crepe Cake – with a fail-proof crepes recipe
- Chocolate Cake – the perfect birthday cake
- Mango Cake – Layer after layer of mango goodness
- Strawberry Cake – completely loaded with strawberries
- Almond Nutella Cake – a gluten-free cake masterpiece
Berry Tiramisu Cake Recipe
This is the most stunning berry tiramisu you'll make because it's an actual cake. It's surprisingly simple to make and doesn't require a crazy long list of ingredients.
Ingredients
For the Sponge Cake:
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
For Berry Tiramisu Cake Syrup, Fillings and Cream:
- 12 oz Driscoll's raspberries, divided
- 6 Tbsp (3 oz) orange liqueur, divided
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, + 2 Tbsp for berry sauce
- 16 oz mascarpone cheese, refrigerated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, (36% milk fat), chilled
- 1 lb Driscoll's strawberries, sliced, reserving 6 berries for the top
- 1 pint Driscoll’s blueberries, (2 cups ), divided
Instructions
How to Make Berry Mascarpone:
-
Bake the easy 4-ingredient sponge cake (click for written instructions). Once cakes are at room temp, use a serrated knife to cut in half for a total of 4 layers.
-
In a small bowl, combine 1/2 package raspberries, 1/4 cup water, 4 Tbsp orange liqueur, and 2 Tbsp sugar. Mash together with a fork and set aside.
-
Just before assembling your cake, make the cream: In a large bowl, use a spatula to fold together 16 oz mascarpone cheese and 2 Tbsp orange liqueur until well incorporated.
-
In a second large mixing bowl, beat with a mixer 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla just until fluffy with soft peaks.** Use a spatula to fold half of the whipped cream into mascarpone to lighten it then fold in remaining cream and blend until fully incorporated.
How to Assemble Berry Tiramisu Cake:
-
Place your first cake layer on a serving platter and use a spoon to spread 1/4 of your raspberry syrup (no need for perfection). Top with 1/4 of your cream and a generous layer of sliced strawberries and whole blueberries. Repeat with remaining layers and cover the top with remaining whole strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. ***
Recipe Notes
**Mascarpone stabilizes/stiffens soft whipped cream so don't over-beat or it will become grainy when blended with mascarpone.
***If you push the cream and berries just slightly past the cake's edges, it will look prettier when stacked. Cake can be served right away, but if you refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, it will be a little easier to slice.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Let me know if you make this for someone you love. It truly is a special cake and can be used for so many different special occasions.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi Natasha,
I am a big fan of your cakes and have been making this cake for my daughter’s birthday, which is always a hit😍
However, I need your advice, I have tried both of your American and European cakes recipe, and as they r very moist, they don’t stay together. Like it breaks apart while cutting!
The looks and taste are excellent, and I am always complimented but I would like to make it better!
Hope to hear from you!
Hi Nidhi! It depends on the recipe. I can’t speak to other recipes that are not mine but I provide helpful tips in my recipe notes to help get the best results each time. If there is a specific cake of mine that you’ve tried and have had this problem, you can send a comment on that recipe page to see if I can help troubleshoot the issue. 🙂
Aloha Natasha, I found this recipe and have now made it for special occasions for the past two years. Most recently I traveled to Florida from our home in Hawaii to make it for my Mom’s 80th Birthday! I found that refrigerating when needing to transport and for leftovers is excellent (easier to cut). Love the cake recipe and it always comes out so well. Thank you for sharing your expertise and love of good cooking. The Berry Tiramisu has been such a special treat to share with friends and family. Much aloha and Merry Christmas!
Aloha! Thank you so much for sharing this with me! I’m so glad this was a hit with your family and friends! Merry Christmas!
I tried it only once. My guests couldn’t believe how delish it was. We ended up eating it with fingers from the tray! Delish!
Aaaw, that makes my heart melt. Thank you for sharing!
I just made this cake and I loved it ! I’m not a big fan of very sweet dessert or dessert in general, but this cake was delicious, I had a big slice, the amount of berries in it and the cheese combo made it taste like a very good parfait almost, thank you so much. And it was pretty easy to make. I was thinking it might not be as fresh if consumed the following day with all the fruit but it tasted amazing the next day for the event. Thank you so much!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Lana!
