Tiramisu cheesecake with coffee & vanilla swirled cheesecake and coffee-soaked ladyfingers & mascarpone whip on top.
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baked tiramisu cheesecake
Hello hello! Today I’m here with the *perfect* cheesecake for tiramisu lovers. There’s a lot of components here, so let me break it down –
- Shortbread crust: aka an easy and delicious cookie crust, with crushed ladyfingers in it as well.
- Vanilla & coffee cheesecake: the inside of this cheesecake is a swirl of two cheesecakes: a rich and creamy vanilla cheesecake, and a rich, creamy & strong coffee cheesecake.
- Soaked ladyfingers: essential to any tiramisu of course, we put some coffee soaked ladyfingers on top of the baked cheesecake.
- Mascarpone whipped cream: we’re piling this cheesecake high with mascarpone whipped cream to mimic classic tiramisu filling.
Alsooo we’re putting ladyfingers all around the cheesecake to make it even more beautiful. There are quite a few steps to this recipe, so it’s easiest to make as a 2-day process. Below you’ll find all my best tips and tricks for making the perfect cheesecake. Happy baking! 🙂
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your cream cheese, mascarpone, cream, and eggs about 1-2 hours before starting the cheesecake.
how to avoid cracks in a cheesecake
Here are my 4 best tips for avoiding cracks in your cheesecake –
- Mix the batter carefully – after adding in the eggs, you’ll want to make sure to only mix the batter until the eggs are fully incorporated. This will make sure we don’t add too much air into the batter, which will help keep the batter dense and avoid cracks forming on top.
- Tap the cheesecake on the counter – giving your cheesecake a few good taps on the counter prior to baking helps remove air bubbles that could cause cracks on top.
- Bake your cheesecake in a water bath – this helps to evenly bake the cheesecake from all sides. A 9″ cake pan will work great for this.
- Cool your cheesecake in the oven – once your cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven and leave the door of the oven just *slightly* ajar. Let the cheesecake sit like that for one hour before transferring it to the fridge. This process allows your cheesecake to slowly come down to room temperature rather than quickly going from 350F to room temperature, which makes it less likely that the top will crack.
how to tell when a cheesecake is done baking
Cheesecake is done baking when it’s only slightly wobbly in the center. I like to temp my cheesecake as a more accurate way to tell when it’s done. A thermometer stuck into the middle of the cheesecake should read 155 fahrenheit / 68 celsius.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for tiramisu cheesecake
ladyfinger shortbread crust:
- Unsalted butter: salted or your favorite non-dairy butter stick will work perfectly here as well.
- Light brown sugar: for flavor and sweetness.
- All purpose flour: for structure.
- Ladyfingers: make sure you have the hard, crunchy ladyfingers rather than the cakey ones which will fall apart. If you’re able to get them, Savoirardi are the ones I use and prefer.
vanilla & coffee cheesecake:
- Cream cheese: the base of the cheesecake and what makes it tangy, rich, and creamy. I recommend full fat cream cheese for the best texture.
- Mascarpone: for a creamier texture & some more tiramisu flavor.
- Eggs: binds the batter together.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness and flavor.
- Cornstarch: for thickening up the cheesecake.
- Heavy whipping cream: for moisture and richness. You could also use sour cream here, but I think heavy cream provides the best texture.
- Lemon: you’ll want a fresh lemon for the juice and the zest.
- Vanilla: for flavor. I used vanilla bean paste because I love seeing the little speckles of vanilla, but vanilla extract will work perfectly in it’s place.
- Espresso powder: for flavor. You can also use instant espresso here, but I recommend espresso powder because it’s a bit stronger.
ladyfinger soaks:
- Espresso: I know it’s a sponsored post but trust me when I say that PapaNicholas is truly my #1 espresso of choice and I drink it any day. Here I used their House Blend which is delicious, but you can use any espresso blend – flavored or not – here.
- Coffee liquor: my favorite (and the one I used here) is Kahlua. You can also leave out the liquor if desired.
- Ladyfingers: make sure you have the hard, crunchy ladyfingers rather than the cakey ones which will fall apart. If you’re able to get them, Savoirardi are the ones I use and prefer.
mascarpone whipped cream:
- Mascarpone: for flavor and for thickening the whipped cream.
- Vanilla: for flavor, you can use extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Granulated sugar: for a bit of sweetness.
- Heavy whipping cream: the base of the whipped cream, whips up the mascarpone.
