Vegan Tiramisu

Vegan Tiramisu is a delicious, smooth, and perfectly textured take of the traditional Italian Tiramisu. It is made with 100% vegan ingredients that are gluten-free, alcohol-free, and caffeine-free as well.

Spend some time making this delicious dessert for your loved ones, and I’m sure no one will believe if it is vegan or not. The texture and flavors are on spot. It is a perfect dish for every occasion.

Indulge in the creaminess, pillowy softness, and boldness of flavors and forget everything else. You can also prepare Gluten-Free Vegan Strawberry Ice Box Cake, Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake, or Vegan Orange Almond Cake.

What is vegan Tiramisu?

If you love food and cooking, you will definitely have heard of Tiramisu. This Italian dessert is among the most famous and delicious desserts you can eat. Honestly, nothing can beat a good tiramisu. It is soft, layered, full of texture and delicacy.

Traditional Tiramisu is an Italian dessert with layers of sponge cake that are soaked in coffee and brandy or liqueur with powdered chocolate and mascarpone cheese. Although these are traditional ingredients, these might seem a bit off to you if you follow a vegan and healthy lifestyle. But you might feel disappointed in trying it out.

Since a traditional tiramisu is NOT vegan, as you plan to make a tiramisu, you will know that every component uses eggs, dairy milk, and related product. So, if you are a vegan, you might feel a drop in your stomach.

But hey! You don’t need to feel disappointed. Everything is possible when you know how to use the right ingredients. If you crave soft, pillowy, creamy, silky, and utterly delicious Italian Tiramisu, here is a vegan version! This version is not just vegan, but it is

• eggs-free
• gluten-free
• low in calories
• alcohol-free
• caffeine-free

and unbelievably delicious. The main difference is the use of ingredients. Unlike the traditional Tiramisu that uses dairy and poultry ingredients, vegan Tiramisu is made from ingredients that are plant-based. So, these are not just delicious but offer a healthy alternative as well. And you get to stick to your vegan diet. Isn’t that amazing?

Essential components of a tiramisu

A traditional Italian tiramisu is a dessert that has layers of various components. These layers make it super delicious and give it a rich texture everyone finds delicious and exciting. Here are the important components of a tiramisu that makes up the layers.

• Ladyfingers: if you are thinking this ladyfinger is the vegetable, you are absolutely wrong! This particular ladyfinger in Tiramisu is a piece of sponge cake that is shaped like a finger. Hence, it is called a lady’s finger. It is a sponge cake made from traditional ingredients that include eggs and dairy products. For non-vegan, the ingredients are perfect, but for vegans, they are a bit out of their zone. To make Vegan Tiramisu, first I made a fluffy vegan and gluten-free cake. I used my tried and true Vegan Gluten-Free Cake Recipe in a sheet pan.
• Expresso sauce: it is the sauce or syrup that is made from espresso coffee. As you place a layer of ladyfingers, you put it in this syrup first. You do this so that the sponge cake soaks up the flavor and caffeine of the expresso. It gives it a depth of flavor. Now, even if you are vegan, you can consume caffeine. So, this component ticks the boxes for you. However, because I like my life to be caffeine-free, I placed this component in my vegan tiramisu recipe.
• Mascarpone cream: now, who doesn’t know mascarpone cream? It is a delicious cream that has a mildly sweet, buttery, and nutty flavor. Its texture is very creamy and rich. It is quite tasty for non-vegans. But because it is made with dairy heavy cream, we are going to replace it with our version of vegan mascarpone cream.
• Unsweetened cocoa: The last and top layer of traditional Italian Tiramisu is of unsweetened cocoa. You can keep this ingredient since it is vegan. It is entirely up to you.

Ingredient breakdown

Now, from the above components of a traditional tiramisu, it is clear that the original dessert is nowhere near a vegan diet. So, for all your vegan people out there, I have created a delicious vegan tiramisu recipe that is not the least less delicious and perfectly textured than the original one. For my vegan tiramisu recipe, here are the important ingredients I used and how these ingredients develop the flavors and texture of the dessert:

Carob syrup

• Carob powder: now, since we said we are going to replace caffeine for vegan Tiramisu, here is a perfect ingredient that fits the flavor profile. It is an ingredient that is often used instead of cocoa powder. Carob powder comes from dried and roasted carob tree pods that have a lot in common with cocoa powder in terms of appearance. Carob powder has a unique and sweet flavor.You can add about a tablespoon of your favorite coffee substitute as well.

