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Tiramisu-y Icebox Cake

An tiramisu ice box cake with a slice showing the layers
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni

Claire Saffitz used to think she didn’t like tiramisu. The versions she tried were always too boozy, too cold, too sweet—or all three. In pursuit of one she’d actually enjoy, she took lots of liberties with this riff, molding it into a loaf-shaped icebox cake, opting for Kahlúa, a coffee liqueur, instead of rum or cognac, covering the whole thing in whipped cream, and serving it in slices.

The first taste was, in her words, “a light, coffee-flavored revelation,” and she now counts this tiramisu-y icebox cake as one of her favorite recipes in her book, What’s for Dessert. It is a perfect balance between sweet, boozy, and creamy, which meant everyone in the BA test kitchen loved it too, too! Just remember to not leave the ladyfingers in the Kahlúa too long; they disintegrate very easily.

What you’ll need

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