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A tiramisu cake on a marble platter on a table
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Vietnamese Coffee Tiramisu Cake

This Vietnamese Coffee Tiramisu Cake has everything you want in one cake-- robust Vietnamese coffee flavored genoise sponge layered with creamy mascarpone custard and topped with a generous dusting of chocolate. This family favorite tiramisu recipe is my go-to for almost every birthday celebration.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Asian Fusion
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 1 Cake
Calories 540kcal
Author Takes Two Eggs

Ingredients

Genoise Sponge Cake

  • 4 large eggs
  • ¾ cup (140 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (130 g) cake flour sifted
  • 1 tablespoon (20 g) whole milk
  • 2 ½ tablespoon (40 g) vegetable oil
  • 2 g 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vietnamese Coffee Syrup

  • 1 cup (250 mL) water
  • 2 tablespoon (30 g) Vietnamese coffee finely ground
  • ¼ cup (69 mL) Kahlua coffee liqueur

Mascarpone Layer

  • 1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone
  • 2 tablespoon (30mL coffee) Kahlua coffee liqueur
  • 3 large egg yolks whites removed
  • cup (73 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (250 mL) heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Genoise Sponge Cake

  • Prepare the oven and cake pans. Preheat oven to 350°F or 176°C and line the bottoms of two 6 inch cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Prepare the ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Set aside. In a second mixing bowl, sift the cake flour and set it aside.
  • Heat the eggs to 104°F or 40°C. In a heat-proof large mixing bowl or your stand mixer bowl, add the eggs and sugar and mix together with a whisk. Place the bowl over hot boiling water and continue whisking by hand until the egg mixture reaches about 104°F or 40°C. This allows the eggs to whip up quickly and adds more air to the cake.
  • Beat the eggs until fluffy and pale. Once the eggs are warmed, whisk on your stand mixer or hand mixer on high until the eggs are fluffy, pale yellow, and tripled in size. You will know when the eggs are whipped up enough when you lift up the whisk and draw a figure 8 and it holds its shape and does not sink inward. Once the eggs are beaten enough, lower the mixer speed to low and continue whisking for about 5 more minutes to remove all the large air bubbles. The texture should be smooth and silky and the ribbons should hold their shape.
  • Add the cake flour. Using a spatula, sift in the flour 1/3 at a time and gently fold until the flour is incorporated. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides to mix evenly and be careful not to over mix and deflate the mixture.
  • Add the oil mixture. Once you do not see any more flour, add the oil mixture and continue mixing until thoroughly combined. The texture of the batter should be smooth and glossy. Lift the spatula and the batter should fold down quickly and smoothly into thin ribbons without breaking.
  • Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Divide the cake batter evenly into your cake pans. Gently tap the cake pans to your workspace to release any more air bubbles. Bake cakes for 20-25 minutes when the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cakes cool upside down in the pans for 10-15 minutes before removing them from the pan. Let cool completely before frosting.
  • Cool the cakes completely on a wire rack. If you want a 4 cake layers slice your cake in half using a knife or cake slicer.

Vietnamese Coffee Mixture

  • Make the Vietnamese coffee mixture. Place the phin filter plate and chamber on top of a mug. Add the ground coffee into the phin cup, drop the filter press on top of the coffee, pour in about 2 ounces of 195-200°F hot water and let the coffee brew for 45 seconds. Then pour the remaining water into the filter and cover with the lid until the coffee has brewed about 5 minutes.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the Vietnamese coffee and coffee liquor in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Mascarpone Layer

  • Mix the mascarpone with dark rum. Transfer the mascarpone to a large bowl then pour in the dark rum (Kahlua) and whisk together until well combined. You can use an electric hand mixer or a whisk for this step.
  • Whisk the egg yolks over a double boiler until pale and 170°F or 76°C. Using a whisk, mix together the egg yolks and sugar in a double boiler or heat-proof glass bowl. Heat a pot of water to a simmer on medium-high heat and make sure the water does not touch the bowl. Continue whisking over the heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is pale yellow in color and thickened a bit. The eggs should reach about 170°-175°F or 76°C-179°C.
  • Mix the mascarpone with the eggs. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the mascarpone and whisk until combined. You can use an electric hand mixer for this step if desired. Chill in the refrigerator while you make the whipped cream.
  • Whip the heavy cream into whipped cream. Add the cold heavy cream and vanilla extract to the bowl of your stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl if using an electric hand mixer. Mix on low for about 30 seconds then slowly increase speed to high. Beat until the whipped cream has stiffer peaks. The tip of the cream should be soft and creamy and hold a tip when you lift the whisk attachment. Be careful not to over whip where the cream curdles.
  • Fold the mascarpone with whipped cream. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until combined, smooth and creamy.

Assembly

  • Brush the Vietnamese coffee mixture on top of the cake layers. Brush the Vietnamese coffee mixture across the surface of the cake until the top is saturated.
  • Layer on the mascarpone mixture. Add a generous amount of the mascarpone mixture on top of the cake layer and use an offset spatula and to evenly smooth. Repeat with your remaining cake layers, and mascarpone mixture.
  • Decorate the cake and dust with cocoa powder. If you want to have the edges of the cake show, transfer the remaining mascarpone mixture in a piping bag and pipe a thin layer of the mascarpone mixture on the sides of the cake, and use a bench scraper to smooth and remove excess frosting until the cake can be seen through the frosting. Pipe a design of your choice on top of the cake. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the top generously with cocoa powder.

Notes

  • For genoise cake tips, check out the Tips for Genoise Sponge section
  • Substituting the alcohol. You can substitute the Kahlua for marsala, brandy, rum, or some other dark liquor. You can also omit the alcohol entirely and add some vanilla and simple syrup to the coffee to soak the cake.
  • Use fresh mascarpone cheese. The mascarpone will lose its creamy texture and begin to curdle when it reaches the end of its expiration date.
  • The egg yolks will take a bit of time. The egg yolks are the foundation of the tiramisu recipe and will need to be thick and creamy before you remove the heat. Don't stop mixing over the double boiler! You want to prevent the eggs from overcooking and turning into scrambled eggs.
  • Storage Instructions: Tiramisu can be made 2-3 days in advance. It is best served the day after so that the coffee flavors have time to absorb into the cream. You can store this cake in a cake box in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also store the cake in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 540kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 358mg | Sodium: 248mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g