Vegan Tiramisu

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Once you try this Vegan Tiramisu recipe, you'll want to make it for all your friends. It's incredibly creamy, not too sweet, and absolutely decadent. Everyone we've shared it with has given it two thumbs up. Coffee and rum-soaked Ladyfinger cookies layered with creamy vegan mascarpone and topped with cocoa powder and shaved chocolate. Who wouldn't love it?!

Tiramisu is an Italian dessert and the name means "pick me up". Thanks to the espresso and cocoa, it does just that! Of course, you can make it with caffeine-free espresso too.

Most recipes also call for rum or a coffee liqueur to add that boozy quality adults enjoy. This is absolutely optional as well. We tend to add less rum or Kahlua so our young boys can enjoy our  Tiramisu too. 

Making this Vegan Tiramisu is a bit like making our Vegan Lasagne. There are layers to prepare and assemble. 

1. Coffee-soaked Ladyfinger cookies make the cake-like layer
2. Vegan mascarpone cream is your filling layer
3. Cocoa and shaved chocolate are used for garnish on top

The fancy-factor depends on how you want to serve your vegan Tiramisu.

1. You can build the dessert in individual serving dishes. Clear dishes show off your layers!
2. If you build it in a spongiform pan, it will set up and the dessert will look lovely on a serving platter. 
3. You can build it in a baking dish and scoop out individual servings.
4. You can garnish it with chocolate in any beautiful way you wish. 
5. Because the cream layer is white, you could even color it in any way you like! 

One normally thinks of Tiramisu as an entirely unhealthy dessert, but it does have some redeeming qualities! You'll get 7 grams of protein, 28% US daily recommended iron, and a good dose of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus that are so good for your bones. Make choices for organic and raw ingredients and it gets even better :-)

So, let's get started!

First, you need to prep some ingredients that need to sit. 

1. Get your flax "egg" mixed together and set aside. You can buy ground flax or grind your own. We use a Vitamix, but a coffee grinder works well too. 

2. Mix the butter. flax egg, and sugar together. Add remaining liquid ingredients and mix until fluffy. Fold in dry ingredients until it's mixed well. It will be thick and sticky.

3. Place the batter into a piping bag with a 1/2 " or 1 cm opening. You can also cut the corner off a plastic bag if you don't have a piping set. 

4. Make your Ladyfingers 2 1/4 inches long and 3/4 " wide (6x2 cm) and 1 1/2" apart on a non-stick baking sheet. 

5. Bake until crispy around the edges. Remove from heat and place on a rack to cool. 

Now it's time to make the creamy mixture! 

1. Drain the cashews and mix them with the other liquid ingredients in the blender until they're smooth. 

2. Place the chilled coconut fat and powdered sugar in a bowl and whip with an electric mixer until it's fluffy. Then fold all of them together. 

Assembly! 

1. Make your coffee/rum mixture. 

2. Evenly coat the bottom of your dish with the vegan mascarpone mixture. 

3. Dip each ladyfinger in the coffee mixture until it's saturated, but not soggy. Line them up to cover the mascarpone layer. 

4. Repeat layers, ending with a solid coating of the mascarpone filling. 

5. Garnish with cocoa powder and chocolate shavings. Cover and refrigerate for 2+ hours, or overnight so the mascarpone can set. 

If you like Vegan Tiramisu, you might also like these creamy whole food desserts:

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Vegan Tiramisu Recipe

Prep

• 60 minutes prep, plus chilling 2 hours+ or overnight
• Serves 9
• Suggested equipment: 2 mixing bowls, electric mixer, small bowl, 8x8" baking dish or cake pan

Ingredients

• LADYFINGERS

  1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

  1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  ½ teaspoon baking soda

  ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

  6 tablespoons unsalted vegan butter (Earth Balance is best), softened

  1/2 cup organic cane sugar

  2 TBS ground flax, 4 TBS water

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk

  nonstick cooking spray, for greasing

• VEGAN MASCARPONE

  1 cups raw cashews

  ½ cup unsweetened almond milk

  ⅓ cup maple syrup

  ⅓ cup coconut oil

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  1 teaspoon lemon juice

  25 oz unemulsified, full-fat coconut milk solids, chilled (Native Forest brand works well)

  2 tablespoons powdered sugar

• SOAKING LIQUID

  12 fl oz espresso, room temperature

  ¾ cup kahlua or ¾ cup rum

• GARNISH

  cocoa powder (use raw cacao powder for a superfood boost!) and grated chocolate for dusting

Instructions

Prep:

*Place your can of coconut milk in the refrigerator.

*Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). 

