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This homemade tiramisu focaccia is made with two easy no-knead doughs that get marbled together to create the vanilla and coffee + chocolate layers. And a creamy mascarpone & cream cheese mixture is sandwiched in the middle and spread on top with a touch of cocoa powder.

A large piece of white and black marbled focaccia topped with whipped mascarpone and cocoa powder on a wooden board.

This Tiramisu Focaccia is What Happens When Bread Meets Dessert

Tiramisu is my sister's favorite dessert on the planet, so any time we eat out together, we end up hunting down a tiramisu-flavored something. And true to my sweet focaccia obsession, I knew I had to create my version of tiramisu focaccia. Turns out the pillowy soft texture of focaccia is the perfect canvas for those classic coffee and mascarpone flavors.

Now the thing about me and fancy bakes is that I have a limit, and that limit is three components. Any more than that, and a recipe starts to feel like a part-time job instead of a cozy weekend bake. So while a lot of tiramisu focaccia recipes build separate fillings and toppings, I needed mine to do both. I added cream cheese and butter to the mascarpone mixture so it's thick enough to hold its structure in the middle of the dough, but still light enough to work as a fluffy topping.

And to get those signature light and dark layers when you slice into it, the dough needs to start in two separate bowls from the beginning. One stays white and gets flavored with vanilla and sugar, while the other gets darkened with cocoa powder and coffee. Then once both doughs rise, they get marbled together right in the baking dish, with a layer of mascarpone folded in between. Side note: I tried mixing all the dough in one bowl then separating it later, but that created way more mess than it was worth.

If dessert-meets-focaccia is right up your Strasse, you'll want to try my apple fritter focaccia next! And if a whipped cream cheese dessert is your love language, my blueberry torte never fails to disappear at a gathering.

Close-up of marbled focaccia dough with white and black bread layers and a whipped mascarpone topping.

Notes on Key Ingredients

Coffee: Coffee replaces the water in the darker dough to add that rich, quintessential tiramisu flavor in every bite without needing a coffee-soak that could turn your focaccia soggy.
Cream Cheese: Tiramisu is usually made solely with mascarpone, but that is too soft and wet to fold into focaccia without risking a gummy center. So adding cream cheese and butter continues layering on tang and richness, while thickening the filling to give it much-needed structure.
Yeast: Instant yeast works, but I prefer the slower fermentation and deeper flavor with active dry yeast for focaccia dough.
Cocoa Powder: While unsweetened cocoa powder also worked in testing, Dutch processed cocoa powder adds a little less acidity, so it lets the dough rise better and creates a more balanced flavor.
Mascarpone: This along with coffee is one of the most quintessential flavors in tiramisu, so don't skip it! But sometimes it's hard to find, so in a pinch, crème fraiche works as a substitute.

Let's Bake Tiramisu Focaccia Together!

For the full step-by-step directions, scroll down to the recipe card.

A hand mixing white bread dough in a glass mixing bowl with a silicone spatula. — 1. Mix the vanilla focaccia dough & let it rise.

A hand mixing dark brown focaccia dough in a glass bowl with a Dutch dough whisk. — 2. Mix the coffee focaccia dough & let it rise.

Two hands pressing out white and brown focaccia dough into a baking dish greased with melted butter. — 3. Press the doughs out in a baking dish.

Two hands folding focaccia dough in half in a greased white baking dish. — 5. Fold the dough in half over the filling.

Two hands pressing indentations into puffy focaccia dough in a white baking dish. — 8. Brush with melted butter and dimple the dough with your fingers.

A hand spreading whipped mascarpone and cream cheese onto focaccia dough in a baking dish. — 4. Spread some of the whipped topping.

Two hands pressing focaccia dough in a white baking dish on a wooden table. — 6. Press the dough out again and proof.

Two hands piping whipped mascarpone onto baked focaccia in little dollops. — 9. Bake, cool, then top with more whipped mascarpone & cocoa powder.

My Tips for Creamy Tiramisu Focaccia that Doesn't Get Soggy

The trick to airy, bubbly focaccia and not something dense is keeping the hydration high, which means this dough is supposed to feel a little sticky. To avoid it clinging to your hands when you spread it in the baking dish, get a little olive oil or melted butter on your hands first.
For cleaner cuts, I like to slide the focaccia out of the baking dish before piping on the topping and slicing it.
And for an easy release from the baking dish, rub a cold stick of butter all over the bottom and sides of the dish first, then spread in melted butter to get every corner before adding the dough. The melted butter grips onto that cold layer way better than it does on the bare dish.
Let the focaccia cool completely before adding the mascarpone, otherwise it'll melt and slide right off.

