Toffee Tiramisu Layer Cake

Have you ever eaten so much you haven’t actually been hungry in days?

I’ve consumed so many delicious things in the past few days that it feels weird to not be eating right now. I’ve baked so many scrumptious treats in the past few days that I feel like I’m missing something because there isn’t anything baking in the oven.

This has to stop.

Next month, I’m dedicating my blog to healthy, New Years Resolution inspired recipes, all without an astronomical amount of butter and cream. I promise.

But for now, you have got to feast your eyes on this beautiful cake I made for our big Christmas dinner! (Sorry for the dark pictures, it was night-time when I made the cake and when we ate it. It didn’t stick around to see the light of day.) The texture was light and airy, the perfect combination after a heavy meal. Just like a real tiramisu, this cake needs to sit overnight to absorb all the flavors and become truly magical. I found the recipe in my Southern Living Christmas Cookbook I bought a few weeks ago. The cake has the highest rating in the book, and I knew it had to be on my table for Christmas. What an impressive dessert, y’all!

The cake layers were made with a French Vanilla cake mix (shhh!) and some mocha cappuccino mix. Easy-peasy to put together. The best part is the Cinnamon Espresso Syrup made from Kailua, cinnamon, and some sugar. This soaks into the cake layers and really gives the cake it’s tiramisu flavor. And the icing. It might also just be the best part of the cake, too. Made from mascarpone cheese and some whipping cream, this frosting was to die for. Try not to finish it all before you ice the cake!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones. I feel so blessed to  have been able to spend it with my entire family! Not to mention how incredibly good Santa was to me this year 🙂 I’ve been coveting a KitchenAid Stand Mixer for a while now, and thanks to my generous Mr. and Mrs. Claus, a hot pink KitchenAid is now mine! I also received a pasta machine attachment, so look out for some real authentic Italian cuisine soon 🙂

Here’s the recipe to the cake. Make it for New Years, or for just one last hoorah before the guilt sets in… It’s worth every calorie!

Toffee Tiramisu Layer Cake from Souther Living Christmas Cookbook

Cake Layers

1 18.25 oz. package French Vanilla Cake Mix

1 1.16 oz. package Swiss mocha cappuccino mix

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease and flour 2 8 inch round cake pans. Combine all 5 ingredients until smooth and without lumps. Evenly distribute the batter between both pans, banging the pans on a hard surface to release any air bubbles. Bake in the oven for 28 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack, then wrap in cellophane and let chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. (This will make it easier to cut the layers in half.)

Cinnamon Espresso Syrup

2/3 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick, broke in half

1 tbsp. instant espresso powder

1/4 cup coffee liqueur

1 cup water

Bring water, sugar, and cinnamon stick to a boil in a small sauce pan. Boil for a minute, then remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and add coffee liqueur and espresso powder. Stir to combine.

Mascarpone Frosting

2 8 oz. containers mascarpone cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla estract

1/2 cup Cinnamon-Espresso Syrup (made above)

2 1/2 cups whipping cream, whipped

In a mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy. Gradually at the Cinnamon-Espresso Syrup until incorporated. Fold in the whipped cream. Cover and chill until use.

To put the cake together, take out the layers from the fridge and slice in half horizontally, so you have four layers. Place the first on a cake stand, cut side up. Brush top with 1/4 of the cinnamon espresso syrup. Place 1 1/2 cups of the frosting and spread on top.

Then sprinkle with chopped up chocolate covered toffee bars. Repeat with the next three layers.

Continue to ice the rest of the cake with the frosting and place in a fridge over night. The next day, sprinkle with more candy for garnish. Enjoy!