Can this be eaten by kids? Coz it has orange liqueur in it if not whats the alternative for orange liqueur? I would love to try this looks delicious. Please let me know tnanks . Btw, loved all your recipes☺️
Yes, it can. The amount is not very much. The flavor of the liqueur mellows out but you can use less with 3 Tbsp liqueur in the syrup and 1 Tbsp in the cream or make it a virgin (alcohol-free) by replacing liqueur with freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste. The berry tiramisu cake will taste delicious either way!
ik vind de dessert over heerlijk voor bij de verjaaardagfeestje of bij koffieklets of bij de vier uurtje
Great to hear that you love this recipe!
Made this for a gathering where it won rave reviews. I did make some alterations – when I made the raspberry sauce, I did run it through a sieve to get rid of the seeds. I have a few other alterations in mind but over all, this was a very easy to make and with spring berries in season – perfect for the day.
That’s wonderful! Thank you for sharing, Monika.
Hi Natasha,thank you for all the recipes.My question is can I make the regular tiramisu cake with lady fingers and berries? What should I use to dip the ladyfingers in? Thanks again.
Hi Salwa, yes, that would ve fine. For dipping, I still suggest following the recipe recommendations of liqueur or replacing the liqueur with freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste if you want alcohol-free.
Can I use cherry liqueur instead of orange? Thanks again for answering.
Hi Salwa, I haven’t tested that to advise, if you try that, I’d love to know how you like that!
This recipe was shared by a friend after I saw her cake posted on Facebook. I used gf all-purpose flour to make the sponge cake and used coconut whipped cream and vegan cream cheese for the frosting, both from Trader Joe’s. It was excellent and looked beautiful!
Hello Ann, nice to know that the substitutions that you used worked well! We appreciate the info.
Hi Natasha. I love you and have made many of your recipes. We don’t use alcohol products so I’m wondering if you could recommend a substitute for the orange liqueur
Hi Peg, I’m glad to hear that. The flavor of the liqueur mellows out but you can use less with 3 Tbsp liqueur in the syrup and 1 Tbsp in the cream or make it a virgin (alcohol-free) by replacing liqueur with freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste. The berry tiramisu cake will taste delicious either way!
This cake is a showstopper with the wow factor for sure! Perfect for Christmas, birthdays or any special occasion. Natasha, I’ve tried lots of recipes from your website over the past year & they’re all foolproof, so easy to follow & deliver every time! Thank you so much. Carmel from Dublin, Ireland
That is such a nice comment and feedback, thanks a lot for sharing!
I love this Berry Cake,, it turned out great and is my second one in 3 weeks…love it
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Diane!
Hi Natasha, I’ve already made my cake, and I am frosting it fresh for the 4th of July. When making the virgin version of this recipe, what does the lemon juice do? Is it used to create a lemon flavor in the frosting and layers in the cake? Does it mix okay with the cream and cheese? I’m just not sure how much to add either. Thank you!
Hi Kristen, it adds flavor. If you prefer to leave it out of the cream and just add it to the berry sauce, that will also work.
Made this with a few adjustments
I had already made my first sponge cake and I was looking for a recipe and found yours; it’s only two layers and I didn’t have mascarpone, so I substituted cream cheese. Delish!!
That’s so great! I’m glad you discovered my recipe, Deb!
Made the cake for the berry teramsu they are very thin not enough to slice
Hi Mary, it sounds like the cake didn’t properly rise, it should resemble the images in this recipe.
Hi Natasha,
I love love love all of your recipes. I grew up in Romania and a lot of the recipes remind me of home. The cake turned out fantastic. Looking forward to trying more 🙂 thank you for sharing!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Joana. I love it when recipes remind us of home. I’m all smiles
Hello, can I use orange extract instead of the liqueur? What do you think?
Hi Yelena, that may work. In general, you would use 1/4 tsp orange extract for every 1 Tbsp of liqueur. I haven’t tried any other substitute yet.
Is there Video for this cake
Berry Tremasue
Hi Sandra, there’s no video for this recipe yet but thanks for your suggestion!
Thank you natasha for this incredible cake I make it’s for my granddaughter in her birthday
It was big success
Yay! Great to know that the recipe was a hit, Lili. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Natasha! The cake is awesome: easy to make and very tasty! Another great recipe from your collection!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Gala!
