Tiramisu Tres Leches Cake
What happens when Italy and Mexico come together to form perfect, sweet harmony? You get tiramisu tres leches cake.
It is hard not to love a classic tiramisu with those coffee-soaked ladyfinger sponges submerged in rich mascarpone cream and dusted with cocoa powder, but on the other hand, it’s hard to resist a fluffy, three-milk-soaked Tres Leches cake beautifully topped with whipped cream, so of course being me I just had to wonder if there was a way to bring both of these glorious worlds together.
I don’t think this is a new concept, I’m sure someone has done a concoction like this at some point, I just wanted to figure out my own way to do it.
Here is my gameplan, I’m going to start by making a typical vanilla tres leches sponge cake but boosting it with some Marsala wine and coffee extract to give it more of that classic tiramisu flavor. I will also do the classic tres leches soak with some coffee mixed in and finally this whole thing will be topped with a whipped mascarpone topping laced with a touch of cocoa.
In the end, this cake will hopefully be the perfect medley of the spongey soaked tres leches cake with the classic tiramisu flavors.
Serves 10-12
For the Sponge Cake:
1 cup of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
5 large eggs, separated
1 cup of sugar, divided
1/4 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of coffee extract
2 tablespoons of Marsala wine
Powdered sugar, for dusting
For the Soak:
2 tablespoons of milk
2 tablespoons of instant espresso powder
12-ounce can of evaporated milk
14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons of Marsala wine (optional. If omitting then add another 2 tablespoons of milk.)
For the Mascarpone Whipped Cream:
1 1/4 cups of cold heavy cream
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
8 ounces (1 container) of mascarpone cheese at room temperature
Step 1: Make the Sponge Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl, then set aside.
Separate the eggs into two separate large bowls. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of sugar on medium speed with a whisk attachment until the yolks are pale, thick, and have tripled in volume. Add the milk, marsala, and both extracts, then whisk on low to combine. Add the flour mixture, then again, whisk on low until barely combined, be careful not to over-mix the batter at this point.
Beat the egg whites with a separate electric whisk at medium-low speed until the whites start to become foamy. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and then continue whipping with medium-high speed until the whites form stiff, glossy peaks.
Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter until combined, and you can’t see any streaks of egg white, then pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Sift enough powdered sugar on the top of the batter to cover in a thin layer, then bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, then allow the cake to cool completely.
Step 2: Make the Soak
Heat up the milk in the microwave for about 15 seconds, or until hot but not boiling, then stir in the espresso powder and leave that to cool and bloom.
Once fully cooled, add the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and Marsala (if using), then stir to combine.
Step 3: Soak the cake
Using a long skewer or a paring knife, poke several holes along the cooled cake, then pour in the milk mixture, ensuring every inch of the cake gets soaked. It might seem like there’s a lot of the milk mixture, but don’t worry the cake will absorb it.
Cover the pan with foil then let the cake chill and absorb the milk mixture for at least 1 hour, overnight would be better.
Step 4: Make the topping and finish
With an electric beater (or a whisk if you are feeling like a workout), beat the cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and cocoa powder with medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the mascarpone, then beat some more until stiff peaks form, this will happen quickly so keep an eye on it.
From here, you can either spread the topping on top of the cake or, if you want it to look fancier, load it into a piping bag with a round tip, then pipe on the cream, starting with one corner of the cake and moving back and forth in a zigzag pattern. It depends on how lazy you’re feeling.
(You’ll likely have leftover cream, I just wanted to use up the full container of mascarpone. You can use that as a topping for just about any dessert like ice cream, brownies, or even dip fruit into it.)
Dust the top with cocoa powder then slice and serve
