Tiramisu Crunch Cake

1. To make the sponge, preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (170 if you’re using a fan-forced oven). Grease and line 4 x 20cm cake tins with baking paper. If like me, you don’t have 4 (who does), you’ll have to reline and bake the cakes in batches (which is perfectly okay).
2. Using an electric handheld or stand mixer (with the paddle attachment), place the butter, sugar, flour and baking powder in the bowl and mix on low speed until it resembles a sandy breadcrumb texture.
3. Whisk together the milk, vanilla and eggs then, with the speed still on low, gradually pour the liquid into the dry ingredients. Beat the batter until smooth and light – about 2 minutes.
4. Divide the cake batter in between your lined tins (if you’re OCD like me you can weight it so they’re all even – I used 400g in each of my tins).
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden, springy to the touch and a wooden skewer comes out clean. Allow the layers to cool completely before levelling them off by cutting off the tops with a bread knife. Allow to completely cool before use.

1. For the cocoa crumble; combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and spread out evenly on a lined baking tray. Bake in a 180 degrees Celsius (160 if you’re using a fan-forced) oven for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool.
2. To make the espresso syrup; brew the espresso and stir in the sugar until completely dissolved.

1. For the mascarpone frosting; Using an electric handheld or stand mixer (with the paddle attachment) cream the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy – about 9 minutes.
2. Then add the cream cheese and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
3. Fold in the mascarpone, don’t overmix.
4. Place the frosting into a piping bag with a plain nozzle.

Original recipe – here.

1. To assemble the Tiramisu Crunch Cake: make a collar that’s 22cm long and 15cm wide out of acetate or double folded baking paper and insert it into the same springform cake tin you used to bake the cakes.
2. Place the first layer of cake in the bottom of the cake tin.
3. Brush generously with espresso syrup (don’t be afraid to really soak it as this is what will make it taste like tiramisu!), pipe a layer of frosting to cover the base and sprinkle with the cocoa crumble.
4. Repeat this process until all the cake layers have been used. Make sure that each layer is pressed down properly.
5. Finish the cake with a layer of frosting and the cocoa crumble.
6. Place in the freezer for a minimum of 6 hours or until the frosting is firm.
7. To unmold, remove the Tiramisu Crunch Cake from the cake tin, peel of the acetate and allow it to come back to room temperature before serving with a dark chocolate sauce.