Can I use a gluten free flour in the cake…I have 3 daughters that are gf and love to make them treats. I have several types of gf flour and wonder which would be best….thank you…I love your recipes !
Hi Cynthia, I haven’t tried it but several of my readers have reported that this works great as a gluten-free sponge cake using a 1:1 gluten-free flour.
Hi Natasha, I’d like to make this for my birthday but am having only a few people over. Could I halve this recipe and make it a two layer cake instead? Will that still work?
Hi Alana, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise but I think it’s worth experimenting with. If you give that a try, please share with us how it goes!
I ended up using the full recipe because more people rsvped last minute. I doubled the frosting though to coat the sides. It was my first ever attempt at a layer cake and it turned out so well!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha
I will like to know do you a video on this Berry Tiramisu Cake??? If so, what is the link.
Thanks
Benita
Hi Benita, there’s no video for this recipe yet but thanks for suggesting that. Hopefully, we can do a video on this recipe in the future.
Thank you for all your recipes! they are all amazing! And delicious! I tried lots of them. I have a question – instead of baking cake can I use ladyfingers soaked in coffee , as you show it in tiramisu recipe, for this cake? and then just use cream and filling of the berry tiramisu cake?
Hi Sabina, that may work. Instead of pouring the syrup over the ladyfingers as I make the cake, I would add a little more water to it and quickly dip the ladyfingers into the mixture as I do in our classic Tiramisu cake.
Great recipe. I changed it a bit because i didn’t use whipped cream. Instead I did the classic italian witt eggs and mascarpone. It turned out pretty great. Very pro!! Thanks i love your recipes.
I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing that with us.
I’d like to make just the sponge cake a day ahead of assembling the cake. How do I keep it fresh for 24 hours? Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate? Or aluminum foil? Or should I wrap the two cakes then freeze for 24 hours, then slice them frozen and thaw??
Hi Bev, plastic wrap will work great. The sponge cake is so easy and can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator or stored in the freezer for up to 3 months, and because it doesn’t get soggy, it will stay yummy assembled in the fridge for 2 to 3 days
I have tried many of your recipes and have been more than delighted with them. You are a great cook and baker and my friends and I have enjoyed many wonderful ones together over your meals and desserts. Keep up the great work. Thank you!!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
In which store did you buy mascarpone cheese?
Hi Alona, we got it at our local grocery store. If you’re having trouble finding it, I would ask an associate.
Hi Natasha, made this for my husband’s birthday. It was amazing! Thank you for sharing. My only issue was the cake collapsed after I took it out of the oven. It turned a nice golden color, and had a good rise. As it cooled it collapsed. Any idea why? I still got the 4 layers, but it was hard to cut because of the collapse. Any tips is much appreciated. Love your blog!
Hi there, thanks for your feedback. The main culprit of the cake sinking is often under-beating the eggs and sugar. Did you start with room temperature eggs and use a high-powered stand mixer to beat together the eggs and sugar and then fold the flour in with a spatula so as not to deflate the batter? I sure hope that helps!
Yes I did for all the above. Will baking it a little longer help?
That might help it, if nothing was substituted or altered.
I baked this again, used 8 inch pans and baked for 30 mins. The center sank a little bit, but was much better to manage. Was even more amazing than the first time 🙂 thank you again!!!
Natasha,
I came across your Berry Tiramisu cake and I’d love to try it. My question is, can I break up the sponge cake and turn this cake into a trifle? The cake looks SO pretty, however I am looking to use my new trifle bowl! I hope I hear back from you today, I plan on making this lovely recipe this weekend.
Thank you for sharing your recipe!!
Hi Joyce! I hope you love this recipe! I haven’t tried this as a trifle, but I imagine it may work. We have a couple trifle recipes HERE you can use as a guide.
Hi Natasha ,
Can I use store baked sponge cake ?
Hi Vini, that should work fine.
Natasha, This cake is out of this world. I have made it twice already and followed your recipe exactly. It has such an amazing, light and fresh flavor. Thank you as always for a delicious, simple and easy to make recipe.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Hi Natasha! I have made this cake many times before, we love it! We are having a larger get together and I wanted to bake a rectangular cake, what size pan do you suggest? And do I double up on recipe or not? Also, baking time. Thank you!
