Tiramisu cake: Perfect vanilla sponge soaked with coffee syrup, creamy mascarpone filling, chocolate, coffee mousse

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Tiramisu cake recipe:
Tiramisu cake: vanilla sponge soaked with coffee syrup, creamy mascarpone filling, chocolate & coffee mousse in the middle layer, cocoa on top. a practice cake to also congratulate myself on quiting my job
This Tiramisu cake Recipe is from a Russian blogger olga_lovecake, she shared it for the viewers of one of her webinars, so you can’t openly find it but I translated it.
Vanilla sponge:
- 4 large eggs
- 150g sugar
- 150g flour
- 1/2tsp vanilla
- 4g baking powder (optional – if you’re not sure if you’ve whipped your eggs enough or if eggs are not the best quality it will help to make the sponge fluffier)
Directions :
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Whip eggs with sugar until light and fluffy / ribbon stage, 10-15 minutes.
- Add vanilla, gently stir to combine.
- Sift in flour and baking powder (if using), gently fold in to avoid losing air in the eggs.
- Pour into high 17cm cake pan (or alternatively you can use 2 pans, then baking time will be shorter) and bake for ~35mins or until toothpick comes out clean – check after 25 mins.
- Cool down completely before slicing into 4 even layers (or store tightly wrapped in plastic overnight, that will minimize the crumbs while slicing).*
Syrup:
Ingredients :
- 130g water
- 50g sugar
- 15g instant coffee
Directions :
Combine everything in a pot, bring to boil, cool down completely before using. Alternatively use espresso instead of instant coffee, might need to adjust the water tho.

Chocolate & coffee mousse:
Ingredients :
- 5g gelatine
- 25g milk (for gelatine)
- 70g chocolate (milk or dark, I prefer dark so its less sweet)
- 50g milk (for chocolate)
- 1/2tsp instant coffee
- 105g whipping cream 33% fat
Directions :
- Stir gelatine in cold milk and leave to absorb for a few mins.
- Warm chocolate, milk and instant coffee, stir until combined, add gelatine mix, stir until combined, cool to 35-40C (or until barely warm).
- Whip cold cream until soft peaks, add cooled chocolate mixture, gently stir until combined.
- Prepare 15-16 cake ring or a cake pan, line the bottom with plastic wrap (so mousse wouldn’t ooze out) and set it on a tray or something flat and transferrable. Pour the mousse in and transfer into the freezer until set, 1-2h (or to freeze overnight/8h+ if you are not in a rush).
- When ready to use, slide the knife around it, and as long as the mousse is set you can gently take it out and put it in the cake – center it 1-2cm from the edge so it doesn’t show from the outside for aesthetics only. Even if it’s frozen, it will defrost inside the cake in around ~8h.
Mascarpone cream (just for filling a 17cm cake, not enough for outside frosting) :
Ingredients :
500g Mascarpone (room temperature is easier to combine)
100g whipping cream 33% fat (cold)
60g powdered sugar
Directions :
Whip everything until smooth creamy consistency, use straight away or store in the fridge.
You may also like :
- Cherry-chocolate cake recipe.
- Easy carrot cake with cheesecake frosting.
- Ultimate Beginners guide to the French macarons.
I want to make this tirimidu cake- but feel there aren’t enough directions to do it properly!! like am I making the chocolate mousse then freezing it then putting it in the cake and where at in the cake?? And when do I pour the coffee syrup on the cake? Last of all where does the marscapone cream filling go- I’m assuming in between layers, but the picture shows it on the outside if the cake??? If there’s not enough to go outside the cake what am I supposed to use for the outside?