Make This Cake Before You Die

Of all the cakes I make, this is by far the lost labor intensive and DELICIOUS. I found this recipe on line but changed a few things to suit my flavor preferences...who likes following directions anyway!

Tiramisu Cake

For the cake layers:
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

For the espresso extract:
2 tablespoons instant coffee
2 tablespoons boiling water

For the espresso syrup:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 T Kahlua

For the filling and frosting:
1 8-ounce container mascarpone
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1 T Kahlua
1 cup cold heavy cream


Chocolate-covered espresso beans, for decoration (optional)
Cocoa powder, for dusting

Getting ready:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 inch pans.



To make the cake:
Beat together butter and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs and beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix until blended. Slowly add in buttermilk and mix until blended. Pour evenly into the two baking pans.

Bake for 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.


To make the extract:
Stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside.

To make the syrup:
Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy; set aside.

To make the filling and frosting:
Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk just until blended and smooth.
Working with the stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch.

To assemble the cake:
If the tops of the cake layers have crowned, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. Place one layer right-side up on a cardboard round or a cake plate protected with strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, soak the layer with about one third of the espresso syrup. Smooth some of the mascarpone cream over the layer – user about 1 1/4 cups – and gently press the chopped chocolate into the filling. Put the second cake layer on the counter and soak the top of it with half the remaining espresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling. Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup.
For the frosting, whisk 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining espresso extract into the remaining mascarpone filling. Taste the frosting as you go to decide how much extract you want to add. If the frosting looks as if it might be a little too soft to spread over the cake, press a piece of plastic wrap against its surface and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or so. Refrigerate the cake too.
With a long metal icing spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top. If you want to decorate the cake with chocolate-covered espresso beans, press them into the filling, making concentric circles of beans or just putting some beans in the center of the cake.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours (or for up to 1 day) before serving – the elements need time to meld.
Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with cocoa. I cut a star shape out of waxed paper and placed it lightly over the cake, and shaved a layer of chocolate over it with a microplane, before carefully removing the star to leave a stenciled shape.