Vegan tiramisu jars

Vegan tiramisu jars

vegan tiramisu

What a hectic week this has been! I’m exhausted and I’m so looking forward to the weekend, and this one in particular! It’s my birthday this Sunday and Duncan is treating me to a break in breathtaking Santorini where I will be able to put my feet up at last.

And what an idyllic place to do that in! It’s such a thoughtful present and although the hammock I got last year was his best b’day present yet (I love sinking into it at sunny weekends with a book and a coffee in hand), this is a close second!

Duncan hasn’t always been that intuitive when it comes to present choices. One memorable Xmas, he presented me with two beautifully wrapped boxes. I was excited. We’d only been going out for about a year or two at that point, so I was secretly hoping for something romantic.

I went for the larger box first. My smile quickly morphed into a confused wince as torn wrapping paper revealed an electric power drill! I somehow managed to keep my graces and I swiftly moved to the smaller box. This must be it, I thought. Imagine the horror on my face when I discovered that the smaller box contained a 64 piece drill bit set to go with the power drill!!! He said he was agonising over whether to get the 128 piece set instead (Duncan here: it turned out the 64 was fine, I wouldn’t bother with the 128)!

His rationale was that as I was a brand new home owner, a power tool was exactly what I needed to help me accomplish all the DIY I was planning on doing. He was right, it did prove very useful over the course of all our DIY projects and he never failed to bring up what a great yet massively undervalued present it was. Fair play! I’m so glad we can laugh about it all now!

Today’s recipe is a vegan tiramisu as I am a coffee fiend and I’ve had an idea for it banging around in my head for a while. It’s easy to make and a pleasure to eat. I made mine in small glass ramekins as that’s what I had to hand, but you could also double the ganache and cream quantities and go for a largish (20 cm / 8″ square) tin instead. Just remember to allow a few hours (4 hours to be on the safe side) for the cream to set and keep well chilled until you’re ready to serve.

vegan tiramisu top down

vegan tiramisu spoon

makes
4
PREP
30 min
COOKING
45 min
makes
4
PREPARATION
30 min
COOKING
45 min
INGREDIENTS

SPONGE

  • 135 ml / ½ cup + 1 tbsp almond milk
  • 45 ml / 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp vanilla essence
  • 15 ml / 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 60 g / heaped ¼ cup sugar
  • 140 g / 1¼ cup all purpose flour, sifted*
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda

CHOCOLATE-COFFEE LAYER

  • 80 g / 2.75 oz vegan dark 70% chocolate
  • 80 ml / 1/3 cup almond milk
  • 120 ml / ½ cup strong coffee, divided**

CREAM LAYER

  • 60 ml / ¼ cup aquafaba (chickpea brine)
  • ¼ tsp white or apple cider vinegar
  • 25-35 g / 2-3 tbsp sugar, adjust to taste
  • 1/8 tsp xanthan gum (recommended but not necessary)
  • 200 ml / heaped ¾ cup coconut cream from a tin of full fat coconut milk

METHOD
SPONGE

  1. Heat up the oven to 170° C (or 150° C fan forced) / 340° F (300° F fan forced). Grease a baking tin (20 cm / 8″ square) with a very small amount of oil.
  2. Whisk the first five ingredients in a large bowl with a wire whisk.
  3. In a separate, smaller bowl combine the remaining three ingredients.
  4. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Take care to fold them in very gently or else the sponge will be tough.
  5. Transfer the batter to a lightly greased baking tin. If your tin doesn’t have a removable bottom, it may be a good idea to place 2 long and wide strips of baking paper down first so that you can use them as handy tabs to make cake removal easier.
  6. Bake for about 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is nicely browned.
  7. Once cool, remove the sponge from the tin and cut to the shape of your tiramisu glasses.
  8. Place a circle of the sponge at the bottom of each glass.
  9. Soak the sponge with about 1 tbsp of strong coffee per glass (60 ml / ¼ cup in total).

CHOCOLATE COFFEE LAYER

  1. Place the chopped-up chocolate, almond milk and 60 ml / ¼ cup of cooled coffee in a bowl over a water bath. Set the hob on the lowest setting and allow all three to melt into each other. Do not stir until most of the chocolate has melted. Gently mix the two together with a wire whisk and take the bowl off the heat to allow it to cool.
  2. Once the ganache is cool but still pourable, divide it evenly between the 4 ramekins and place them into the fridge for about 1 hour to set.

CREAM LAYER

  1. Place chilled coconut cream in a bowl and give it a brisk whisk with a wire whisk so that it’s smooth and lump free.
  2. In a large bowl, whip aquafaba and vinegar until you get stiff peaks – to check, invert the bowl and watch if the whipped aquafaba starts sliding down, if it does continue whipping until it no longer does. With my handheld electric whisk, it takes approximately 5 minutes for this amount of aquafaba.
  3. Once at stiff peaks, start adding sugar very gradually while whipping. Adjust the amount of sugar to taste mindful of the fact that the chocolate layer is fairly unsweet.
  4. Whisk in the xanthan gum.
  5. Very, very slowly and gently whisk the coconut cream into the aquafaba with a wire whisk. The mixture will deflate a bit but don’t worry, it’s normal – once chilled the fat in the coconut cream will provide structure and a nice mouth feel. Top the set chocolate-coffee cream with the layer of cream and put the ramekins into the fridge (for about 4 hrs) to set. Keep refrigerated until you’re ready to serve.