Hi Anya, depending on the pan size you may need to double the recipe. What pan size are you think of using? We have only made it in these 9″ pans.
Hi Natasha,
My daughter has been inspired by you to take a video of herself cooking this sponge cake. It turned out very tasty, super light! In her words ‘delicious’ , Thanks very much
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m all smiles
Hi Natasha, do you strain the raspberry syrup to get rid of seeds?
Hi Eleonora, you can if you prefer to have it seedless.
Do you think this would work if you cheated and used a store bought Angel’s Food Cake?
Hi Linda, I haven’t tested this with Angel’s Food Cake. I think the result will be a little different since the layers will be a different texture. We used sponge cake here. If you experiment thought I would love to know how you like that!
Natasha – I’m making this recipe for my son’s birthday. He wants ‘chocolate’ cake. Can I just add cocoa to the sponge cake recipe to make it chocolate? If so – how much cocoa should I add?
Hi Anna, typically with a sponge cake, you would remove some of flour and replace it with equal amounts of cocoa. I would probably do 3-4 Tbsp of cocoa.
Does it matter what kind of orange liqueur is used? Or is there specific brand?
Hi Angelina, I don’t recall the brand – It said Grand Marnier on the bottle and I have a photo of it in the ingredients photo above if that helps.
So good, loved this cake! Thank you Natasha for your delicious recipes!!!!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes Lena!
This look tempting to make. But I am not confident to bake a cake cos everytime I tried. It’s failure. you said 4 ingredients only maybe I will give it a try since ILOVETIRAMISU AND SPONGECAKE.. Try and try until I succeed. You are such easy to watch. I am already inlove with your recipes.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me!
I finally had the courage to make a berry tiramisu cake. It was successful, and it wasnt that sweet. Thank you for sharing this recipe. easy and simple. I wanted to share my cake picture but I dont know how😂🤣
That is so wonderful Grace! You cannot share a photo here but you can share it on our Facebook group or page.
Hi, Natasha. If we want to use ladyfingers instead of the sponge batter, what are we supposed to soak the ladyfingers in? the raspberry syrup? Thanks?
Hi Lavinia, instead of pouring the syrup over the ladyfingers as I do the cake, I would add a little more water to it and quickly dip the ladyfingers into the mixture as I do in our classic Tiramisu cake.
Made this for my little girls 5th birthday and it was perfect 🙂 thank you Natasha for your yummy recipes! God has given you a wonderful talent and I’m so glad you are sharing it with the rest of us! 🙏
My pleasure Lena. Happy Birthday to your little girl and will definitely keep on creating more content and recipes!
Hi Natasha,
Would love to bake this beautiful berry cake .. but i need the recipe in gram please! I have tried baking in cups … it was a disaster for me. I weight all my wet ingredients too.
Hope to hear from you 🙂
Thank you
Christy
Hello Christy, to see the conversion in grams go to the recipe, click on “Jump to recipe” Click on “Metrics” and it will convert it to grams. Hope that helps!
I made this cake for my birthday and everyone in my family loved it. It’s not too sweet, just perfect 👌. Thanks Natasha, you’re the best.
You’re welcome and so great to hear that. Happy Birthday!
Hi Natasha! I Was wondering how much lemon juice I should use if I don’t have orange liqueur? Thanks for your help and your awesome recipes!!!!
Hi Lena, that should still work fine. It will have a little different flavor but should still work well.
Hello, your recipes are so good.
How can I made this with lady fingers instead of the sponge cake ? What should I dip the lady fingers in ?
Thanks
Also what can I replace the orange liqueur with ?
Thanks
Hi Noie, in general you would use 1/4 tsp orange extract for every 1 Tbsp of liqueur. I haven’t tried any other substitute yet.
Hi Natasha, I love your recipes! Every time I have a gathering I have to make something your kitchen. So thank you for that!
If I make this cake a night before my gathering will it still look nice? I’m worried about the frosting (I saw the note about putting berries just before serving the cake for freshness). Thank you !
Hi Alina, I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes. The sponge cake is so easy and can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator or stored in the freezer up to 3 months and because it doesn’t get soggy, it will stay yummy assembled in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Hi Noie, instead of pouring the syrup over the lady fingers as I do the cake, I would add a little more water to it and quickly dip the lady fingers into the mixture as I do in our classic Tiramisu cake.
