Olive Garden Tiramisu Dessert

This Olive Garden-inspired tiramisu skips the ladyfingers and uses a whole sponge cake instead, sliced in half horizontally to make two layers. It’s a shortcut that actually works really well.

Strong black coffee blended with brandy (or rum) gets sprinkled over the bottom cake layer. The recipe warns you not to over-soak, and that’s worth paying attention to. Too much liquid and the sponge cake turns into a soggy mess that collapses when you try to cut it. You want it flavored, not drenched.

The filling is 1 ½ pounds of room-temperature cream cheese (or mascarpone) beaten with powdered sugar until light and spreadable. Half goes on the bottom layer, the top layer goes on, and the rest gets spread across the top. A generous dusting of unsweetened cocoa through a sieve finishes it off.

Two hours in the fridge firms everything up and lets the coffee-brandy flavor work into the cake.

Kitchen Tips

• Mascarpone gives you the authentic Italian flavor, but cream cheese makes a tangier, firmer filling that’s easier to work with
• The cheese must be at room temperature or it won’t beat smooth. Cold cream cheese stays lumpy no matter how long you mix
• Sprinkle the coffee-brandy mixture gradually and let each addition absorb before adding more
• Sift the cocoa powder through a fine-mesh sieve for an even, restaurant-style finish

Variations

• Use Kahlua or Amaretto in place of brandy for a different boozy profile
• Add a layer of shaved dark chocolate between the cake and cheese filling
• Make it kid-friendly by replacing the brandy with extra coffee or vanilla extract