Tiramisu Cake Made Easy

Happy Happy Birthday, my Son! Sometimes I could not believe that it has already been eight years since my baby was born. He grows up too fast his height now reaches my chin. Soon, I know he will grow taller than his mother.

He has always been a sweet baby. He still has a sweet and happy disposition. When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he simply said a small birthday cake from me. He even specified a round cake that is "this" (and made gesture with his hand) tall. But I am not good at baking cakes! He said that I am a food blogger now. I should learn to make one, besides that is the reason why he was asking only for a small cake. I think he thought that a small cake is easier to make than a bigger one, which is partially true...

Yesterday I started to check out my baking books for an easy cake recipe to do. My problem is today is a weekday. I do not really have all the time in the world. Then I saw a recipe for Tiramisu Cake that looks yummy and easy to do because it uses a cake mix. I love Tiramisu! Son loves Tiramisu (specially the cream cheese icing) This seems to be a perfect cake to do. I know, I know, I am not being fair to my kid by not baking from scratch. But still, it is a home-made cake baked and decorated with love.

The recipe is taken from Betty Crocker's Cookies Bars and Cakes, Vol7 No1.

for the cake:
1 box supermoist white cake mix (sorry, I did not use Betty Crocker brand)
1 C water
1/3 C vegetable oil (I used Canola oil)
1/4 C brandy (I used Kahlua coffee liquor)
3 egg whites


for the espresso syrup:
2 T instant coffee granules
1/4 C boiling water
2 T corn syrup (I substituted brown sugar)


for the topping:
1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 C powdered sugar
2 C premium whipping cream
1 T unsweetened baking cocoa


1. Heat oven to 350F (325F for non-stick or silicone pans) Grease bottom of 13 x 9 pan with shortening or cooking spray. I used 2 pcs of 9-inch round pan. (Because my son wanted a round cake.) With 2 cakes, I was able to make layers with cream cheese in between.

2. In a large bowl of the electric mixer, beat cake mix, water, oil, brandy, and egg whites on low speed for 30 sec. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into the pans.

3. Bake 26 to 30 minutes until totthpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes.

4. While waiting, make the espresso syrup. In a small bowl, stir coffee granules and sugar with the boiling water, until mixed. With long tinned fork, pierce top of cake every 1/2 inch. Brush top of cake with espresso syrup. Cool completely, about 1 hour.


5. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar with electric mixer on low speed until mixed. Beat on high speed until smooth. Gradually beat in whipping cream, beating on high speed for about 2 minutes or until stiff peaks form.

6. To assemble cake, place one cake on the cake stand or a serving plate. Spread some cream cheese mixture over the top of the cake. Place the other cake on top of this. Spread the rest of the cream cheese mixture on top and around the whole cake. Sprinkle with cocoa powder. Store in the refrigerator.


My son had the honor of slicing his cake...



See the cream cheese filling in the middle? I know, I know... most people would say a real Tiramisu uses Mascarpone cheese! But this is not a gourmet food blog. For this cake, I only have one major customer - a little boy who loves cream cheese. So, for this family, this cake really tasted like what Tiramisu should taste like. It just had the right amount of sweetness - not too sweet for us. It has the coffee and coffee liquor flavor that we love. I will definitely make this again next time. The next time however, I promise to bake the cake base from scratch - a sponge cake or a butter cake perhaps...