Dessert

Chocolate Tiramisu Cake

A deep, coffee-spiked chocolate cake layered with coffee-soaked ladyfingers and a proper tiramisu mascarpone cream. Rich but somehow still light, and it only gets better after a night in the fridge.

Ingredients

Chocolate cake

2 cups flour (260g), sifted
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
⅔ cup brown sugar (135g)
1 tsp salt
3 eggs, room temperature
⅔ cup vegetable oil (133g)
⅓ cup buttermilk (80g)
1 cup sour cream (240g)
¾ cup cocoa powder (75g)
2 tsp instant coffee
¾ cup boiling water (180g)

Tiramisu mascarpone

225g mascarpone, cold
2 egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar (67g)
½ tsp vanilla
⅛ tsp salt
¾ cup heavy cream (180g), chilled

To assemble

16 ladyfingers
1½ cups strong black coffee (360g)
2 tbsp cocoa powder, for dusting

Steps

Chocolate cake

1Preheat the oven to 325°F, no fan. Line a 9-inch pan with parchment and butter it.
2Whisk together the 2 cups flour, 1½ tsp baking powder, 1½ tsp baking soda, 1 cup granulated sugar, ⅔ cup brown sugar, and 1 tsp salt until no lumps remain.
3In a separate bowl, whisk the 3 eggs, ⅔ cup vegetable oil, ⅓ cup buttermilk, and 1 cup sour cream until smooth.
4Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 2 additions. Gently fold until just combined — don't overmix. Stop when you see the last streaks of flour JUST combining.
5Mix ¾ cup cocoa powder and 2 tsp instant coffee in a small bowl. Pour over ¾ cup boiling water and whisk until smooth and shiny.
6Fold the cocoa mixture into the batter, then pour into the pan.
7Bake for 20–22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with light moist crumbs.
8Let it cool completely before slicing. Don't rush this.

Tiramisu mascarpone

9Whip the 225g cold mascarpone until creamy.
10Cook the 2 egg yolks and ⅓ cup sugar over a double boiler for exactly 2 minutes, then fold into the mascarpone with ½ tsp vanilla and ⅛ tsp salt.
11Whip ¾ cup chilled heavy cream to medium peaks and fold in gently.

Assemble

12Slice the cooled cake in half horizontally. Dip the ladyfingers in the 1½ cups strong black coffee for a couple of seconds, no more — any longer and they go soggy.
13Layer it up — cake, then ladyfingers, then tiramisu cream. Then repeat.
14Dust with 2 tbsp cocoa powder, chill for 4+ hours, and slice.

Video tutorial

Watch on Instagram