Sponge cake brushed with syrup

• Brown rice flour: because we promised a gluten-free ladyfinger or sponge cake, you use flour of brown rice. It is not just gluten-free but has a high content of both protein and dietary fiber.
• Almond flour: Now, another gluten-free product to substitute all-purpose flour in sponge cake is almond flour. It has a unique and slightly sweet flavor. Furthermore, it is jam-packed with nutrients and is also low in carbohydrates. A win-win situation for diet conscious people! You can find almond flour easily in the gluten-free section at a grocery store. Furthermore, you can also make your almond flour.
• Organic cane sugar: The unrefined sugar that adds natural sweetness to the cake minus all the adverse effects of refined sugar. You can find it easily at any organic store.
• Baking powder: When it comes to baking, you can’t simply miss baking powder. It helps in making the cake fluffy and soft packing in the air during baking.
• Almond milk: instead of daily milk, we use almond milk. It is a perfect choice and also adds a nice flavor. However, if you want, you can switch almond milk with coconut or soy milk as well. But remember that for this recipe, almond milk brings in the perfect texture we require.
• Coconut oil: Because we are not using eggs, we use coconut oil instead. It gives the sponge a nice texture and makes it fluffy. You won’t know the difference!
• Golden flaxseeds: Flaxseeds are high in nutrients. They are a perfect source of energy and getting healthy vitamins in your diet. We use flaxseed powder for the sponge cake. It gives it a nice flavor, texture, and nutrients.

Vegan mascarpone

• Almond milk: You get sweetness for almond milk. Plus, it is plant-based milk, so why not?
• Coconut milk: Coconut milk improves the density of the base. Because it is a bit thicker, you get a texture that is similar to the mascarpone.
• Cane sugar: Again, it adds sweetness and is free from anything unnatural.
• Cornstarch: To get hat thick texture and consistency, you need to cook the above-mentioned ingredients in corn starch. It thickens the milk, and as it cools down, you get a texture that is a replica of the mascarpone cream.

Vegan whipping cream

• • Coconut milk: Since coconut milk is a bit thicker than others, it is a perfect type of plant-based milk for this recipe.
  • Powdered sugar: Use powdered sugar to add sweetness to the vegan whipping cream.I also prepared a coconut whipped cream for the topping, So Delicious Dairy-free CocoWhip is a great substitute for homemade coconut whipped cream.
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How to make vegan Tiramisu?

Now making vegan Tiramisu is not as difficult as it may seem. Although you might have to spend some time in the kitchen, the result is worth every second of your time! Here is a step-by-step instruction on how to make vegan Tiramisu:

Step 1: Firstly, you have to bake the sponge cake. For this, combine all the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk until you get a smooth batter. Pour it into a baking pan and place it in a preheated oven at 350 F for 25 minutes. Once done, set aside.

Step 2: To prepare vegan mascarpone, blend the ingredients until smooth and pour in a saucepan. Place the saucepan on medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Wait until it gets thick and creamy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool down.  

Step 3: For carob syrup, mix powder and water and place n medium heat. As it starts to get thicker, add flavors and set aside o cool.

Step 4: Lastly, for vegan whipping cream, add chilled coconut milk/cream in an electric mixer bowl and whisk with sugar until it gets fluffy.

Step 5: Finally, you have to start assembling a dish. Brush the bottom with carob syrup, then place a layer of sponge cake. Pour more carob syrup on the cake. Add a layer of vegan mascarpone. Place a cake layer, carob syrup again, and repeat until the dish is filled up-top. Layer vegan whipping cream and dust carob powder to form a layer. Refrigerate.

How to store vegan Tiramisu?

You can store vegan Tiramisu in an airtight container for at least four days. If you think about freezing the dessert, I recommend you don’t. It will ruin the texture.

Other Cakes For You To Try

• Vegan Banana Cake
• Vegan Lemon Pound Cake
• Banana Upside Down Cake

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