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slice of easy tiramisu on a plate with more tiramisu in the background

Easy Tiramisu

This easy tiramisu comes together quickly and is made with staples you probably already have on hand right now.

Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 12
Author Kelsie

Ingredients

Cake layer

  • 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

Cake soak

Topping

  • 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

Instructions

Cake layer

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a 13- by 9-inch glass baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. 

  2. 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.
  3. Bake 30 to 34 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes.

Cake soak

  1. 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.
  2. Remove from the heat and add the espresso powder and rum; whisk vigorously to dissolve the espresso powder.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.)

Topping

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

Recipe Notes

*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