Clearly tiramisu is an Italian dessert. I'd call this the Russian adaptation. The frosting is light and fabulous. Hope you enjoy it, my family loves it!

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Clearly tiramisu is an Italian dessert. I’d call this the Russian adaptation. What makes it so? Instead of ladyfingers, I’m using a basic biskvit cake recipe (you may know it as biscuit). Biskvit is an excellent European sponge cake and it doesn’t get mushy or soggy.

The ingredients are so easy and practical (a non-mascarpone version) and it turns out delicious. The frosting is light and fabulous. This version actually tastes good for a couple of days after it’s made. Hope you enjoy it, my family loves it! 

Ingredients for Biskvit Tiramisu Cake:

6 large eggs, room temp
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted *measured correctly
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for Tiramisu Frosting:

1.5 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
1 (8oz) stick cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Ingredients for Tiramisu Coffee Syrup & Topping:

1 1/2 cups Strong coffee, room temperature or cold
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp rum
1 Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa Powder for dusting the finished cake

Watch How to Make Tiramisu Cake:

Here’s what the previous tiramisu looked like before I updated pictures:

Russian tiramisu on a blue plate with a fork taking a piece out of it  And now, the new and improved:

Tiramisu Cake-5

Tiramisu Cake Tall

If you bake this cake, please do tag me on Facebook or Instagram so I can see your beautiful creations! Happy Baking and I hope you enjoyed the video!

Russian Tiramisu Recipe

4.87 from 107 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 12

Ingredients for Biskvit Cake:

Ingredients for Tiramisu Frosting:

  • 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
  • 1 8oz stick cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Ingredients for Tiramisu Coffee Syrup & Topping:

Instructions

How to Make the Biskvit Cake:

  • Preheat the Oven to 350˚F. Butter the bottom of a 9" springform mold and line the bottom with parchment paper (note: you can use two 9" cake pans, but keep in mind 2 pans will take less time to bake). Sift your flour.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, add 6 eggs and beat on high speed with the whisk attachment for 1 min. With the mixer on, add the sugar in a steady stream and continue to beat on the highest speed for 8 min. The egg mixture should be thick, pale yellow and tripled in volume.
  • Add 1 tsp vanilla and sift the flour into your batter. Fold the flour in with a spatula just until all of the flour is incorporated. Scrape from the bottom of the bowl to make sure you don't have pockets of flour trapped on the bottom. Be careful not to over-mix since you are relying on the fluffiness of the eggs for volume. Transfer the batter to your prepared pans.
  • Bake 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool down 10 minutes, then remove cake from the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Once the cake is at room temperature, you can cut it in half to make two cake layers then remove the parchment paper. It should peel back easily.

How to Make Tiramisu Frosting:

  • Beat 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream on high speed until stiff (mine took about 2 minutes with the whisk attachment). Don't over-beat it or it will be buttery. Transfer whipped cream to a medium bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
  • In the same bowl (no need to do the dishes yet), beat softened cream cheese and sugar on medium/high speed until smooth and creamy, scraping down the bowl as necessary to prevent rebel clumps of cream cheese.
  • Use a spatula to fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until well blended and refrigerate the frosting until ready to use. Fold until you no longer see streaks of cream cheese.

How to Make Coffee Syrup:

  • Mix 1 1/2 cups strong coffee with 2 Tbsp sugar and stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in the rum.

Assembling the Tiramisu Cake:

  • Place one of the cakes on a cake platter (note: use the prettiest, flattest side for the top of the cake)
  • Brush half of the coffee syrup over the bottom layer (a brush provides for the most even distribution of syrup).
  • Spread 1/3 of the frosting over the first cake layer. At this point, you can sift 1 Tbsp cocoa powder over the frosting
  • Center the second cake layer over the frosting and brush the remaining half of the syrup over the second cake layer and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.

Decorating Your Cake:

  • Decorate to your hearts delight. I used the Wilton Open Star 1M frosting tip for the remaining forsting and piped little designs all over the top then dusted generously with a good quality unsweetened cocoa. You could just dust the top with cocoa powder and add chocolate shavings. Chocolate coffee beans would be amazing as well.

