Description
Quite literally the best vegan tiramisu you will ever make, this easy dairy free tiramisu is layered with espresso soaked homemade ladyfingers, creamy and rich vegan mascarpone filling, and topped with a dusting of cocoa powder. Tastes just like the classic Italian “pick-me-up” layered dessert!
Ingredients
Vegan Gluten Free Ladyfingers:
- 2 cups (250 grams) all purpose flour or sifted gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour (if doing gluten-free, add in 1 tsp arrowroot powder)
- 2 tbsp (20 g) cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) aquafaba*
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup (50 g) dairy free yogurt or unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 2 tbsp melted vegan butter or avocado oil, room temperature
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 cup (30 g) powdered sugar
Vegan Mascarpone Cream:*
- 2 batches vegan mascarpone, chilled + 2 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch*
- 1 1/2 cup (360 mL) vegan heavy cream, chilled
- 1/2 cup (60 g) vegan powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Decoration:
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup brewed espresso
- Optional: coconut whipped cream for decoration (I also recommend Forager Project coconut whipped cream- it’s super easy to pipe!)
Equipment:
- 6x9″ or 8x8″ baking pan
- Baking sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Espresso machine
- Stand mixer or Hand mixer
Instructions
- Please read through all instructions before beginning. I recommend making this tiramisu over 3 days, but it can be done over 2 days. You’ll need to prep the mascarpone cheese (not the finished mascarpone cream) and ladyfingers Day 1, followed by making the mascarpone cream and assemble Day 2, and serve Day 3.
- Make the mascarpone cheese: For the mascarpone with the addition of the cornstarch, add the 2 tsp of cornstarch when you blend the mascarpone in Step 4 in the mascarpone recipe. Make sure you chill the mascarpone cheese before using in your mascarpone cream. This is why I recommend making it the day before.
- Make the ladyfingers next. : Preheat the oven to 390F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Measure out the ingredients for the ladyfingers first.
- Prepare the ladyfingers batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whisk together the aquafaba and cream of tartar on high speed for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Then add in 1 tablespoon at a time of the sugar, continuing to mix on medium speed, until you finish the entire 3/4 cup (150g). Then turn the speed up to high and continuing whisking for 5-7 minutes, until you reach stiff peaks (aquafaba takes longer to reach stiff peaks than egg whites). Add in the vanilla extract, almond extract, melted vegan butter, and dairy free yogurt. Mix just until incorporated (the mixture won’t be stiff peaks anymore- that’s okay!). Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Place a sieve over the bowl, and add about 1/2 of the flour mixture to the sieve. Sift in the mixture, and gently fold again, being careful not to over mix. Once JUST incorporated, add in the remaining half of the flour mixture to the sieve and sift again. Fold JUST until the flour is incorporated (it will be super thick- don’t worry! It will still be pipe-able). Fill a piping bag with round nozzle, and pipe 3-4″ long lady fingers onto your baking sheet, separating them by about 1″. You should yield about 28 4″ lady fingers, or 36 3″ lady fingers. Dust with 1/4 cup powdered sugar before baking.
- Bake the ladyfingers: Place the baking sheet into the oven to bake for 12 minutes. They’ll be lightly golden. For crispier cookies, bake for another 2 minutes. Ten remove from the oven and set aside. Set the ladyfingers aside to cool completely. They’re even better if used the following day.
- Mascarpone cream prep: Chill a large bowl in the freezer for 20 minutes prior to making the mascarpone cream.
- Prepare the mascarpone cream: In the large chilled bowl, cream the vegan heavy cream until you reach stiff peaks, about 4-5 minutes. Then add in the powdered sugar, additional cornstarch, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste, and cream again until creamy and combined. Finally, spoon in the chilled mascarpone cheese, and cream again until fluffy and combined. Set aside covered and in the fridge for when you’re ready to assemble.
- Assembly: brew the espresso and make sure you have a 6×9″ or 8×8″ baking pan. Remove the mascarpone from the fridge. Dip one ladyfinger into the espresso, and be careful not to soak it too much. Just make sure it’s entirely covered in the espresso. Remove the ladyfinger from the espresso and place in the dish. Repeat with the half of the ladyfingers until the first layer is complete. You’ll have half for the second layer. Spoon half of the mascarpone on top of the first layer of lady fingers. Repeat for the second layer, dipping the ladyfingers into the espresso, topping with mascarpone.
- Place the dish into the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
- Serve: when ready to serve, remove the tiramisu from the fridge. Pipe coconut whipped cream on top if desired, then dust with cacao or cocoa powder. Slice and serve! Store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Aquafaba: This is the liquid in your chickpea can or jar. It acts just like an egg white and is an amazing egg substitute in baking!
Vegan yogurt: You can use any dairy free yogurt brand here. I used Forager Project cashewmilk yogurt, but you can use a nut-free one if you’d like. The original version I created used vegan cream cheese but I found there were too many inconsistencies across brands and this was the safer option to provide more consistent results.
For a soy free mascarpone cream:
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter, room temperature
- 1-2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup (112 g) vegan cream cheese, unsweetened
- 2 tbsp dairy free yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
To make it: In a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the vegan butter and cream cheese until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, and continue cream together until smooth. Then add in the dairy free yogurt, and cream together until fluffy. Use a tablespoon of dairy free milk as needed to help with the texture. Place the mascarpone in the fridge until ready to use.
Original tiramisu recipe: Because of so many requests for the vegan cream cheese option for the mascarpone, I decided to add it as an option in the notes! Please find the original recipe here:
- Lady fingers:
- 2 cups cake flour or sifted gluten free 1:1 baking flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 tbsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup dairy free milk with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tbsp dairy free yogurt or vegan sour cream, room tempearture
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- Vegan Mascarpone:
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 ounces vegan butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
