Vegan tiramisu: A simple-to-make dessert that's a nod to Japanese Italian cuisine
CBC Life | Posted: August 13, 2024 5:34 PM | Last Updated: August 15
This recipe from Desiree Nielsen’s cookbook, Plant Magic, is perfect for parties
There isn’t anything we’d change about this incredible-looking dairy-free dessert, but we wanted to know about making more. “I love this for a party!” cookbook author Desiree Nielsen said. She suggested scaling up her vegan tiramisu by simply doubling the ingredients and using a larger dish — or individual cups “to get a bit fancier.”
"Tofu tiramisu is totally a thing," said Nielsen, whose time in Japan inspired this recipe for her cookbook, Plant Magic. And while she hasn't tried to make it gluten-free, she told us an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend should work for the sponge.
Tiramisu
By Desiree Nielsen
Tiramisu is my all-time favourite dessert, which I discovered as a teenager roaming the streets of northern Italy. Deceptively simple, its layers of ladyfingers, soaked in espresso and stacked with mascarpone cream, are challenging to perfect, so it took me a long time to work up the nerve to create my own version. The result is an “I can’t believe it’s vegan” moment with layers of silken tofu cream, a nod to Japanese Italian cuisine. Using good strong coffee is critical to the flavour of this dessert. If you don’t have an espresso maker, try using double-strength coffee or good-quality instant espresso.
Ingredients
Mascarpone Cream
- 1 package (14 oz/400 g) soft silken tofu, drained (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup (250 ml) 20 to 30% fat coconut cream
- ⅓ cup (75 ml) cane sugar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp (10 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) pure almond extract
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) salt
Sponge
- 1½ cups (375 ml) all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp (3 ml) baking powder
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) baking soda
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) salt
- ¾ cup (175 ml) unsweetened oat milk
- 2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp (5 ml) apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup (125 ml) vegan stick butter (Earth Balance sticks are best for this recipe)
- ½ cup (125 ml) cane sugar
For assembly
- ¼ cup (60 ml) espresso or strongly brewed coffee
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) coffee-flavoured liqueur, rum, or more espresso
- Cocoa powder, for dusting
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Lightly grease a 9-inch (2.5 L) square cake pan. Line the pan with parchment paper with extra hanging over the sides.
Make the mascarpone cream: In a high-speed blender, combine the tofu, coconut cream, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, almond extract, and salt. Blend on high speed until silky smooth, 1 minute. Pour into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge to thicken until ready to use.
Meanwhile, prepare the sponge: In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a glass measuring cup, stir together the oat milk, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar with a fork.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using a handheld mixer. Pour in half of the oat milk mixture and mix well. Add a third of the flour mixture and the remaining oat milk mixture and beat well. Add the remaining flour mixture and gently fold in with a spatula until just combined. (The batter should look a bit thicker than a typical cake batter.)
Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Bake until lightly golden around the edges and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, 21 to 24 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully lift the cake onto a rack using the parchment paper overhang and let cool completely.
Assemble the tiramisu: In a small bowl, stir together the espresso and liqueur.
Slice the cake into 12 ladyfingers (4 x 3 grid).
Remove the mascarpone cream from the fridge. Arrange 6 ladyfingers in the bottom of a 9 x 5-inch (2 L) loaf pan or a 2-quart (2 L) oval serving dish. Sprinkle half of the espresso mixture over the ladyfingers, then spread half of the mascarpone cream mixture evenly over top. Repeat the layers. Using a sifter, dust the top layer with the cocoa powder. Transfer to the fridge and chill until ready to serve. Store, covered, in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Serves 8
Excerpted from Plant Magic: A Celebration of Plant-Based Cooking for Everyone by Desiree Nielsen. Copyright © 2024 Desiree Nielsen. Photographs by Gabriel Cabrera. Published by Penguin, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.