We’ve been doing all the sportsy things this weekend: top golf, axe throwing, corn hole, singing with a choir….etc. (Singing with a choir is a sport if I say so.) We also celebrated our friend Josh’s birthday, so of course he needed a cake. He mentioned coffee, and the next thing I knew we had dreamed up this Tiramisu Cake, packed with kahlua, homemade orange curd, mini chocolate chips, and creamy espresso mascarpone buttercream. And it was good. Rull good.
(Not interested in the various goings-on of my social life? Understandable. Skip to the next heading.)
Jump to RecipeSchool is OUT and we are celebrating!
The end of the LONGEST YEAR EVER has finally arrived, and every teacher and student I know is deeply relieved. Everyone involved in education had a rough ride this school year, and we deserve a break. Matt and I are also both taking positions in a new school system in the fall, so we have had the added stress of moving out of our classrooms, trying to frantically back up our files, and bid fond farewells to some of our favorite students, colleagues, and parents.
After our emotional last day, we embarked on a weekend of fun stuff, starting with Top Golf on Friday night with our buds Jordan and Josh.
In the words of my father: “Tell her not to quit her day job.”
I consistently hit it right into the white stuff on the side. (Sand catch? Is that the right word? Listen, I don’t play actual golf. I just like top golf because of the restaurant and whatnot.)
Saturday, we got to celebrate Josh’s birthday at Bad Axe Throwing, located in downtown Indianapolis. Despite looking forward to hanging out with my friends, I was not anticipating the actual activity being very fun, but surprisingly, I loved it. I must have had some rage that needed to be expressed, because I wound up HURLING that axe down the lane. Was I good at it? Absolutely not. But, it was definitely a good time and I would do it again.
(I find that picture of Jordan to be POWERFUL.)
We finished off the weekend with a cookout, Circle City Chamber Choir rehearsal, and dinner at Union Jacks. In our newly vaccinated state, we are soaking up the opportunity to reengage in our lives and loving every minute of it!
Anyway. This cake.
Tiramisu Cake: the elements.
Technically, this is a boozy bake, but it is not inspired DIRECTLY by a cocktail, so we aren’t going to count it as a part of the series. I’ll still add the hashtag on pinterest though. Don’t tell the pinterest police.
This tiramisu cake looks pretty complicated, but to be honest it was easy. It doesn’t take any special equipment, only has three basic elements, and the finished product has a complex and mature flavor that would be perfect for any summer gathering! In this cake we’ve got: chocolate chip sponge SOAKED with coffee liqueur (yum), homemade orange curd, and mascarpone buttercream flavored with instant espresso. That’s really it!
I knew I needed a chocolate element in this cake, but I didn’t want to overwhelm the other flavors, so I started with the chocolate chip sponge that I used before in my chocolate covered strawberry cake. This is a light and fluffy sponge made with buttermilk and cake flour, perfect for a layer cake. As I was assembling it, I liberally brushed it with coffee liqueur. Oh yes.
Josh had also requested a fruit element. I thought about raspberry, but I’ve done raspberry a lot lately. (Interested in a chocolate and raspberry treat? Check out my raspberry fudge blondie bars. They will not disappoint.)
What other fruit goes with chocolate? Orange! And as we all know, I love making fruit curd. The orange in this recipe really cut through the sweetness and gave it a lot of zip. Orange not your thing? Feel free to leave it out or substitute with raspberry or strawberry jam! I could even imagine this dessert with lime curd, that would be pretty exotic. Here is my recipe for that.
The last element in the tiramisu cake was the buttercream. Traditionally, tiramisu has a layer that is based on mascarpone, a creamy and sweet Italian cheese. I decided to throw that into the buttercream, along with a mixture of hot cream and instant espresso powder. (I sampled this before pouring it into the buttercream, and the caffeine buzz that it generated has yet to wear off. Beware.)
The resulting frosting was creamy and sweet with a strong coffee flavor, but it wasn’t too heavy, unlike a traditional American buttercream. The mascarpone really lightened it up.
Tiramisu Cake topping choices!
I think you definitely have choices when it comes to decorations. I chose to go with:
- Candied orange slices
- Chocolate-covered espresso beans
- Chocolate ganache drip
I think there’s other things that could certainly work, though, such as:
- Chocolate decorates piped on wax paper and then transferred to the top of the cake
- An orange drip made with white chocolate and orange oil-based food coloring
- White, milk, or dark chocolate shavings or curls
- Dusted cocoa powder
- Chocolate oranges
I’m not going to lie, I’m proud of this recipe. Chocolate, orange, and coffee are all really strong flavors, and I think they all shine it this tiramisu cake. There was also a potential for a sweetness overload, but the curd and the coffee both cut through really well and kept things balanced. I always hope people make my recipes, but I especially hope that this one is served in the homes of my readers! Let me know how you like it!
