If you love traditional tiramisu but don’t always have the ingredients on hand to make it, then this easy tiramisu is for you! It tastes like the real thing but is made with pantry staples!
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Do you ever have cravings that are hard to satisfy? Story of my life!
A couple weeks ago I wanted a big plate of tiramisu. The creamy, espresso-y, utterly addictive Italian dessert is one of my favorites…but I didn’t have the ingredients to make it.
So I put on my thinking cap and came up with a recipe that would taste like tiramisu but could be made with ingredients I already had in my kitchen.
What I made isn’t technically tiramisu–traditional tiramisu involves lady fingers and mascarpone. But if you love the flavors of tiramisu and don’t have any lady fingers on hand, then this is a really good option.
And when I say really good I mean REALLY GOOD. Eat two slices and still go back for another good.
Instead of lady fingers I used a cake mix cake (flavored with rum!) and I swapped in cream cheese for mascarpone. The resulting dessert was a freaking phenomenal, stupid easy ode to tiramisu that satisfied my cravings and didn’t require a special trip to the grocery store.
In my life, avoiding the grocery store always equals a win!
Why you’ll love this easy tiramisu
- It’s made with basic ingredients you probably have on hand right now
- It’s so simple anyone can make it successfully
- The cake layer, after being drenched in coffee syrup, benefits from being refrigerated overnight so it’s a great make-ahead option!
How to Make Easy Tiramisu
Combine all the ingredients for the cake layer in a large mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes, until the batter is smooth. Pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool the cake layer for 15 minutes; while the cake is cooling, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat and add espresso powder.
Whisk vigorously after you add the espresso powder because it will clump up and you don’t want clumps in your cake soak.
Use a toothpick to poke holes all over the cake layer, then pour the mixture over the top. Cool to room temperature.
At this point, you can cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight before finishing. (Just pull it out of the fridge and add the topping the next day.) Refrigerating the cake overnight allows the flavors of your easy tiramisu to deepen but it’s not absolutely necessary.
When you’re ready, combine room temperature cream cheese and some powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Turn mixer to high and gradually add 1 1/2 cups of very cold heavy cream.
Continue beating the mixture until it holds stiff peaks. This will take a few minutes. Once the topping is very thick, beat in the vanilla to combine, then spread the topping over the cake.
Grate some dark chocolate over the top and you’re ready to serve! I used this microplane to grate my chocolate so it’s really fine and almost like a powder, but you can use any grater with small holes.
Possible substitutions:
- Substitute 1 teaspoon rum extract + 1/4 cup water for the light rum in the cake
- Substitute cocoa powder for the grated dark chocolate
- Add 2 teaspoons of rum to the cream topping for an extra flavor punch
See why I’m calling this easy tiramisu? SO EASY!
As glad as I am to have a delicious recipe that comes together quickly any time I want tiramisu, I’m also feeling just a tinge of regret. It may be time to get rid of the rum in my liquor cabinet just so I don’t indulge in tiramisu too often.
Totally joking. What’s life without a little indulgence? 🙂
More easy desserts (in case you’re hungry)
White Texas Sheet Cake
Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
Chocolate Mint Cookies
This easy tiramisu comes together quickly and is made with staples you probably already have on hand right now.
- 1 15.25-ounce box white cake mix*
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup light rum
- 1 large egg + 2 large egg whites
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup instant espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon light rum optional
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream well chilled
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ounce dark chocolate
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a 13- by 9-inch glass baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine the cake mix, milk, oil, rum, egg, egg whites, and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fully combined, about 2 minutes. Batter will be thin. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake 30 to 34 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes.
- While the cake is cooling, combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 30 seconds.
- Remove from the heat and add the espresso powder and rum; whisk vigorously to dissolve the espresso powder.
- Use a toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the cake, going about 3/4 of the way down the the bottom of the cake. Drizzle the syrup over the cake and into the holes.
- Set cake on a cooling rack and cool to room temperature, 2 to 3 hours. (At this point you can cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, if desired.)
- Once the cake has cooled beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Turn mixer to high and gradually beat in the heavy cream. Beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks, then beat in the vanilla.
Use a microplane or a grater with small holes to grate the dark chocolate over the top of the tiramisu. Serve. Store leftovers, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge for up to 3 days.
*I used Duncan Hines
--Refrigerating the cake layer overnight before you add the topping allows the flavors to deepen, but it's not absolutely necessary.
--Substitutions:
- Substitute 1 teaspoon rum extract + 1/4 cup water for the light rum in the cake
- Substitute cocoa powder for the grated dark chocolate
- Add 1 tablespoon of rum to the cream topping for an extra flavor punch
Donna Trojan says
Delicious, and the recipe was easy, thank you ❤️
Kelsie says
I’m glad you enjoyed it!