tiramisu cheesecake with chocolate espresso cream

Tiramisu Cheesecake has all the flavor of classic tiramisu in an ultra creamy cheesecake! Vanilla cheesecake batter is layered with a layer of espresso soaked lady fingers and baked atop a crisp chocolate espresso crust. It’s then topped with more lady fingers, and a rich espresso chocolate mascarpone cream!

this recipe

This recipe is sponsored by our friends at DeLallo. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Blue Bowl possible! All opinions are my own.

Why you’ll love this Tiramisu Cheesecake:

• Ultra Creamy Cheesecake – My ultra creamy, classic cheesecake base is incredibly simple to make and comes together quickly!
• Espresso Soaked Lady Fingers – Two layers of espresso soaked lady fingers pack this cheesecake with tiramisu flavor!
• Espresso Chocolate Cream – A rich espresso chocolate cream made with a base of mascarpone & whipped cream is a fun twist on the classic mascarpone cream found in tiramisu.
• Crisp Chocolate Espresso Crust – The luscious cheesecake is baked atop a crisp chocolate crust.

Ingredient Overview:

As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).

• Chocolate Sandwich Cookies – Use oreos or any similar chocolate sandwich cookies (with the cream included!) to make the crust. Pulse the whole cookies (yes, with the cream!) in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.
• Butter – I always use salted butter because in my experience, it lends the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if that’s what you prefer.
• DeLallo Foods Instant Espresso Powder –  DeLallo’s Instant Espresso Powder is a workhorse in this recipe! It intensifies the chocolate flavor of the crust, creates the espresso for dipping our lady fingers into, and provides the espresso flavor in our chocolate mascarpone cream. It’s beautifully flavored, with just the right strength of espresso flavor! You can order it online (linked above) or find it in the baking aisle of many major grocery stores.
• Cream Cheese – Use full fat cream cheese, in the block style. This needs to come to room temperature before you bake.
• Mascarpone – Mascarpone is a soft, Italian tangy cheese (similar to cream cheese), traditionally used in tiramisu. It can be found in a tub, near the specialty meats & cheeses in your grocery store.
• Eggs – Use large eggs at room temperature.
• Sour Cream – Use full fat sour cream, at room temperature.
• Vanilla extract – Use real vanilla extract for best results.
• Lady Fingers – These can be found in most grocery stores – check near the cookies, or near the Italian foods. Sometimes they’re near produce or deli, on an end cap or something similar.
• Heavy Cream – Also called heavy whipping cream, this is found near the half and half and milk in grocery stores. Make sure to keep it in the fridge until just ready to use, so it’s nice and cold. If it’s not cold, your cream won’t whip up.
• Cocoa Powder – I used black cocoa powder for an extra rich chocolate flavor in my chocolate cream, but you can use natural cocoa (the most common) or dutch process, which has a little more of a dark chocolate flavor.

Recipe Variations:

• Gluten-free – Use gluten-free oreos to make the crust gluten-free. Use gluten-free lady fingers to make the rest of the cheesecake gluten-free.
• Dairy-free – Dairy-free – I have not experimented with dairy-free cheesecakes so I can’t recommend anything with confidence here, except to check out a reputable vegan baking blog.
• Chocolate Crust – If you’re in the UK, some sort of chocolate digestives would be your closest substitute if you can’t get oreos. You can also use any brand of chocolate sandwich cookies (with the creme filling!).
• Lady Fingers – If you don’t want two layers of lady fingers, you can skip one or the other. The cheesecake may need 10-15 minutes less baking time without that layer in the center. Check for doneness in the same way indicated in the recipe card.
• Mascarpone Cream – Omit the cocoa powder and lessen the powdered sugar by 2-3 tbsp (to taste) for a vanilla mascarpone cream.

How to Make Tiramisu Cheesecake:

Step 1: Make the Crust. Pulse your chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Stir in the melted butter, and press into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Make the Batter. In a large mixing bowl, beat your cream cheese on high speed with an electric mixer, until creamy. (You can also do this in the bowl of a stand mixer.) Then, mix in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.

Step 3: Assemble the Cheesecake. Pour half the cheesecake batter into your baked crust. Add espresso powder to very hot water, and whisk until dissolved. Dip lady fingers into the espresso very quickly, then place in an even layer over the batter.

Pour the remaining batter on top.

Step 4: Prepare Water Bath & Bake. Wrap the sides of your 9-inch springform pan with foil, then place the pan into a 10-inch cake pan, and place that into a roasting pan. Place it on your oven rack and pour in boiling water. Bake as directed in the recipe card below for best results.

Once baked, turn off the oven and crack the door to allow the cheesecake to gently cool for 1 hour. Then, let it continue cooling on your counter for 1-2 hours. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Step 5: Top the Cheesecake with Lady Fingers. Once the cheesecake has chilled, add another layer of espresso soaked lady fingers to the top.

Step 6: Make the Espresso Chocolate Cream & Decorate. Beat together heavy cream, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla, and espresso powder until it begins to thicken.

Add the mascarpone, and continue mixing on medium high until the mixture is stiff and thick. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 6B tip, and pipe in dollops all over the top of the cheesecake.

Serving + Storing:

Once decorated, dust with a bit of cocoa powder, then slice & serve immediately! Store the leftover cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Can’t get enough tiramisu? Make my Tiramisu Cookies or my Lemon Tiramisu!

Expert Success Tips for Tiramisu Cheesecake:

I’ve made dozens and dozens of cheesecakes in my baking career, and I’ve learned so many helpful tricks through trial and error!

• Forgot to Bring Ingredients to Room Temp? Bring your cold ingredients out about 30-45 minutes ahead of baking so they can come to room temperature. If you forget or are rushed for time, here’s my trick. Place two blocks of cream cheese on a plate, and microwave for 5-6 seconds, flip, and repeat. Repeat with the remaining two blocks. For sour cream, add to a bowl and heat for 5-6 seconds, stirring, then repeat once more. Place eggs in a bowl of warm water to bring them to room temperature quickly.
• Scrape the Bowl: Scrape the bowl, getting down to the very bottom, between the addition of each ingredient in this recipe. Little lumps of cream cheese love to hide in the bottom of the bowl, and scraping them up to the top is the best way to ensure no lumps!
• Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
• Lady Fingers Shifted – If your lady fingers have shifted a bit during the bake and you have an uneven line when you cut into the cheesecake, never fear! That can happen – and I guarantee it won’t affect the taste. 😉

FAQs:

Special Tools:

• Springform Pan – This lemon meringue cheesecake recipe uses a 9-inch springform pan.
• 10-Inch Cake Pan – Use a 10-inch cake pan as your barrier between the cheesecake pan and the water bath in the roasting pan.
• Roasting Pan – A roasting pan is essential for a water bath when making cheesecake.

More Cheesecake Recipes to Love:

• Key Lime Pie Cheesecake
• Lemon Meringue Pie Cheesecake
• Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake
• Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
• Biscoff Cheesecake
• Triple Nutella Cheesecake
• Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

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