Interested in ordering this bake or another recipe from Kelly Likes to Bake? Drop me an email at kellylikestobake.com !
Easy Tiramisu Cake with Chocolate Chips and Orange Curd!
Course: DessertCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Intermediate16
slices30
minutes20
minutes300
kcalThis easy tiramisu cake has sweet mini chocolate chips baked into the sponge, is brushed with coffee liqueur, and is finished with tangy orange curd and a creamy mascarpone espresso buttercream.
Ingredients
- For the sponge:
2 sticks of butter, room temperature
200 g sugar
50 g brown sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/4 cup oil (grapeseed or canola)
1 T vanilla
250 g CAKE flour
7 g baking powder
1 t salt
150 g mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup coffee liqueur, for brushing on the cooked cakes
- For the orange curd:
zest of 2 oranges
juice of 2 oranges
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch
3 T water
1 stick unsalted butter, roughly cubed
1 t salt
- For the coffee mascarpone buttercream
4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 8 oz package of mascarpone cheese, room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 T instant espresso powder
1/4 cup heavy cream
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with cooking spray and parchment paper. (It is essential to use the parchment paper, this cake has a tendency to stick.)
- Cream your butter, sugar, and brown sugar in your stand mixer, using the whisk attachment. When it is fluffy, very slowly add the eggs, one at a time, beating very well after each addition. Continue whisking on high until it is almost pure white and doubled in size. It’ll get FLUFFY, so satisfying.
- In the meantime, combine your oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. With the mixer on high, SLOWLY add this to the egg mixture in a steady stream. Putting it all in should take about 3 or 4 minutes. If it starts to separate, add a tiny pinch of flour to bring it back.
- Combine your dry ingredients in a separate bowl. In two batches, add them to the batter. Mix until just combined. Give the batter a final fold by hand.
- Divide your batter into the three cake tins, smoothing it evenly into the edges of the pans, and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the tops. The layers of sponge should be fairly thin. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes in the pan, and then turn them out and cool completely.
- While your cakes are baking, make your orange curd. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water in a very small bowl. Combine all of the ingredients except the butter, in a medium saucepan, and whisk until combined, cooking gently over medium heat. When it is combined, add the chunked butter. Cook, whisking frequently, until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about twenty minutes. Pour it into a bowl and refrigerate for an hour until completely set.
- Make your buttercream. In a small bowl, heat your heavy cream in the microwave until warm, about forty-five seconds. Add the instant espresso powder and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cheese and butter together until they are thoroughly combined and fluffy, about four minutes. Add half of the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and mix until fluffy. Add the rest of the sugar and the cooled espresso mixture, mix until combined, another three or four minutes. If you need to adjust the consistency, you can add more powdered sugar or heavy cream. Because of the cheese, there is a possibility that this frosting can separate a little. Just keep mixing it until it smooths out! It will also be a little more difficult to smooth than a traditional American buttercream…I recommend NOT trying to get a smooth finish. Embrace a more rustic look!
- Assemble your cake. Place one of your sponges on your cake stand. Brush liberally with coffee liqueur. Add a thin layer of your buttercream, adding extra on the edges so that a well is created in the center. Add half a cup of your orange curd, smoothing to the edges. Add another sponge and repeat this process. Add your top sponge, do NOT brush with the liqueur. Pop your unfrosted cake in the fridge for twenty or thirty minutes to firm up. Apply the rest of your frosting to the outside of the cake. Store in the fridge until you are ready to enjoy.
- Decorate as you choose. In the pictured cake I decorated with a chocolate ganache drip. You can make this by heating 60 grams of chocolate and 60 grams of heavy cream in the microwave at thirty second intervals, stirring in between. Allow it to cool, then apply to the finished cake with a piping bag, doing the dripped edge first.
- Enjoy!
Lmao Kelly are there really 7 sticks of butter in this cake? It was delicious. 😍
Bahaha shhhh don’t think about that too hard.
[…] coffee flavor is your thing, I highly recommend you check out my Chocolate and Orange Tiramisu Cake while you’re here. I’ve also got a really nice Baileys Mudslide Cupcake with a FIRE […]