Vegan Tiramisu

Visiting Italy is most definitely an adventure that makes you want to take in every single moment of your stay and engrave it into your memory. Well, at least it is for me. I love this country, its history, the people, the sound of the language, all the beautiful, picturesque places and, last but not least, Italy’s amazing cuisine. When it comes to desserts, tiramisu is simply my absolute favorite! I put a lot of thought into the ingredients because I wanted this vegan version to come as close to the original as possible. Here it is: creamy, fluffy, not too sweet, so flavorful with a hint of coffee and amaretto – you’ll love it!

Better if made a day ahead!

Remember to soak cashews!!!

You will need:

• high speed blender
• preferably stand mixer with whisk attachment, but good quality hand mixer will be alright
• a 16 x 12” (40 x 30 cm) baking tray
• either a 13 x 9” (33 x 23 cm) serving dish or 12 individual serving glasses

Ingredients:

For the sponge cake:

• 2 cups (250 g) all purpose einkorn flour (I used ‘Jovial’)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¾ cup (180 ml) plant milk (I used soy milk)
• ¾ cup (180 ml) maple syrup
• 6 Tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

sunflower oil for baking dish

For the coconut cream:

• 3.5 oz (100 g) raw cacao butter
• three 5.4 fl oz (160 ml) cans coconut cream or 2 cups (480 ml) creamy, white top of full fat coconut milk
• 4 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp Celtic sea salt

For the ‘mascarpone’ cream:

• 1 cup (140 g) raw, unsalted cashews, soaked in sufficient filtered water for at least 4 hours or overnight, drained
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) filtered water
• 1/8 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp high quality amaretto (I used ‘Disaronno’)

To assemble:

• ½ cup (120 ml) espresso or very strong (!!!) coffee, cooled down
• 3 Tbsp amaretto
• cocoa powder to dust with

Preparation:

For the sponge cake, preheat your oven to 350° F (175° C) and grease baking tray with sunflower oil.

Sift einkorn flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and blend well to combine. Make a well in the center.

Place all the wet ingredients into another bowl and whisk until emulsified.

Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the flour ….

… and use a wooden spoon to blend until just combined. A few lumps in the batter are fine.

Use a spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes. A wooden toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Remove sponge cake from oven and let cool down at room temperature.

Make the espresso or strong coffee and let cool down.

For the coconut cream, melt cacao butter in a double boiler. Don’t let it get too hot!

Place all the remaining coconut cream ingredients into your blender, add the melted cacao butter, and blend on the highest setting until very smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the cream to the bowl of your stand mixer or any large bowl, if you use a hand mixer.

Place it into the freezer for about 30 minutes (while you’re waiting, make the ‘mascarpone’ cream*).

Take the coconut cream out of the freezer and whisk for 1 minute on medium setting, then put it back into the freezer for another 30 minutes

Take it out again, scrape down the sides, and whisk for about 2 minutes. It should have already set quite a bit, so you can choose a higher setting.

To fluff it up even more, put it into the freezer one last time. After 20 minutes it should be all set. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and whisk for another minute until you have a very light and fluffy consistency.

* For the ‘mascarpone’ cream, place all the mascarpone ingredients into a high speed blender and process at the highest setting for about 2½ minutes or until very creamy and hot. Set aside and let cool down (!).

When both creams are ready, scrape the cold mascarpone cream into the bowl with the coconut cream and whisk together at a low setting.

Blend ½ cup espresso or strong coffee with 3 Tbsp amaretto.

To bring everything together you have 2 options: a) a tiramisu cake and b) individual tiramisu glass servings.

a) Cut the sponge cake into ladyfinger-size pieces, about 1 x 4” (2.5 x 10 cm). Transfer half of the sponge cake pieces in even rows to the serving dish. Pour the coffee/amaretto mix over the ‘ladyfingers’ so all of them are saturated. Spoon half of the cream on top of the first layer and spread evenly. Sift some cocoa powder over the cream layer, then add another layer of ‘ladyfingers’. Spread the remaining cream as the last layer and generously sift cocoa powder on top.

b) Cut the sponge cake into 1” (2.5 cm) squares and distribute half of them evenly among 12 individual glasses. Spoon the same amount of coffee/amaretto mix into every glass, so all the squares are saturated. Add half of the cream as the second layer and sift cocoa on top. Distribute the remaining sponge cake squares, then add the remaining cream as the last layer. Generously sift cocoa powder on top.

Chill covered in the fridge at least overnight before you enjoy this very Italian dessert!

Notes:

• The tiramisu really needs chill time overnight in the fridge. It will be easier to cut for the cake option, the texture will be perfect, and the flavors will have blended as well.
• You can use a slightly bigger or smaller baking tray, but you’ll have to adjust baking time and arrangement in the serving dish.
• Perfect for at least 4 days. Keep chilled!
• If you use regular wheat flour, you need about ¼ cup more plant milk for the batter.