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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:
And now, the new and improved:
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
Ingredients
Ingredients for Biskvit Cake:
- 6 large eggs, room temp
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- 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
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa Powder for dusting the finished cake
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
Can you make cupcakes with this cake mix? has anyone ever tried? TIA
I haven’t tried making cupcakes out of this; maybe someone else has? I’m not sure how it would work with the paper liners and if they would stick too much to the cake portion.
Made for my mother who loves tiramisu. It was easy to make and delicious but could have done with more icing and I can’t cut cake even so mine wasn’t as pretty. Yumm.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake 🙂
Is there a substitute for cream cheese?
You could probably use mascarpone – it’s a little more expensive than cream cheese.
Hi natasha,
Thank you for your wish 🙂
I made the cake and it was simply awesome.. during birthdays ter will always be a leftover cake tat I will store back.. but this one , it just got finished the same day and everyone enjoyed!
I jus hav one doubt.. my cake after I took from oven, the top layer was a crisp like.. it was not like yours as in the video.. I couldnt cut half so easily tat it was breaking when touched.. but still it was okay after I applied coffee syrup.. anyway we enjoyed it .. thanx for your gr8 recipe!!
I’m so glad you liked it. Did you bake the layers right away without letting the batter sit on the counter to long?
I dont remember actually.. :(( do you really think thats the mistake??
If you try to bake the layers separately, and allow the cake to sit at room temp too long before baking, it can deflate since you are relying on the air beat into the eggs for volume in this cake.
So you saying if the layer deflates it will form a crisp layer on the top?! Because my cake was perfect except the crisp layer… and it was too soft
Maybe it was just placement in the oven. I’m happy to hear you liked it 🙂
Hi… ur recipes are great! Can I use mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese in this tiramisu cake..? What is the measurement?!
Can i use heavy cream instead heavy whipping cream?? Coz i got it already :p
Heavy cream is the same as heavy whipping cream. They both contain about 36% milk fat. The one that doesn’t work as well is the one that just says “whipping cream” which contains only about 30% milk fat and doesn’t beat as nicely.
I haven’t tried that substitution but some of my readers have and they substituted it with the same amount. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
sorry to mind you again and again.. the only doubt left with me is that you used castor sugar or normal sugar?!
It is granulated sugar/ normal sugar 🙂 I updated the recipe to say granulated sugar. Thank you!
u r most welcome :)).. im really gona try your great recipe for my husband’s birthday!! ill surely let u kno how it urns out :))
I hope you all love it and happy birthday to your husband! 🙂
I love this cake! It is so easy to make. Love this recipe!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. Thanks! 😀
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi Natasha, can you share what brand springform pan you use? And how tall is it? Thank you!
It is Wilton brand and it’s 3 inches tall by 9 inches in diameter. I think I purchased it at bed bath and beyond 🙂
This cake is so Yummy!!! Made this for my coffee lover hubby for his birthday and he LOVED it!! So easy to make it too. Thank you :))
That’s awesome! I’m so happy it was a hit with your husband 🙂
Hi Natasha, I tried making this cake today…twice. And both times the bis quick came out bad. It seems to have a rubbery layer at the bottom. Can you tell me why? What am I doing wrong?
Sorry I didn’t reply sooner. I spent the better part if the day at church and then at a wedding :-). Have you watched my video for this cake to see if your batter looks different? Are you baking it right away and not waiting? Did you preheat your oven fully before baking? Also, it’s very important that you don’t over mix the batter or it deflates since the cake relies on the volume from the eggs. Check out the video and let me know if you notice that you’ve done anything differently.
Hey i need your help ASAP. I have to bake this cake for tomorrow. Can i bake and frost it today itself and leave in the fridge (not freezer)? Also, my cake tin is 10.2 inch. What measurements to take??
