If you’re the type who tends to enjoy desserts that read a little less sweet – not cloying or that in-your-face-sugar-smack way – then I think you are going to find yourself a brand new favorite in this cake here. This Toffee Cinnamon Tiramisu Cake is light as air and carries a faint wisp of Kahlua throughout each and every bit of it, every layer. I served this golden beauty to a crowd last night and heard it declared “the best cake I’ve had” more than once.

Table of Contents

That’s scout’s-honor true.

Kitchen Little Essentials

For this recipe, you’ll need:

Two 8-inch cake pans

A hand-held or stand mixer

A cake stand

I’ve been making (and thus tweaking) this spectacularly delicious cake for over 10 years now, and it’s got such a spot in my heart, it really does. I used to request Tiramisu- the classic Italian dessert of coffee-soaked lady fingers, mascarpone, and chocolate – for my birthday each year, as it is one of my favorite things on God’s green earth. But, dare I say it, this layered spin on that Italian classic is a spin worth trying – it’s so, so good.

How to Make this Toffee Cinnamon Tiramisu Cake

The blueprint for this Tiramisu cake really came from an old issue of Southern Living Magazine, in which I tore out the recipe upon first spotting it in a tattered dentist’s office copy (what a sweet toothed irony that is. Ha!). I can’t find that recipe any longer, as it seems to have been buried in the sands of time, so I’ve had to simply create my own cake on the memories of that old torn-up recipe.

The trick though? Yes, there is a trick to this Tiramisu cake and let’s just say that we’re really thinking INSIDE THE BOX with this one. The cake is built upon a classic white boxed cake, and I’ve no shame in my game, y’all. Like, not a trace. The Kitchen Little trick today is learning how to create a very bakery-esque layer cake with ease and in much less time than you’d think, by simply leaning into the idea of using a boxed cake mix as the base.

How to Doctor a Boxed Cake Mix Like a Pro

Okay, so maybe a pro would never actually be doctoring a boxed cake mix in the first place, but since I’m going to ask you to whip up a filling, a coffee-cinnamon soak, and a whipped cream frosting, I find it absolutely imperative that we utilize the convenience factor of a boxed mix in this recipe. Trust me – it’s going to be stupid good.

The trick is flavoring the cake mix a bit. We’ll bake up two 8-inch cakes and flavor one with some instant coffee. The other non-coffee layer will get sliced in half, creating three layers for the finished cake, with the coffee one sitting pretty in the middle. You can tell from the photos here that the center layer has got that whole coffee vibe going on …

To mimic a real-deal Tiramisu and also to double down on the coffee flavors running throughout this cake, we’ll weave some Kahlua (or any coffee flavored liquor you like) into multiple components of the cake: the soak, the filling, and the frosting. If you haven’t spent much time with Kahlua, it’s simply a coffee flavored liquor and a wonderful thing to keep around for occasions just like this.

The Soak

Each of the three cakes will get poked with toothpicks or the back end of a wooden spoon and then drizzled to high heaven with our “soak.” This soak is nothing more than a bit of brewed coffee with a pinch of cinnamon and a splash of that Kahlua. It moistens each layer beautifully and really amps up the Tiramisu flavor.

The Filling

We’ll whip up some cream cheese (it’s cheaper than the traditional mascarpone, and easier to find) with a little powdered sugar and some more Kahlua and then we’ll fold in a little of the whipped cream frosting. This filling goes in between the first and second and then second and third layers, and really makes the flavors in this Tiramisu cake sing.

The Frosting

Speaking of the frosting, rather than creating some thick and super sweet buttercream here, we’ll simply whip up some heavy cream with a little sugar and more Kahlua and then swirl and swoop it all over the cake.

The end result is a cake that is light, decidedly less sweet than most, and absolutely, undeniably delicious in all ways. I couldn’t love this recipe more if I tried, y’all, and I do hope you’ll give her a whirl … and then let me know how you fare.

If this recipe sounds good to you, you might also want to check out:

Juicy Citrus Italian Cream Cake

Flourless Chocolate Fudge Torte

Here is a ready-made pin for you! Simply save it to your “Delicious Cakes” or “Dessert Recipes to Try” boards and you’ll be all set.

Toffee Cinnamon Tiramisu Cake

Print Recipe

Author: Lauren McDuffie

Ingredients

For the Cakes

One 16-ounce box white cake mix

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp instant coffee granules

For the Soak

1/4 cup brewed coffee (either freshly brewed or from instant coffee)

1 TBSP coffee flavored liquor

¼ tsp cinnamon

For the Filling

8-ounce cream cheese, at room temperature

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

2 TBSP coffee flavored liquor

For the Frosting

2 cups heavy whipping cream

¼ cup confectioner’s sugar

2 TBSP coffee flavored liquor

EXTRAS: 1 cup toffee bits or crushed toffee candy bars, shaved semi-sweet chocolate or dusted cocoa powder

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Grease or spray two 8-inch cake pans. Adjust your oven rack to the center position. Preheat your oven and prepare the white cake mix batter according to package directions, adding in that extra 1 tsp of cinnamon to the batter.
Combine the teaspoon of instant coffee with ¼ cup hot water. Stir to dissolve.
Pour half of the batter into one of the cake pans. Add the instant coffee to the other half of the batter; stir to combine. Pour the coffee-scented batter into the other pan. Bake the two cakes according to package directions. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans to cool completely. Cut the non-coffee flavored cake in half crosswise, creating three layers for our finished cake.
Place one of the white cake layers on a cake stand/plate and poke about a dozen holes in it, using either a toothpick or another similar implement. Using a pastry brush, brush 1/3 of the coffee soak (see below) over the cake’s surface. Top with half of the filling (see below), followed by a layer of the toffee bits.
Top with the coffee flavored cake and, again, poke holes in it, drench with 1/3 of the coffee soak, the other half of the filling, some toffee bits, and then the last layer of white cake. Poke holes in the (now top) layer, drench it with the soak and then spread a thick layer of frosting (see below) all over the cake. Top with more toffee and some shaved chocolate and/or a dusting of cocoa powder. Chill for 20 minutes before serving. Keep the cake refrigerated when not serving.
To Make the Soak: In a small bowl, combine the coffee, cinnamon, and coffee liquor.
To Make the Filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand-held, combine the soft cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, and coffee liquor. Whip until smooth and creamy. Fold in 1/2 cup of the frosting (see below)
To Make the Frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand-held, combine the whipping cream, confectioner’s sugar and coffee liquor. Whip until very stiff peaks form.