Hi Natasha
Can I use orange juice as a substitute for orange liquor? Is it in equal measurements? If using lemon juice, do we also require 6 tbsp?
Hi Dorothy, yes that would work fine. You can also use lemon juice for an added punch of flavor 🙂
Hi Natasha! For the 1lb of strawberries needed, could I use frozen strawberries?
Hi Tanya, You can use them but the problem with frozen berries is that they don’t hold up well. They taste fine but they will look limp and lifeless compared to fresh.
What size cake pan??
Hi Naomi, we used two 9″ cake pans.
Fav!!!! Making this cake 2nd time and it’s just amazing, my boyfriend and my parents love it! I think I’ll make this cake for every occasion from now on.
Sounds like you found a new family & party favorite Valeriya! That’s so great!
Hello,
Do you mean at room temperature vs refrigerated mascarpone? It won’t fold nicely when cold. Hmm…
Hi Lydia, if it is too stiff I recommend giving it a good stir before incorporating.
this is so pretty! And so good!
Hi Rachael, thank you for stopping by and for sharing that awesome review with us.
This baked up perfectly! And the berries go so well with the sponge cake!
Isn’t the flavor amazing! Thank you for sharing that great review with us, Ashley!
This was absolutely amazing! It came out super moist and tasted great!
Hi Stephanie, I am so happy to hear that. Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
Hey Natasha! This looks spectacular. Thinking to make it for my girl’s 6th Birthday, she will have 26 kids and 15 adults, Would you suggest making 2 cakes? Or one larger pan? I can got all sorts of sizes. Or what’s the best way to double it? Thank you lovely for your recipes! People always compliment on anything i make of yours!
Oh wow that is a lot of people. If this is the only dessert, I would suggest making 2 cakes.
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for this beautiful cake but my family and I are not orange flavor fans, can I use amaretto or just vanilla extract? What would you recommend?
Hi Janine, I haven’t tested that but it should work. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
hello! thank you for sharing your recipes with us!! extremely helpful!!
just wondering if i can use frozen rasberries for this recipe? would it taste worse?
thank you so much for answering this!!:))
Hi Julia, the problem with frozen raspberries is that they don’t hold up well. They taste fine but they will look limp and lifeless compared to fresh.
thank you for ur reply, sorry I meant for the syrup 🙂
Hi Natasha, my boyfriend would love this cake! I’m making it for his birthday lunch tomorrow… would it be alright if I bake the cake tonight, and cut it tomorrow morning? Can I make the raspberry sauce tonight also, so it has more time to soak up all that Grand Marnier Goodness??!! I know I should do the cream filling in the morning. OR, can I make everything tonight, assemble it and just keep it in the fridge until tomorrow, taking it out about 1 an hour before dessert? I don’t have a large/tall enough cake carrier . Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Janet! That is a great question! I love that you are making this for your boyfriend! The sponge cake is so easy and can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator or stored in the freezer up to 3 months and because it doesn’t get soggy, it will stay yummy assembled in the fridge for 2 to 3 days
Natasha! This cake was a winner today! My boyfriend raved about it! Even the servers at the restaurant came out to complement me. It turned out perfectly and I followed the recipe exactly….although I may have added a couple more tablespoons of Grand Marnier goodness to the cream 😉 You were right: it is so easy to bake, just a bit longer to assemble. But now I know for next time. 🙂 Thanks for a great party cake recipe.
Hey there Janet, I’m so happy you both enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
LOVED this recipe!! I made this cake for my dad’s birthday- he doesn’t usually like sweets, but he loved this! It was light as air, not too sweet, and was so refreshing with the mascarpone cream and berries. Thank you so much, it was perfect!!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review with me, Gabby! 🙂
I absolutely love this cake! So simply to make, yet gorgeous and delicious! Natasha, I was hoping to make this for my Easter brunch and I’m wondering how long it can be refrigerated for? I noticed that it says 1-2 hours is best for serving, but I just wanted to make sure it’s okay for it to be refrigerated longer than that.
Hi Briana, I’m so happy you enjoyed this cake! The sponge cake is so easy and can be made a day ahead or stored in the freezer up to 3 months and because it doesn’t get soggy, it will stay yummy assembled in the fridge for 2 to 3 days!
Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo but it looked just like the one in the recipe. It was absolutely declicious and one of the guests makes cakes professionally and she was very impressed
Thank you
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hi Natasha I have one concern When i baked the sponge Cake and i took it out of the oven i took it out of the pan and the cake collapsed! Do you know what can it have caused it.
Hi Jessica, the main culprit of the cake sinking is often under-beating the eggs and sugar. Did you start with room temperature eggs and use a high powered stand mixer to beat together the eggs and sugar and then fold the flour in with a spatula so as not to deflate the batter? I sure hope that helps!
Hi Natasha, would I be able to substitute store bought cool whip instead of making the whipped cream? I’ve tried making the whipped cream before and have never had any luck.
I haven’t tried that Marina. It may work, but you will have to adjust the measurement since coolwhip is generally more dense than whipping cream.
Hi Natasha – This was my first time making the sponge cake. It fell apart on me and was VERY sticky. What did I do wrong?
Hi Julie, the most likely cause of a sticky cake is under mixing the batter. The cake relies on the volume of the eggs to rise so it is critically to whip the eggs and sugar adequately. Our post on how to make this classic European sponge cake with video tutorial should help.
Instead of using cake pans to bake the batter, can I use a spring form pan?
Hi Mari, I have tried that before using the same cake base and it does rise better and more evenly in 2 separate pans. If baking in 1 springform pan, bake for about 30 minutes.
Can I make this gluten free?
Hi Liz! I haven’t tested that just yet. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I DON’T UNDERSTAND. IN THE RECIPE YOU HAVE LISTED ” 6 TBSP 3 OZ ORANGE LIQUOR. IS IT 6 TBSP + 3 OZ? VERY CONFUSING THE WAY IT IS WRITTEN. DO I USE 6 TBSP, PLUS 3 OZ? OR ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY “6 TBSP= 3 OZ.
Hi Carol, I apologize that is very confusing! It is supposed to read 6 Tbsp (3 oz); just 2 kinds of measures for the same amount. The recipe calls for 6 Tbsp.
Hi Natasha. I made this cake and it was really good! Although I did have one problem. The sponge cake didn’t rise. Can u tell me why??
Hi Mari, check out our video recipe on how to make the sponge cake base. That post answers the most common troubleshooting questions. I hope that helps!
Thank you Natasha, my family loved this cake; came out great. Love your recipes. God bless:))
You’re welcome Dasha! I’m happy to hear your family enjoys the recipe as much as mine does. Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
This cake looks amazing. Was hoping to make it for my Mom’s birthday but can’t decide between this one and your kiwi cake. So I thought maybe I could combine things since I love cream cheese but still want the syrup-Have you ever done a mixture between mascarpone and cream cheese for the frosting on this cake? I was thinking maybe substituting one package cream cream for half of the mascarpone? Do you think that would work?
Hi Anna, the cream cheese frosting would still work great in this berry tiramisu cake. I used a cream cheese frosting for my original coffee flavored tiramisu and it worked great. I think it might be too thick to mix mascarpone with cream cheese (I haven’t tried but that is my guess – maybe google that). Happy birthday to your Mom! So sweet of you to make her a cake 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I’m wondering if this cake is ok to make the day before serving?
Hi Lina, the liqueur is the most prominent in flavor the same day it is made – it tends to mellow out as it stands in the fridge, but you can make this cake a day ahead. It would work, just be sure your berries aren’t overripe and also cover the cake when refrigerating so it does not absorb any other food smells.
Hi Natasha,
How do you have such straight cake layers? My cakes always turn out with a circular top.
Hi Emily, with this particular sponge cake, it does not dome at the top.
Hi Natasha,
I’ve made this cake before for and it is YUMMY! Great recipe!
I’m making it for a wedding this Friday. It’ll be the main cake! I wanted to ask about the berry tiramisu cake. Will the berry tiramisu cream be good for 5-6 hours out room temp?
Hi Kathy, if the the berries are sturdy (not overly ripe), it should be ok but keep it chilled as long as possible before putting it out. As long as the room is a comfortable temp and out of any sunshine, it should be ok. For a wedding, I would suggest doing a test run and letting it sit that long to see if you still love it. 🙂
Hi Natasha, can substitute orange extract instead of orange liqueur? And about how much should I use, if yes?
