Tiramisu Cake with chocolate ganache filling!

This recipe is actually one of the very first recipes I made after beginning the blog, and accordingly, I didn't take very many photos, and the ones I did get are not nearly as high in quality as some of the later photos. But, I promise that the recipe is so delicious, it makes the lack of nice pictures a moot point. You will be way too busy eating your cake to worry about pictures. Or, maybe, you'll take some of your own, and post them to our facebook wall! Please do!

A few quick notes. This is essentially a yellow cake. But, not just any yellow cake. This has become my go-to cake recipe, that I make ANYTIME I want a delicious cake, that's guaranteed to turn out perfectly, and taste amazing. Then, there is a chocolate ganache between the layers, that is reminiscent of the cocoa grated on top of tiramisu. The icing is a buttercream, flavored with instant coffee, and although it's a little bit "slippery" in terms of the texture for my liking, it really does evoke the creaminess of tiramisu.

One of the BEST things about this cake is the fact that it includes one of my absolute FAVORITE ingredients. Buttermilk! I love buttermilk, the smell alone is enough to awaken feelings of nostalgia, and peace, and take me to my own, personal happy place. Unfortunately, prior to the discovery of from-scratch cake-baking, the only recipe in which I utilized this deliciousness was biscuits. Which meant that I often found myself throwing out left over buttermilk that I was unable to use before its expiration. This made for a very sad Kelley. Now, this recipe, along with several other cake recipes provides me another way to experience my love of buttermilk.

Now, if you're dying to make this cake, and don't happen to have any buttermilk on hand, or you've been to Wal-Mart on a Sunday evening when they are out of virtually every item you need, you can mimic the action of buttermilk with this little tip. Take a 1 cup measuring cup, and place 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in it. Then add enough whole milk to fill to the 1 cup line. Mix well, let stand for 10-15 minutes, and voila. It's not going to smell as delicious, and homey as the real thing, but it can be used in a pinch! And now you can't say I never taught you anything useful!

The first time I made this cake, The Husband, being the sweet man that he is brought me home a dozen roses, just because! I'm not sure there are any centerpieces that decorate a table more beautifully than a homemade three-layer cake, and a dozen red roses.

Hallelujahs:Delicious, Amazing, Versatile cake recipe you can combine with just about any icing/filling combination for a foolproof addition to your recipe binder. Really tastes like tiramisu. VERY impressive looking, being three layers!
Hellfires:As I stated in above information, the icing consistency is a little slippery, but it works in this recipe. I have not yet perfected the art of making frosting though, so if you have any tips, be sure to let me know!

Tiramisu Cake with Chocolate Ganache Filling


Ingredients

Cake:
3 3/4 cups cake flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups plus 1/3 cup buttermilk
5 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Buttercream: (halve this recipe if you will be covering the cake with fondant)
6 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon instant coffee

Ganache:
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

Combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. Add the butter and 1 1/4 cup of the buttermilk. Mix on low speed briefly to blend; then raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.



In a smaller bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and the remaining 1/3 cup buttermilk until well blended. Pour one-third of the egg mixture into the cake batter at a time, folding it in completely after each addition. There will be 9 cups of batter; our 3 cups batter into each pan.

Bake for 26 to 28 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.



Allow cakes to cool for about 20 minutes, and then wrap them in plastic wrap, COMPLETELY covering them. You're going to then place these in the freezer while you make your ganache, and buttercream. Placing them in the freezer is a really important step. It helps TREMENDOUSLY when you're icing your cakes. You can skip it if you're feeling really impatient, but it does make it much easier to work with when it comes time to ice them!

To make buttercream, combine the sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 5 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk on high speed until mixture is completely cooled and stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, on low speed, mixing well after each addition. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Stir instant coffee into warm water until dissolved. Add, 1 teaspoon at a time, to buttercream, mixing well after each addition, until you’re satisfied with the strength of the coffee flavor (I added about 2-3 tablespoons).

To make ganche, place chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl. In a heavy saucepan set over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the stove and pour over chopped chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes and then stir until fully combined. Let cool until just firm enough to spread onto cake layers.

After leveling cake layers as necessary, place one cake layer on a cake plate, flat side up. Spread the buttercream over the top, followed by the buttercream. Repeat with the second cake layer, Top the cake with the third layer. You can choose to place more ganache here, or not. I tend to think that you can never have enough ganache, but for some reason the day I made this, I chose not to add more ganache to the top layer. C'est la vie.

To decorate the cake, I just chopped up some of the same semi-sweet chocolate I used for the ganache, and sprinkled it in a circular pattern around the edge of the cake. I even let Landon get in on some of the action, and he thought it was great.



Plain Text Recipe
Tiramisu Cake with Chocolate Ganache Filling


Ingredients

Cake:
3 3/4 cups cake flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups plus 1/3 cup buttermilk
5 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Buttercream: (halve this recipe if you will be covering the cake with fondant)
6 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon instant coffee

Ganache:
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

Combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. Add the butter and 1 1/4 cup of the buttermilk. Mix on low speed briefly to blend; then raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and the remaining 1/3 cup buttermilk until well blended. Pour one-third of the egg mixture into the cake batter at a time, folding it in completely after each addition. There will be 9 cups of batter; our 3 cups batter into each pan.

Bake for 26 to 28 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow cakes to cool for about 20 minutes, and then wrap them in plastic wrap, COMPLETELY covering them. You're going to then place these in the freezer while you make your ganache, and buttercream. Placing them in the freezer is a really important step. It helps TREMENDOUSLY when you're icing your cakes. You can skip it if you're feeling really impatient, but it does make it much easier to work with when it comes time to ice them!

To make buttercream, combine the sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 5 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk on high speed until mixture is completely cooled and stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, on low speed, mixing well after each addition. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Stir instant coffee into warm water until dissolved. Add, 1 teaspoon at a time, to buttercream, mixing well after each addition, until you’re satisfied with the strength of the coffee flavor (I added about 2-3 tablespoons).

To make ganche, place chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl. In a heavy saucepan set over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the stove and pour over chopped chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes and then stir until fully combined. Let cool until just firm enough to spread onto cake layers.

After leveling cake layers as necessary, place one cake layer on a cake plate, flat side up. Spread the buttercream over the top, followed by the buttercream. Repeat with the second cake layer, Top the cake with the third layer. You can choose to place more ganache here, or not. I tend to think that you can never have enough ganache, but for some reason the day I made this, I chose not to add more ganache to the top layer. C'est la vie.

To decorate the cake, I just chopped up some of the same semi-sweet chocolate I used for the ganache, and sprinkled it in a circular pattern around the edge of the cake. I even let Landon get in on some of the action, and he thought it was great.

Original Recipe can be found HERE