The no-bake tiramisu cake with mascarpone cream (egg-free) is a fresh, elegant, and delicious dessert, perfect for a birthday, Father’s Day, or a dinner with friends. It is made with a few ingredients and requires only the baking of the sponge cake: the rest of the dessert is assembled cold, without further cooking, and left to rest in the refrigerator.
I love tiramisu in all its versions, but this cake has something more: it is scenic, very easy to make, and always wins at the first taste. For this recipe, I chose an egg-free mascarpone cream, perfect for those who can’t eat eggs or prefer a lighter dessert. If you prefer the classic version, 👉 here I explain step by step how I pasteurize the eggs.
The cake consists of two layers of soft sponge cake, homemade and soaked with coffee and a touch of rum. The filling is made with peaks of mascarpone cream and whipped cream, enriched with a bit of gelatin to make it stable and easy to cut, without sacrificing creaminess.
For the decoration, I chose a simple yet effective style: many peaks of cream on the surface and a dusting of bitter cocoa.
It is a dessert that can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator until serving time. In fact, I recommend doing so: resting allows the flavors to blend and the cream to firm up perfectly.
Ready to discover all the steps to prepare this easy and irresistible cake?
Let’s get in the kitchen!
See you soon,
Susy 🩷
You might also be interested in these tiramisu recipes:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Very Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 10 Servings
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 286.36 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 27.70 (g) of which sugars 14.56 (g)
- Proteins 6.07 (g)
- Fat 16.38 (g) of which saturated 5.53 (g)of which unsaturated 0.94 (g)
- Fibers 5.93 (g)
- Sodium 33.48 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 130 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for No-Bake Tiramisu Cake with Egg-Free Mascarpone Cream
I used an 8-inch mold, perfect for obtaining a tall sponge cake to cut into 2 layers.
- 4 eggs
- 4.23 oz sugar
- 4.23 oz all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup coffee
- 3.4 oz water
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 8.8 oz mascarpone
- 5.3 oz heavy cream
- 1.4 oz powdered sugar
- 0.21 oz gelatin sheets (optional, for extra stability)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Tools
- Electric Beater
- Piping Bag with 12 mm plain nozzle (for perfect peaks)
- Pan 20 cm Round Pan
- Spatula
- Cooling Rack for cakes
How to Make No-Bake Tiramisu Cake with Egg-Free Mascarpone Cream
Whip the eggs with sugar using an electric beater or stand mixer until light and fluffy.
Add the flour in two additions, gently folding it in with a spatula using upward movements.
Pour the batter into a 20 cm springform pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 338°F for 30 minutes, leaving the oven door slightly open (place a teaspoon between the door and the oven).
Once baked, let the sponge cake cool slightly in the turned-off oven, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
First, soak the gelatin in cold water for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the mascarpone with the powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. Separately, whip the cold cream to stiff peaks, reserving a couple of tablespoons for dissolving the gelatin.Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone cream, mixing from bottom to top to avoid deflating it. Once the gelatin has softened, squeeze it and dissolve it in two tablespoons of previously heated cream (those set aside). Mix well and incorporate it into the cream, stirring carefully to distribute it evenly.
Mix the coffee with water and rum. You can sweeten it with a teaspoon of sugar, if desired.
Cut the cooled sponge cake into 2 layers. Place the ring of the springform pan (without base) directly on the serving plate. Insert the first sponge layer, soak it with the coffee mixture and spread half of the mascarpone cream, leveling it well with a spatula.
Place the second layer, soak it with the remaining mixture and spread the remaining cream on top, creating a smooth and even cover.
Cover the cake with plastic wrap (without touching the surface) or a cake dome, and let it set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Before removing the ring, gently dust the surface with unsweetened cocoa, using a fine-mesh sieve: this way the edge stays clean and the plate perfectly tidy.
Finally, carefully remove the pan ring and serve the cake chilled.If you want to freeze it, let it set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Then gently cover with plastic wrap, wrap with aluminum foil, and transfer to the freezer.
When serving, defrost in the refrigerator overnight and dust with cocoa, if desired.
Storage
The tiramisu cake can be stored in the refrigerator, under a cake dome, for up to 2 days.
I recommend letting the cake rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes before serving, so it firms up well and the flavors blend perfectly.
Susy’s Tip
For an even more stable and easy-to-cut tiramisu cake, I recommend preparing it the day before and letting it rest in the refrigerator overnight.
This way, the flavors settle, the cream firms up well, and the slice will be perfect!
Questions and Answers
Can I replace the sponge cake with ladyfingers?
Of course! If you want a quicker version, you can use soaked ladyfingers like in classic tiramisu. The result will still be delicious, though less precise and compact in shape.
Can I skip using gelatin in the cream?
Yes, but the cake will be softer and less compact. Alternatively, you can slightly increase the amount of mascarpone or serve it directly in the springform pan and keep it in the fridge until cutting.