Hi Ali, I haven’t tried that but in general, you would use 1/4 tsp extract for every 1 Tbsp of liqueur.
I do not use alcohol products. Can I substitute the orange liqueur with orange blossom water?
Hi J, yes that should work fine 🙂
Please post calories and carb n sugar don’t see in the recipes,will make it thank u
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Ada!
Hi! I really like this recipe but unfortunately, I am allergic to strawberries. Do you think the cake would be just as good without them or is it better to replace them with some other fruit?
Thank you so much!
Hi Tena, you could definitely replace it with your favorite berry or just use more of the other berries.
Can I use orange juice in place of the orange liqueur?
Hi Yuliya, yes that would work fine. You can also use lemon juice for an added punch of flavor 🙂
Hello. I’m also thinking to substitute liquor for something different, because I’m baking the cake for my kids birthday. What substitute would be better and in what proportions? Thank you!
Hi Yuliya, you can just use a mixture of water, lemon juice and sugar to taste to make a simple syrup and it will still taste great! Something similar to what we have in our cake roll would work.
Hi Natasha, would be possible to substitute de mascarpone cheese for cream cheese? im not in the states and is kinda difficult / expensive here.
Hi Mercedes, yes that would work. I would suggest following the recipe for our other tiramisu cake which uses heavy whipping cream and cream cheese instead of mascarpone. It would still work well with this cake.
Hi. This cake looks so delicious, but does it have a strong orange flavor?
The orange liqueur is very subtle and light in flavor.
Hi. Just found your website and am enjoying your recipes. How much orange juice should I substitute in this recipe? Many thanks Natasha.
Hi Aldona, substituting equal parts should work fine 🙂 I hope you love the tiramisu cake recipe!
Hi, Natasha, I’m more of a novice when it comes to making cakes, so a dumb question: do you put raspberry syrup on the inside or the outside part of the cake? For the first layer the crust(outside) side would be down, I assume, but how about the rest?
Hi Luda, great question!! You only need to put the syrup on the top of each layer and it will soak down into the cake 🙂
Made this cake and it turned out wonderful, thank you !
You’re welcome Yana! I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I am thinking about making this for my nephew loves his cakes and berries what can I use to make it non alcoholic?
Hi Alex, you can just use a mixture of water, lemon juice and sugar to make a simple syrup and it will still taste great! 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Can this cake be turned into a naked cake with the cream?
Thanks
Hi Rita, I do think that would work well 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe!! I love that it is simple to make but so so light and delicious! Definitely my go to cake now:))) It is especially a great cake for fruit cake lovers, I added kiwi into mine, and my husband couldn’t stop eating it!!! Thanks a bunch:)
You are very welcome, I’m so glad to hear that 😁. Thank you for the wonderful review!
Hi Natasha, I made this cake last week for a party we had at work and it was a huge hit everyone loved it and even took a piece home. I absolutely love your recipes they make me feel like I am back home in Ukraine thank you.
Marika, thank you for such a nice review on the cake and for the compliment 😊.
Hi Natasha, do you think the cake would taste good if I took out the berry sauce and just use sugar with water to moisten the sponge cake ? And for fruits use kiwi and strawberry
Hi Anna, I do think that would work well. It would be similar to my kiwi berry cake 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I have a quick question what kind of orange liqueur would you recommend for this cake?
Hi Marika, I have a note above (under the ingredients) for quick reference: “*We love Grand Marnier Orange Liqueur for it’s amazing flavor. It’s available at the liquor store. If you don’t want to buy a big bottle, you can purchase 2 tiny bottles as pictured (1.5 oz each) to get 6 Tbsp for this recipe.”
Sounds great thank you also is it strong in liquor bc I wanna make it for work
Hi Marika, if you use the same brand and type of liqueur that I used, it really isn’t very strong at all, but if you are concerned at all, you can cut it in half and it will be barely noticeable 🙂
How long do you beat the whip cream so that its not overdone? And at what speed with the kitchen aid mixer?
Thanks! Looking forward to making this cake 😉
Hi Nell, I didn’t time it precisely but it should be between 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on high speed with the whisk attachment.
