This easy Tiramisu Cake has all the classic flavors of the beloved Italian dessert, but without the alcohol and without the fuss. Made with a simple vanilla cake mix and an easy homemade espresso filling, it's a crowd-pleasing twist on traditional tiramisu that's perfect for potlucks or office parties!
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⭐ Why Melinda Loves Tiramisu Cake
All the indulgent flavor of tiramisu but without the fuss and no alcohol.
Tiramisu Cake serves a crowd; it's the perfect cake for a potluck.
It's a coffee-flavored dessert that isn't overly sweet.
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👩🏻🍳 Ingredients to Have on Hand
This boxed cake mix tiramisu cake is an easy, family-friendly dessert with no alcohol. Here's all you need to make it!
Vanilla Cake Mix: For this cake, I like to use a boxed mix that tastes the most like classic ladyfingers, and (affiliate link) Betty Crocker's French Vanilla Cake Mix is my go-to. It's light, extra moist and has that rich vanilla flavor that makes tiramisu so irresistible.
Instant Espresso: You can use any type of instant coffee, but for the richest, most robust coffee flavor, I highly recommend using (affiliate link) instant espresso powder.
Mascarpone Cheese: This is a creamy Italian cheese that is often compared to American cream cheese. But mascarpone has a higher fat content, a smoother, richer texture and a slightly sweet taste. It's a classic ingredient for traditional tiramisu!
Scroll to the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
🍰 Step-by-Step Instructions
Whether you're baking for a special occasion or just craving a dessert with coffeehouse vibes, Tiramisu Cake for Dessert is light, creamy and best of all, it's easy to make at home.
Step 1: Bake a boxed vanilla cake as directed using a 13" x 9" baking pan.
Step 2: As the cake bakes, blend hot water with the instant espresso powder, heavy whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk.
Step 3: After the cake cools, use a chopstick to poke small holes evenly across the top of the cake. Insert the stick all the way to the bottom of the pan. Pour the coffee and cream liquid over the top, cover, then place the cake in the fridge to chill.
Step 4: As the cake chills, blend the mascarpone cheese with heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar. It will create a fluffy, but heavy frosting.
⭐ Pro Tip
Pour the espresso-flavored, sweet liquid very slowly over the top of the cake to evenly distribute it into all the holes in the cake. A glass measuring cup will make it easy to pour.
Step 5: Place large spoonfuls of the frosting on the top of the chilled cake.
Step 6: Use the back of the spoon to carefully spread the frosting to the edges of the pan, covering the entire top of the cake.
Step 7: Use a small strainer to lightly dust the top of the cake with the cocoa powder.
Step 8: Sprinkle the cocoa powder evenly over the entire cake.
💭 Recipe FAQs
You can, and many "poke cake" recipes call for that. But the handle of a wooden spoon creates fairly large holes. I've found that smaller holes made with the tip of a chopstick or something about that same size make the best-sized holes for the coffee-flavored liquid.
Correct. Although traditional tiramisu is made with ladyfingers that are dipped in a coffee and alcohol mixture that often includes Marsala wine or liqueurs like rum or amaretto. This recipe is alcohol-free.
Yes, any white cake will work fine.
⭐ Pro Tip
Tiramisu Cake is best served well-chilled. I like to make it in the morning and let the frosted cake chill all day before serving it for dessert. Store it in the refrigerator until right before serving.
🌡️ Leftovers and Storage
Store the Tiramisu Cake covered in the refrigerator. For the best texture and flavor, serve leftovers within 3 days. Freezing is not recommended for this cake.
🍽 Other Tasty Dessert Recipes
Here are a few more dessert recipes that are tried-and-true favorites any time of year! From cookies to pies and cheesecake, these are all winners!
If you make Tiramisu Cake for Dessert, I'd love to hear how it turned out and if you enjoyed it. Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and a comment below. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
Recipe
This recipe was adapted from the Pioneer Woman's Espresso Cream Poke Cake. I've adjusted the amount of liquid and powdered sugar in my recipe and used vanilla extract instead of vanilla paste. Her recipe is delicious too!
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
(From Melinda) This is one of my favorite dessert recipes! It's easy to make and tastes super special, like classic tiramisu.