*Using a heat-proof bowl, pour boiling water over 1 cup of raw cashews until covered by 1” (2 cm) of water. Let them soak while you make the Ladyfinger cookies, at least 30 minutes.

*make 6 oz of espresso and set aside to cool

Make the Ladyfinger cookies:

1. Mix the ground flax seeds and water together in a small bowl to make your “egg”. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fully combined and fluffy. Two minutes.
4. Add your flax “egg”, vanilla, and almond milk. Mix with your electric mixer until fluffy.
5. Gently fold in the dry ingredients. The batter will be thick and sticky.
6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet and grease with nonstick spray. A non-stick baking sheet also works fine.
7. Get ready to pipe slender Ladyfingers onto the baking sheet.
8. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip or a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off. Roll the top down to seal the batter inside and pipe the ladyfingers onto the baking sheets Each cookie should be 2¼ inches long and 3/4 inch wide 6x2 cm). You should have 20-30 cookies total.
9. Bake the ladyfingers for 13-15 minutes, until the edges are light brown. Place on a rack and let cool completely.

Make the vegan mascarpone:

1. Scoop the solid layer from the chilled coconut milk into a large bowl. It should be at least ½ cup. Discard the liquid or save it for another use like lentil curry!
2. Add the powdered sugar and whip with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
3. Drain the soaked cashews.
4. Add the cashews, almond milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, salt, vanilla, and lemon juice to a blender. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
5. Gently fold the blended cashew mixture into the whipped coconut milk.

Prep the Ladyfinger soaking liquid

In a shallow bowl, combine the espresso, and rum, or Kahlua. You can replace the espresso with 12 oz freshly brewed coffee.

Assemble the Tiramisu:

Set up your assembly station with your bowl of vegan mascarpone, your bowl of coffee mixture, the plate of Ladyfinger cookies, and your Tiramisu dish.

1. Spread about a ½ cup of the vegan mascarpone in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish.
2. Dip a ladyfinger in the espresso mixture and place it on top of the cream. The Ladyfinger should be saturated but not soggy. Repeat with more ladyfingers to cover the cream.
3. Spread about 1 cup of the mascarpone over the ladyfingers to cover them fully.
4. Add another layer of the soaked Ladyfingers and another layer of vegan mascarpone.
5. Sift cocoa powder over the top and sprinkle with grated chocolate.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Overnight is best.

Chef's Notes: 

Although there are several steps to this recipe, it's easier than you think. Just follow the instructions and you'll use your time efficiently. 

There are a couple of brands we prefer to use. If your store carries them, use them. 

We like Earth Balance for our vegan butter. It has the right ratio of fat to oil. 

We like Native Forest coconut milk. Other brands we've tried remained grainy when whipped. Some coconut milk is emulsified. This means they contain ingredients to keep the fat from separating from the liquid.  This is not what you want. You want to be able to scoop out the chilled coconut fat.

Depending on your audience, you may want to alter the coffee mixture. You can use decaffeinated coffee to avoid caffeine, and the Khalua and rum are optional. Our recipe is mildly boozy. 

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Make it and tag us with #yourveganfamily. 

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Written by Your Vegan Family 

Stacy and Markus live a thriving vegan lifestyle with their two young boys. They write articles and offer courses to inspire you about plant-based cooking, teach you how to stay healthy and stay vegan, and moderate a private online Thriving Vegan Family Community where you can interact directly with them, other families, and plant-based enthusiasts about a vegan lifestyle, nutrition, and raising vegan kids.

They earned degrees in molecular biology and acupuncture, consulted over decades for healthcare companies and individuals, created businesses in Asian medicine, eco-tourism, cultural immersion, and taught yoga in myriad venues. They also offer individual health and wellness coaching to individuals who are motivated to improve the quality of their lives. 

They've learned a lot from eating a plant-based diet for 26 years and are eager to help you have fun eating more plants. Learn more on our About Us page.

Eat. Thrive. Make a difference.

Vegan Tiramisu Recipe Grocery List: 

• all-purpose flour
• cornstarch
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• vegan butter
• organic cane sugar
• ground flax seeds (or grind them yourself)
• vanilla extract
• almond milk
• non-stick cooking spray
• raw cashews
• maple syrup
• coconut oil
• lemon juice
• full-fat, non emulsified coconut milk
• powdered sugar
• espresso
• rum or Kahlua
• cocoa powder
• a chocolate bar to grate for garnish

Vegan Tiramisu Recipe Nutritional Analysis

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutritional calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. When exact ingredients are not available in this database, the closest substitution is made. 

For this recipe, we substituted chia seeds for flax seeds because the database did not contain flax seeds. 

Percentages are based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet for an adult. 

(nutritional label, energy pie chart, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, lipids)