You can bake and frost the cake a day in advance and put it in the refrigerator. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving. If you stick with the same recipe, it will work but will be shorter. For a larger cake, try this recipe:
1 1/4 cup flour
10 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
I love love this cake! Made it 3 times, so easy especially if following your video! It’s my “go to party cake”. I have to make sure some of my friends coming over or my husband and I would eat it ourselves 😉 Thank you! Hope to see more videos, they make the cooking/baking process easier.
I’m so glad you loved the recipe and found the video useful. I’m hoping to make more videos soon. Thanks for the motivation! 🙂
Hi, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility
issues. When I look at your blog in Ie, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping.
I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, fantastic blog!
Thanks for the heads up! I’m not seeing the same issue but I have had to clear the browser history. If it still is showing up weird, please let me know and I will try to figure things out. I really appreciate it! 😉
Sorry I meant a indent not a dome. In fact I tried making a cake today and same happened! I just don’t understand why. I’ve been doing the same way before and cake was perfect many times. I use 8″… Usually one pan with this cake. Tried 2 Pans before and same result. I shift Flour and fold it in gently. In fact when I place batter into pan it is nice and fluffy. The oven just ruins it I guess. But I use same temperature every time. Think I’m done with cakes for now
No, don’t quit!! It might something as simple as beating your egg mixture longer before folding in the flour.
Hi Natasha,
Lately I’ve been having problems with baking sponge cakes. It either has a dome in middle or its too thin, as if there isn’t enough cake. I dont understand the problem. I follow everything by recipe. Would you know what could cause this?
Hi Olga, it could be a number of things, but it’s hard to say if I’m not there in your kitchen with you. Lets troubleshoot: What kind of flour did you use? What size pans? Are you making sure to fold in the flour by hand using a spatula and not the mixer, folding just until it’s incorporated? Are you baking both layers at once (sometimes if you leave the second layer on the counter too long, it will deflate). I hope that helps! 🙂
Hi, Natasha i made this cake today and wanna say its amazing recipe, so easy and delicate. just love it.
but to be safe i used my technique on the sponge cake, just the mixing part not the recipe. And wanna say its really fluffy and light.
I also read all the comments; there was a question if using one 8inch or 9inch round baking pan so to make one cake instead of two? I used 8inch baking pan for one whole cake, i baked it at 350 F degrees for 42-45minutes, turned out perfect. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Natalie, I’m so curious now about your method? Can you share your juicy secrets? 😉 Thanks so much for sharing your tip about the baking pan. That sounds easy and simple enough! 🙂 You. Are. Awesome!
My cake center caved in. what did i do wrong?
Olga did you watch the video? Is there anything that you did differently? Did your batter look the same as in the video before you put it into the oven. The most likely culprit is overmixing after your incorporate the flour, or undermixing of the eggs and sugar. I hope we can figure it out together. It’s tough when I can’t be in your kitchen with you to see the steps.
Tried it again today and it was perfect! I might have undermixed the egg/sugar mixture. anyways, thx for the great recipe!
Yes!!! I’m so happy it worked out for you and you liked it 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know 🙂
hyyy i just want to know how many slices will come out of the cake? thanks..
You should get 8-10 slices 🙂 But you could stretch it to 12 slices if you needed to 😉
OMG!! NATASHA!! this cake is a pc of heaven as they say!!! i made it last night and its sooo good, definately a keeper for me! I have made it before but a different version and with mascarpone cheese and it wasnt my favorite for some reason! But this cream is just perfect for this cake!!! LOOOve it! thank you 🙂
Alena, your comment is music to my ears, thank for a great review and you are welcome :D.
So can I make it in a regular 9in baking pan, just divide the batter in half? how long would I need to bake it for than??
Yes, you definitely can: bake at 350˚F for 22-25 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.
but which way do you think is better? since in ur video u said to flip the cake down since the sponge absorbs the syrup better? so do you think it will still be fine??? it will absorb the same way? sorry for so many questions!!!! 🙁
Yes, it will still absorb the syrup well. I’ve done it both ways 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I want to make this tiramisu cake but I don’t have a stand mixer. Do you think it’s doable with a hand mixer?
Yes! You can definitely use the hand mixer. 🙂