When I received my June issue of Cuisine At Home magazine and saw the recipe for Pink Champagne Cake, I knew that I simply had to try it. And my mother-in-law would be the perfect recipient. I set off to make the cake for her for Mother’s Day. Somewhere along the way, something got messed up somewhere and the cake just did not turn out – the cake was way too sweet, the frosting was lumpy and runnyand didn’t taste very good, and I couldn’t get the frosting to stay put. Needless to say, IT ended up in the trash and I ended up scrambling to pull something together.

That’s when I stumbled across this – Tiramisu Cake. Perfect! This cake ended up coming together fairly quickly – a lot quicker than it looked like. The recipe also calls for boxed cake mix, but I made a from-scratch version instead.

This cake, like good wine, only gets better with age. The flavors get to mix and mingle and soak into each other and it is absolutely delicious the first day you make it, but divine the day after. I think that next time I’ll make it at least 24 hours in advance of when I want to serve it, just so the flavor fairies can do their thing.

TIRAMISU CAKE

Adapted from bettina on Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE**
2 1/3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
3 egg whites
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
1 cup coffee
4 tablespoons Kahlua

FILLING
1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons Kahlua

FROSTING
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons Kahlua

GARNISH
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 (1-ounce) square semisweet chocolate
2 (13.5-ounce) containers of Pirouette rolled wafer cookies (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

CAKE
Grease and flour 3 9-inch round cake pans. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in shortening until fine crumbs form. Add milk and vanilla and beat at low for 1 minute, then at high for 2 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter.

Pour 1/3 of batter into 1 prepared cake pan. Stir instant coffee into remaining batter, and pour into 2 remaining pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely. In a measuring cup, combine brewed coffee and 4 tablespoons Kahlua; set aside.

** NOTE: If you do not wish to make the cake from scratch, use 1 package of moist white cake mix and prepare as directed. Add instant coffee as directed above.

FILLING
In a small bowl using an electric mixer on low speed, combine mascarpone, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 4 tablespoons Kahlua; beat just until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

FROSTING
In a medium bowl, using electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the heavy cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and 4 tablespoons Kahlua until stiff. Fold 1/2 of the cream mixture into the filling mixture.

ASSEMBLY
Place one coffee-flavored cake layer on the bottom. Using a thin skewer or toothpick, poke holes in the cake, about 1-inch apart. Pour 1/3 of the reserved coffee mixture over the cake, then spread with 1/2 of the filling mixture.

Top with the plain-flavored cake layer. Using a thin skewer or toothpick, poke holes in the cake, about 1-inch apart. Pour 1/3 of the reserved coffee mixture over the cake, then spread with the remaining filling mixture.

Top with the remaining coffee-flavored cake layer. Using a thin skewer or toothpick, poke holes in the cake, about 1-inch apart. Pour the remaining coffee mixture over the cake.

Spread sides and top of cake with frosting. (If desired, cut Pirouette rolled wafer cookies the height of the cake and place around the side of the cake). Place cocoa in a sieve and lightly dust the top of the cake. Garnish with chocolate curls. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.