Tiramisu trifle

Here is a rich coffee liquor induced tiramisu trifle. You can make it all from scratch or find shortcuts. Bake a box mix of coffee cake, get  mascarpone for the topping and filling, substitute the almond cinnamon topping with chocolate shavings, its your call.

For the coffee cake: Makes a 9 inch cake
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 and 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp instant coffee powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup coffee liquor


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
Mix the coffee powder, liquor and milk together, set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk until the mixture is light yellow, about 2 minutes on medium speed.  Add flour mixture and coffee milk alternately until combined. Pour the mixture into a greased and flour dusted 9 inch cake pan.


Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and cool completely. prepare the topping while the cake cools.

To soak the cake:
1 cup of coffee liquor
2 Tbsp sugar


Warm the liquor and sugar together gently until the sugar dissolves completely. Set aside.

To top the cake:
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar


Run the ingredients in a food processor to get a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

For the frosting/filling:
2 8oz packs of cream cheese
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 16oz pack of whipping cream
1 Tbsp coffee liquor
1 Tbsp instant coffee granules
2 Tbsp confectioners sugar


Dissolve the coffee powder in liquor and set aside. In a large steel mixing Bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add cream cheese and whipping cream; whisk until smooth and mixture begins to thicken to form peaks. Fold in the confectioner sugar and coffee liquor mixture. Scrape the bowl and whisk one last time. Set it in the fridge to chill.

To assemble the trifle:
1. Cut long strips of the coffee cake and place a few of them in a trifle bowl.
2. Sprinkle a few spoons of the warm liquor mixture and soak the cake slices. 
3. Pipe or spoon one-third of the cream filling evenly over the coffee cake.
4. Sprinkle the almond cinnamon sugar.

Repeat steps 1 to 4 two more times. wrap the top in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use. Enjoy!