Tiramisu cake is the showstopping dessert every party needs

“Tiramisu is one of the most iconic and classic desserts in the world, and my gosh, do I adore it! Typically it has a layer of coffee-soaked sponge fingers, with a whipped mascarpone topping. Oh my. However, translating that idea into a layered sponge cake is EVEN BETTER,” promises food writer and blogger Jane Dunn.

“I make a moist and light sponge cake, soak it with a coffee sugar syrup, then decorate it with a sweetened coffee soft cheese frosting, and it is so tasty. This cake is 100 per cent the cake I would bring to a party and maybe just sit and eat myself, as I wouldn’t want to share.”

Serves: 15+

Ingredients:

400g unsalted butter or baking spread, at room temperature

400g soft light brown sugar

400g self-raising flour

7 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the syrup:

100ml water

100g soft light brown sugar

2 tbsp instant coffee

75ml Kahlúa

For the frosting:

200g unsalted butter, at room temperature

200g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp instant coffee, dissolved and cooled

400g full-fat soft cheese

1 tsp cocoa powder

Method:

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1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan and line three 20cm round cake tins with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until combined. Add the flour, eggs and vanilla extract to the bowl and beat again. Split the mixture between the three tins and bake for 30-35 minutes.

3. For the syrup: While the cakes bake, add the water, sugar, instant coffee and Kahlúa to a pan. Heat over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Soak into the baked cakes once they are out of the oven and leave them to cool fully in the tins.

4. For the frosting: Beat the butter in a large bowl on its own for a couple of minutes until smooth. Add the icing sugar, vanilla extract and cooled coffee and mix again until smooth. Add the soft cheese, and beat in fully. Layer the sponges with the frosting, until you reach the top layer – I like to pipe mine onto the top, but you can swirl it over and sprinkle it with cocoa powder.

Notes:

Recipe from ‘Jane’s Patisserie: Classic’ by Jane Dunn (Ebury Press, £25).