Cooking with Toti
cookingwithtoti.com/recipes/tiramisu-cake-roll
Tiramisu Cake Roll
Tender sponge brushed with espresso-amaretto, rolled around mascarpone cream.
Serves
10–12 slices
Time
1 hr + 30 min chill
A sheet-pan sponge brushed with espresso and amaretto, rolled around cold mascarpone cream and dusted with cocoa — the rolled version of classic tiramisu.
Instructions
Sponge
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a full sheet pan with parchment with overhang.
- 2
Whisk eggs + sugar over a gentle water bath until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm.
- 3
Transfer to a stand mixer; beat until pale, thick, fluffy. Mix in vanilla.
- 4
Sift flour, baking powder and salt; fold into the egg mixture gently.
- 5
Spread evenly in the pan; bake 12–15 min until lightly golden and springy. Cool slightly.
Roll (Toti's method)
- 1
Place a lightly damp kitchen towel on the counter.
- 2
Lift the warm cake with its parchment onto the towel.
- 3
Starting from the short side, roll the cake together with parchment and towel.
- 4
Let it cool fully rolled, then carefully unroll and remove the parchment before filling.
Coffee soak & cream
- 1
Mix cooled espresso with amaretto (and optional whiskey/tequila). Cool fully.
- 2
Combine cold mascarpone with cold cream; add powdered sugar, vanilla and amaretto.
- 3
Whip until thick, smooth and spreadable — don't overwhip.
Assemble & finish
- 1
Brush the unrolled cake generously with the coffee soak.
- 2
Spread the mascarpone cream evenly.
- 3
Roll again from the short side (large cake) or long side (individual portions).
- 4
Chill 30–60 min before slicing. Dust with cocoa and drizzle melted chocolate if desired.
Toti’s Tips
- ✓Roll the cake up while it's still warm, together with the parchment and a damp towel, so it "trains" into a curled shape as it cools — trying to roll a cake that's already cooled flat will crack it instead of curling smoothly.
- ✓Use a slightly damp towel for the rolling, since a dry towel can stick to the cake and tear the top as you unroll it later.
- ✓Keep mascarpone and cream cold right up until you whip them. Warm dairy won't whip to the same stable, spreadable texture, and the filling can end up runny once it's inside the roll.
- ✓Whip the mascarpone cream just until thick and spreadable, not longer — overwhipping mascarpone-cream mixtures can cause them to break and turn grainy or curdled.
- ✓Brush the coffee soak on generously but don't oversoak — this sponge is thin, so too much liquid can make it fall apart when you try to roll it back up around the filling.
- ✓Chill the finished roll for 30 to 60 minutes before slicing. This lets the filling firm up so your slices hold their spiral shape instead of squishing flat under the knife.
- ✓Like most tiramisu, this roll tastes even better after chilling, since the sponge has time to absorb the coffee flavor evenly.
Storage
- •Refrigerator up to 3 days, covered.
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