Tiramisu Focaccia

developed & tested by:

Carissa Erzen

This no-knead tiramisu focaccia is made with marbled vanilla and coffee + chocolate dough layers and a creamy mascarpone filling & topping. Make it overnight or same-day!

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Prep Time 50

Cook Time 25

Rise Time 14

Total Time 15 15

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings slices

Calories 325 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Vanilla Focaccia Dough

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
¾ cups warm water (between 105-115°F or 40-46°C)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)

Coffee Focaccia Dough

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
¾ cups plus 2 Tablespoons warm coffee (between 105-115°F or 40-46°C)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cups all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)
2 Tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder

Marscapone Filling/Topping

8 ounces cream cheese, softened (one block)
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces mascarpone, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)

For the Pan and Topping

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
2 Tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder

Instructions

Mix the Vanilla Focaccia

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes, until it's foamy on top. (If it's not foamy, check your yeast packet, as it might be expired.)
Add the olive oil and vanilla, and stir it into the foamy yeast mixture.
Add the flour and salt, and mix with a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula until it forms a soft, sticky dough.
Cover the mixing bowl with a dinner plate or plastic wrap (which retains warmth better than a towel) and let the bread sit out at room temperature for 1-2 hours to jumpstart fermentation. Then transfer the mixing bowl to the fridge to slowly rise overnight, for 10-14 hours.

Mix the Coffee Focaccia

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yeast, sugar, and warm coffee. Set aside for 10 minutes, until it's foamy on top. (If it's not foamy, check your yeast packet, as it might be expired.)
Add the olive oil and stir it into the foamy yeast mixture.
Add the flour, salt, and cocoa powder, and mix for a minute with a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula until it forms a soft, sticky dough.
Cover the mixing bowl with a dinner plate or plastic wrap (which retains warmth better than a towel) and let the bread sit out at room temperature for 1-2 hours to jumpstart fermentation. Then transfer the mixing bowl to the fridge to slowly rise overnight, for 10-14 hours.

Make the Marscapone Filling

In a mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, whip the softened cream cheese and butter until it's fluffy, after 1-2 minutes.
Add the mascarpone and vanilla extract and mix again until it's creamy, after 30 seconds.
Add the powdered sugar and salt and mix until it's light and creamy, after 1-2 minutes. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Shape, Fill, and Proof the Dough

Spread four tablespoons of melted butter on the bottom and up the sides of a 9x13 baking dish.
Press the vanilla focaccia dough into the bottom of the baking dish. Spread the coffee focaccia dough on top to cover it.
Spread about one quarter of the mascarpone filling on top of the coffee dough in an even layer, leaving a ½-inch gap around the edges. Return the remaining mascarpone filling to the fridge.

It should be a really thin layer, just to coat the dough. If you add too much, you won't have enough to cover the focaccia on top after baking.

From a short edge, lift up both the light and dark doughs and fold in half over the mascarpone filling. Then pick up the dough out of the dish, rotate it 90 degrees, and place it back down. Gently press it back out to all the edges.
Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 3-4 hours, or until the dough has really puffed up and jiggles when you gently shake the baking dish.

Dimple, Bake, and Add the Topping

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
Brush two tablespoons of melted butter over the top of the dough.
Coat your fingers in a little extra melted butter or olive oil (don't skip this, or else the dough will stick all over your fingers.) Use your fingers to press dimples into the dough spread out 1-inch apart (like you're playing the piano). Press all the way to the bottom of the baking dish.
Bake for 22-26 minutes, until the focaccia is puffed up and golden. Allow the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes.
Spread or pipe the remaining mascarpone filling on top of the focaccia. Sift the cocoa powder on top to cover it, then slice and serve.

Notes

Mascarpone Topping: You can either use a piping bag to create fancy little dollops or spread it on in a flat, even layer with a spatula or the back of a metal spoon. And if the topping feels too firm to pipe or spread after being in the fridge, let it sit out and soften a bit at room temp for 15 minutes.
Same Day Rise: Mix the two doughs in separate bowls, let them rest for 30 minutes, then complete four sets of stretch-and-folds, spread out by 30 minutes each time. After the final stretch-and-fold, let the dough rise for 1 hour at room temp. Then after spreading, filling, and folding it in the baking dish, let it proof for just 2 hours at room temp again.
Serving and Storing: If you're serving this for a party, it's best fresh on the same day it's baked. But when I make it just for my family, leftovers do still hold up pretty nicely in the fridge for a couple of days, since the mascarpone keeps the bread moist. Though the loaf itself firms up a bit in the cold, so let it sit out and soften at room temperature before you dig back in.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice (of 16)Calories: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 6gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 310mgPotassium: 84mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 586IUVitamin C: 0.001mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 2mg

Keyword sweet focaccia, tiramisu focaccia

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