Notes

Tips on beating whipping cream: Freeze or refrigerate your mixing bowl and whisk attachment 10-15 minutes prior to beating cream. Keep cream refrigerated until ready to use. The colder it is, the better it whips. Also, make sure you are using HEAVY whipping cream.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Russian
Keyword: Russian Tiramisu
Skill Level: Medium
Cost to Make: $
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

 

4.87 from 107 votes (13 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Lorie
    December 13, 2022

    I haven’t tried thus yet…was wondering if I can bake in 3 8 inch pans? I would like 3 layers with thick cream filling

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 13, 2022

      Hi Lorie! I don’t think there would be enough batter to make 3 layers in 8” pans. You may need to increase the serving size of the recipe for more batter. Keep in mind, the syrup softens the cake layers and this frosting is soft, not very stable or suitable for tall cakes. I think it could work with 3 layers but there may be some sliding around and hard-to-serve the soft and tall slices of cake. Let us know how it turns out if you experiment.

      Reply

  • Michele
    March 8, 2022

    I made this for my husband’s birthday, it was such a hit I wish I had made two to have leftovers 🙂 I used icing sugar for the granulated sugar in the frosting and added a pouch of Dr Oetker’s Whip It to stabilize the whipped cream. For the coffee syrup I used 3/4 c of espresso, 3/4 c Kaluha and 1 tbsp sugar. I used 2 nine inch pans, 25 minutes was perfect. I will definitely make this again, thank you for another winner!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 8, 2022

      Excellent information! Thank you so much for sharing with us. I’m glad it was a hit!

      Reply

  • Ana Goodwin
    February 26, 2022

    Hi Natasha beautiful cake and fantastic web site. I just discovered it. I am from Australia and it would help me greatly if would it be possible for the ingredients be posted in metric tia

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 26, 2022

      I’m so happy you discovered our blog. Welcome, Ana! 🙂 If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.

      Reply

  • Linda
    February 14, 2022

    I’m making this right now for Valentine’s Day. This is the second time that I’ve made it because it was a huge hit the first time.

    I used gluten free flour and even after brushing the cake with the coffee, it held together beautifully and was even better the 2nd day. This time I added 1 tbl espresso powder to the brewed strong coffee to really emphasize the coffee flavor and doubled the rum because why not…

    This is an delicious recipe and I especially like it because it’s simple and I didn’t need to buy any special ingredients.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 14, 2022

      This recipe is a classic and I’m so glad you enjoyed it using gluten-free flour!

      Reply

  • Donna J
    February 6, 2022

    Hi Natasha, I’m making this cake for my aunty’s 80th birthday. Everything went well but it fell and pulled away from the sides (which I also lined with parchment paper) badly. Why did this happen. I am thinking of redoing it so your urgent response would be appreciated. (The only deviation from the recipe was I used caster sugar instead of granulated).

    Reply

    • Natasha
      February 7, 2022

      Hi Donna, this cake works best if you don’t line or grease the sides – it clings to the sides to climb and hold its shape. Also, be sure to beat the eggs and sugar sufficiently since the cake relies on the volume of the beaten eggs to rise.

      Reply

      • Donna
        February 10, 2022

        Thanks for the guidance. I’ll definitely be doing it again as, sunken as it was, you couldn’t tell once it was mounted up. My aunt’s comment was “This cake is nice, it is for queens and royalty”. It was a big hit with everyone!!

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          February 10, 2022

          Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m glad she loved it!

          Reply

  • amal tawfeelis
    October 13, 2021

    Hi Natasha, looks amazing, can i use gluten free flour? would it give me the same result.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      October 13, 2021

      Hi Amal, I haven’t tried that yet to advise but I saw someone else posted this in the comments “I tried this with gluten-free flour (since the bulk of the volume is from the eggs here) and it came out perfect.” I hope that helps!

      Reply

  • Cynthia
    September 11, 2021

    This sounds so scrumptious, I can’t wait to try it.
    Note: When using whipping cream it helps to either add Knox unflavored gelatin to your whipping cream (exact proportions can easily be found online recipes) or use sifted powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar; how much? I usually go by taste so I can’t even tell you but it can also be found online. Either way, your whipped cream frosting will be more stable and hold up better so you don’t have to worry about your cake “melting” in hot weather.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 11, 2021

      Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Cynthia!

      Reply

    • Michele
      February 22, 2022

      I like to use Dr Oetker’s Whip It instead of gelatin to stabilize the whipping cream, and I agree I use icing sugar instead of granulated sugar, as I find it blends better

      Reply

  • Lily
    September 9, 2021

    If I want to divide the batter into 2 baking pans. How long is the baking time?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 9, 2021

      Hi Lily, you sure can. Please see the note in step #2. “(note: you can use two 9″ cake pans, but keep in mind 2 pans will take less time to bake)” I hope that helps.