- Ladyfingers: make sure you have the hard, crunchy ladyfingers rather than the cakey ones which will fall apart. If you’re able to get them, Savoirardi are the ones I use and prefer.
how to make baked tiramisu cheesecake
Here are a few images of the process of making this cheesecake. You can find the full recipe at the end of this blog post!
- Beat together the cream cheese, corn starch & sugar.
- Then beat in the eggs, followed by the mascarpone, heavy cream, lemon juice & vanilla.
- Mix instant espresso into part of the cheesecake batter.
- Swirl the batters together, then bake.
- Dip ladyfingers into a coffee soak.
- Top the cheesecake with the soaked ladyfingers.
- Make the mascarpone whipped cream.
- Top off the cake with the mascarpone whip, slice, serve, and enjoy!
tiramisu cheesecake recipe q&a
what size cake pan do I need?
This cheesecake is on the taller side – I used a 7″ springform. You can use an 8″ springform, just note that your cheesecake will be thinner and will require less baking time.
how should I store this cake?
You can store cheesecake in the fridge for 2 days before serving. I’d recommend waiting to make the whipped cream until you’re ready to serve the cake.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Tiramisu Cheesecake
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 60 g unsalted butter (4 ¼ tbsp.)
- 65 g light brown sugar (⅓ c.)
- 80 g all purpose flour (⅔ c.)
- 20 g crushed ladyfingers
Vanilla & Coffee Cheesecake
- 340 g cream cheese room temperature (12 oz.)
- 150 g granulated sugar (¾ c.)
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 110 g mascarpone room temperature (½ c.)
- 110 g heavy whipping cream room temperature (½ c.)
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tbsp. espresso powder
Ladyfinger Soak
- 85 g cold brew or cooled espresso (3 oz.)
- 1 tbsp. coffee liquor like kahlua, optional
- 6 ladyfingers*
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 110 g mascarpone (½ c.)
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 170 g heavy whipping cream (¾ c.)
- 10 ladyfingers* cut in half
- cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- In a small mixing bowl, melt the butter. Add in the sugar, flour, and crushed ladyfingers and mix until you have a cohesive dough.
- Press the dough into the bottom of your springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime, make the cheesecake filling.
Vanilla & Coffee Cheesecake
- Add the cream cheese, sugar and corn starch to a large mixing bowl (or to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.) Beat the mixture until it's smooth, for about 2 minutes.
- Add both eggs into the cream cheese, and beat the mixture on low speed *just* until the eggs have been fully incorporated.
- Add in the mascarpone, heavy cream, lemon juice, and vanilla, and again beat on low speed just until the mixture is cohesive.
- Remove 1 ½ c. of the cheesecake batter and place it in another small bowl. To the small bowl of cheesecake batter, add in the espresso powder and mix until combined.
- Alternate pouring the vanilla and coffee cheesecake batters over the shortbread crust. Once all of the cheesecake batter is in the pan, use a knife to gently swirl the batters together.
- Tap the pan on the counter a few times to help remove any air from the filling.
- Fill a 9×13" baking dish, or a 10" cake pan a third of the way with hot water. Wrap tinfoil tightly around the bottom of your springform pan to avoid the possibility of water seeping into the springform pan. Place the springform pan into the larger pan with water.
- Place the cheesecake with the pan in the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the cheesecake only slightly wobbles and reaches an internal temperature of 155°F / 68°C.
- Once the cheesecake is fully cooked, turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar with the cheesecake in it for 1 hr. before transferring it to the fridge to chill for at least 8 hours.
Ladyfinger Soak
- In a small shallow bowl, combine the cold brew and coffee liquor (optional).
- Dip the ladyfingers into the coffee mixture on both sides, and place them on top of the cheesecake. You will need to cut ~two of the ladyfingers to fit.
- Cover the cheesecake and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow time for the coffee to soften the ladyfingers.
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- In a medium sized mixing bowl with a hand or stand mixer, beat together the mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla just until the mixture is cohesive.
- Slowly beat in the heavy whipping cream. Once all of the heavy cream has been added, beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.
- Remove the tiramisu cheesecake from the fridge and place it on to a serving dish (you won't want to try to move it around after this!) Use a spatula to spread a thin layer of mascarpone whipped cream around the sides of the cheesecake.
- Cut ~10 ladyfingers in half and stick them, cut side down, around the cheesecake.
- Pile the mascarpone whipped cream on to the cheesecake (or pipe it on!), then top it with a dusting of cocoa powder. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.