Hi Natasha,
One of the ladies from our church made this cake last weekend (she used cream cheese instead of mascarpone).
It was great – this is definitely a 5 star cake!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!! That’s awesome 🙂
Hi would luv to make this cake sometime this week Natasha only thing is I have two packages of Philly cream cheese no mascarpone would it be a good substitute or is it better with the mascarpone mmmm my mouth is totally watering luv happy dappu blessed Sunday cheers
Hi Tzivia, the next best thing would be a whipped cream and cream cheese frosting. You might try the frosting for this cake.
Oh really so it can work out with a substitute cream cheese frosting ok cool will keep this in mind thanx tons gurl @ always have a lovely sweet blessed fantabulous week ahead darlin cheers
Could you use regular vanilla cake or even pound cake for this?
Hi Sue, it really works best with the sponge cake unless you are going to eat it right away. This sponge cake is pretty much the same in consistency as moist lady fingers and it absorbs moisture really well. A regular vanilla cake or pound cake can get soggy with time but a sponge cake won’t.
ummm,yummy….it looks damn delicious.
The Tiramisu Cake looks awesome,will make it for our son- daughter-in laws Anniversary.
I would love to hear how it turns out 😀
Oh my goodness; that was awesome. Natasha you are the best.
Thank you for such a nice review, I’m glad you enjoyed it 😁.
Hello Natasha. I made this cake for a party we had yesterday and I’d say, it was delicious. Usually, we never eat cakes, but there was only one slice left! But one thing, I felt like the cake was too moist and a little too much cream. But other than that, it was a hit! Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
Btw, I made the cream/frosting with cream cheese and sour cream instead of mascarpone cheese because that’s what I had on hand. Maybe that’s why it the cake seemed so soggy?
Hi Inna! I’m so glad you enjoyed the flavor of the cake! The mascarpone does make the frosting more firm whereas sour cream makes it more loose. Also, with a sour cream frosting, the cake will absorb some of the sour cream making it more moist. I am so happy you all liked it 🙂
Wow yummmm scrumptious cake perfect for my gr8 aunt Shirley I unfortunately cannot have orange liquor wondering if it’ll work with another type of liquor or is it best fore to sub fresh lemon juice but thanx tons for posting love your updates gurl peace and g-d bless
Hi Tzivia, the next best thing would be lemon juice and add it to taste. You probably won’t need the full amount for the cream or just put it into the cake.
Oh really cool gr8 to know that I can work with the lemon juice two ways will be keeping these tips in mind cool awesome sauce thanx lots darlin gnite and g-d bless
Everyone in our family loved his cake!! We also don’t like our desserts overly sweet and this was just right.
That’s awesome!! 🙂
Something went terribly wrong with my cake 🙁 the orange liqueur made the cake super bitter 🙁 Its almost impossible to swallow 🙁
Hi Anna, that is very strange since the alcohol in mine was just barely noticeable. What brand of liqueur did you use and are you certain you used the correct amounts (4 Tbsp for the syrup and 2 Tbsp for the cream)?
Would you do this cake the day before a party or day of?
Katie, berries on top of the cake look best on the day of the party but it still can be made a day before 😀.
You posted this on my daughters 5th birthday, so I have to make this for her party this weekend 🙂
Oh how fun! Happy and blessed birthday to your daughter! 🙂 I hope she loves the cake 🙂
Can I substitute liqueur with red wine for cakes?
By the way, I was making previously cakes with mascarpone cheese and everyone liked.
That’s why I believe this cake was a hit at two of your parties.
Hi, I haven’t tried this one with a dessert wine so I’m not 100% sure but I do think you could make it work. The orange liqueur tastes really good with the berries – the flavors work really well together.
Hi Natashas
I noticed there is no salt in cake recipe.
Hi Jackie, that is correct 🙂
Can I subst Orange liqueur to something else?
Hi Anna! If you are looking to make it alcohol free, please see my note under the second picture in the post. I hope that helps! 🙂
If I substitute the lemon juice instead of the liqueur, is it still 6 tbsp? Thanks
I would add it to taste. You can still do 4 Tbsp for the syrup but probably less for the cream, or just leave the cream with the vanilla flavoring and only put lemon into the cake.
Gorgeous looking cake! 👍
Thank you so much Liza! 🙂