Description
This tiramisu cake has a moist eggless vanilla & espresso swirled sponge cake, dairy free mascarpone, ‘cream cheese’ frosting, and a sprinkle of cocoa powder! It’s surprisingly easy to make (yes even for beginners!) and tastes amazingly just like tiramisu- and you won’t even know it’s vegan!
Ingredients
Scale
Vanilla Espresso Sponge Cake:
- 1 3/4 cup (350 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (220 g) vegan unsalted butter (melted) or neutral oil
- 1 cup (240 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract (yes, 2 tablespoons!!)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/4 cup (300 mL) dairy free milk, like oat milk or soy milk
- 3 1/2 cup (420 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp instant espresso powder
- 1 tbsp flour
Vegan mascarpone filling:
- 1 1/2 batches vegan mascarpone cheese
- 1/3 cup vegan heavy cream, COLD
- 4 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp vanilla bean extract
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Remaining components:
- 1 batch vegan cream cheese frosting
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
- Prep: I recommend making the mascarpone cheese the day before, as then it has ample time to cool in the fridge. If it’s easiest, you can make the mascarpone cheese and bake the cake layers on the same day, then assemble the next day.
- Preheat: Once the mascarpone cheese has been made and cooled, you can preheat the oven to 350F and line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Mix the espresso powder with 1 tbsp of hot water to dissolve, then place into the fridge to cool. You don’t want it to be super hot going into the cake batter.
- Make the vanilla cake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted vegan butter, granulated sugar, dairy free yogurt, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste. Then add in the vinegar, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Whisk to combine. Finally, add in the flour (except for the additional tablespoon of flour below the instant espresso powder) and dairy free milk. Whisk JUST until combined.
- Make the espresso cake batter: Divide about 1/3 of the cake batter into a separate small bowl, and add in the espresso and additional 1 tbsp of flour to the small bowl with the cake batter. Whisk gently to incorporate the espresso into the cake batter.
- Assemble the cake batter: Pour the vanilla cake batter evenly into each cake pan. Then dollop half of the espresso batter into one pan, then dollop the remaining batter into the other. Gently swirl the cake batter with a butter knife, being careful not to over swirl.
- Bake: Place the cake pans into the oven to bake for 33-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once baked, remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes in their cake pans before removing and cooling completely on a cooling rack.
- Make the sweet mascarpone cream and the cream cheese frosting: Follow the instructions for making the cream cheese frosting, and set in the fridge. Then move onto making the mascarpone in a separate large bowl. First start by using a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the heavy vegan cream until soft peaks form. Add in the powdered sugar, cornstarch, vanilla bean extract, vanilla bean paste, and sea salt, and cream again to incorporate. Add in the mascarpone cheese, and switch to a silicone spatula. Fold the mascarpone into the vegan whipped cream mixture, just folding until the mascarpone is evenly distributed. Be careful NOT to stir, but rather fold. Set aside in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Assemble the tiramisu cake: Once the cake layers are fully cooled, it’s time to assemble the cake. Place one cake layer on a cake plate or turntable, and spoon some vegan cream cheese frosting into a piping bag, with the tip cut off. Pipe a wall of cream cheese frosting around the outer top edge of the cake. The center will be where the mascarpone goes. Spoon about 1/2-2/3 cup of mascarpone filling into the center (you will have leftover mascarpone to pipe on the top of the cake). Place the second cake layer on top and promptly coat the outside of the cake in cream cheese frosting to create a crumb coat. Place the tiramisu cake into the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
- Finish decorating: After the cake has set in the fridge, remove the cake and finish frosting the cake as desired, piping the remaining mascarpone filling on top. Dust the cake with cocoa powder. If serving at a later point, hold off on piping the mascarpone until 10-20 minutes before serving. The cocoa powder will soak too much into the piped mascarpone, and soften the mascarpone.
- Slice and serve! Store any leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
See blog post for all tips & tricks