      Reply

  • Nhu
    June 15, 2021

    Can I freeze this cake and assemble later?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 15, 2021

      Hi Nh, they freeze very well. Just put parchment or wax paper between the layers then wrap loosely in plastic wrap. They can thaw in about 45 min – 1 hr at room temp.

      Reply

  • Mye
    March 4, 2021

    Hi Natasha,

    Can I make it a 4 tier cake? I will slice the cake in 2 so I will have 4 cakes 1 sponge cake recipe. I would like to use your mascarpone filling . Do you think the cake can stand it?

    Thanks,
    Mye

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      March 5, 2021

      Hi Mye, I can’t say that this cake is strong enough for 4 tiers to advise. If you happen to experiment, I would love to know how it works out.

      Reply

  • Mary Gallardo
    February 26, 2021

    Natasha,
    I live at 5,300 foot altitude and my cakes fall. I have tried your recipe for the Russian Tiramisu and other sponge cakes and the same thing happens. Does the recipe need adjusting at this altitude and can you please provide those adjustments?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 26, 2021

      Hi Mary, if that happens often or every time you bake that means you have to try some adjustments. This guide on High Altitude baking can be useful.

      Reply

  • Manju Stacy
    January 22, 2021

    hi natasha, why you didn’t use baking powder? pls clear my doubt.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      January 22, 2021

      Hi, it isn’t necessary in a classic European sponge cake. Lately we have been adding a little to our sponge cake recipe because it did create a slightly more even rise.

      Reply

  • Luie
    December 9, 2020

    Hi! How much and how long to bake when using 6in pans?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      December 9, 2020

      Hi Luie, I haven’t tested that so I can’t say for sure, but I think you would need three 6-inch pans for this recipe or it would overwhelm the pans.

      Reply

  • Rahul
    November 22, 2020

    Fantastic recipe! My wife made this today, and it’s to die for. Thank you for all of your hard work. You are amazing!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      November 23, 2020

      I love it! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback, we appreciate it.

      Reply

  • Mary
    November 1, 2020

    Hi Natasha,

    I have made this sponge before and love it. I want to try out this variation. Do you think I could use Marscapone in place of cream cheese?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      November 1, 2020

      Hi Mary, I haven’t tried that yet but one of my readers make this with mascarpone instead and reported great results. Mascarpone is a more expensive cheese and it’s not required in this recipe but I think it would work.

      Reply

  • Milli Rangroo
    October 16, 2020

    Thank you Natasha , baked the Russian Tiramisu cake it was yumm and your recipes are so easy / fresh and easy to bake.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      October 16, 2020

      Thank you so much for your great feedback.

      Reply

  • MT
    October 16, 2020

    I made this recipe 3 times. Amazing!!! I wanted to try making a batch of 12 tiramisu cupcakes, will this recipe be too much for a dozen cupcakes? Also, thank you so much for answering questions and responding to comments every time someone comments on your recipes!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      October 16, 2020

      Hi, I’m so glad you love the cake! I haven’t tried these as cupcakes because this batter would likely stick badly to cupcake wrappers.

      Reply

      • MT
        October 25, 2020

        Thank you!

        Reply

        • Natasha's Kitchen
          October 25, 2020

          You’re most welcome!

          Reply

  • Sharon Shatananda
    October 7, 2020

    Hi Natasha, my 5 year old boy is a big fan of yours. He calls you his favorite chef. We want to try this cake, but may I know the metric measurement of the ingredients pls???

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 7, 2020

      That is so sweet Sharon! I’m so glad you both are enjoying our recipes! We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes but it is taking some time as we have to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help

      Reply

  • Praveetha
    September 27, 2020

    Hi, Can this recipe be used for cupcakes?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 28, 2020

      The sponge cake recipe does not work well for cupcakes because there is no fat in the cake so it would get stuck to the cupcake wrapper.

      Reply

  • trisha
    September 8, 2020

    Hi- I tried this recipe and it’s delicious, however, I live at 9200 feet. Do you have any suggestions for adapting the recipe to this altitude? The cake just sank, which does happen in high altitudes. Thank you!!

    Reply

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