NOTES
*To make this dessert gluten-free, substitute wheat flour with a gluten-free cake mix.

**Traditionally a mixture of strong coffee and Marsala (sweet red wine) is used to soak the sponge. I didn’t have any suitable alcohol in my cupboards so I did without it, but you may want to use marsala, brandy or dark rum.

The sponge recipe is adapted from this earlier recipe.
Chocolate coffee cream is adapted from this earlier recipe.
Cream is adapted from this earlier recipe.

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
603
30%
sugars
64 g
72%
fats
25 g
36%
saturates
13 g
63%
proteins
6 g
12%
carbs
93 g
36%
*per serving
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4.9
10 reviews, 37 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Maurice:
Hi, can you freeze this?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Maurice,
    I haven't tried so I can't be sure, I'm sorry. Ania
Jane:
Hi Ania, I have a question! I made this at xmas and it was really fantastic except... I still don't really understand the purpose of the aquafaba in the whipped coconut cream? Whenever I have used Aquafaba in other recipes the golden rule seems to be "don't let any oil contaminate or it won't whip up" [Meanwhile, I have found coconut cream whips up stiffly perfectly well by itself. } So when I made this I followed the recipe and sure enough my lovely stiff peaks dissolved completely on adding the coconut cream (full of fat). It was so watery I ended up just opening a new can of coconut cream and whipping it up as is. Everything else worked perfectly but I wonder if you could explain why you add the aquafaba and what I may have done wrong? (making again for Easter)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Jane,
    I completely understand your confusion so let me explain. Yes, aquafaba should not come in contact with any grease while it's being whipped as it will prevent it from reaching stiff peaks. In fact it's the same with egg whites. Once you have stiff peaks, it is fine (and often necessary) to incorporate some form of fat to achieve rich yet airy mouthfeel. In fact, that's how you make pretty much any kind of mousse - lemon, chocolate etc. - a mousse without fat would not have a pleasant, rich mouthfeel so some form of fat is very much needed. The key is to incorporate it gently and slowly (to fold it in) and while whipped aquafaba will deflate a little during that process if it turns into liquid it means that it usually means that it wasn't whipped stiff enough to begin with. The reason why I use aquafaba in conjunction with coconut cream in this recipe is to make it airy and light. Hope this makes more sense now and if you'd rather use a different cream, why not try this one instead? Happy Easter! Ania
Cynthia:
I make this every year for my birthday, and it is hands-down my favorite dessert. Thank you for making such amazing recipes!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw thank you so much, Cynthia! I am so honoured to read that my recipe has become your favourite birthday treat :) Thank you for taking the time to review – I really appreciate it. x Ania
Andra:
So good! Made this as a “cake” and it turned out beautifully with such simple ingredients. You’ve certainly got a huge talent to veganize recipes! Thank you for sharing these with us!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw thanks Andra, I am so pleased to hear that you enjoyed it so much - I actually have a tiramisu cake on my to do list, thanks for reminding me. x Ania
Alexandra:
As someone that has numerous food allergies/intolerances a good desert is a distant memory, however these amazing tiramisu deserts were amazing. They were appreciated by all at our Christmas dinner with the ease of preparing ahead and people were surprised when they saw me eating too!!!! Thank you so much
    Ania
    Ania:
    That's so lovely to hear, Alexandra! Not being able to partake in festive food sharing can be soooo hard (although I only experienced it due to my choice to be vegan, having allergies must be so much worse!) - I am really happy to hear that you were able to enjoy these jars alongside your guests. x Ania
Hinke:
Is it possible to use cashew cream instead of coconut cream? Not a fan of coconut...
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Hinke,
    Yes, I am pretty sure that it would work fine - I have used cashew cream in conjuction with whipped aquafaba in this dessert and it worked out great. Make sure to fold it in gently and gradually. Ania
Nuno Dias:
Hi Anya,
- Cool.
- OK, I might.
- You should see these videos: https://youtu.be/OTRtR1cVl0c and https://youtu.be/IuYS-K5U_Xc. That's the brand I buy and it's available in the UK (https://lucybee.com/pages/stockists). I'm wary of saying that any brand is "definitely cruelty free", but...
https://lucybee.com/blogs/all-blogs/are-monkeys-used-to-collect-coconuts-for-coconut-oil
PETA lists it as one of the "Brands That Don’t Support Monkey Labour" here:
https://www.peta.org.uk/action/brands-drop-thai-coconut/
Take a look at the label on their coconut oil:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2133/6027/products/100ml5_1024x1024@2x.jpg?v=1603897068
Given how clear they are on this issue, I think it could significantly damage the brand if they were caught using monkeys, so even from a purely selfish perspective it probably doesn't makes sense for them to do it.
Regards,
Nuno Dias
Nuno Dias:
- Have you tried making it with soy or oat milk? I try to have a package of almond milk around but I generally avoid using it.
- Could the xanthan gum be substituted for corn starch? It's cheaper and already in my pantry.
- I make coconut milk (when I occasionally need it for some recipe) from creamed coconut but I'm not sure that would work for this recipe, what do you think? Also, you might want to reconsider your link to Aroy-D's coconut milk (https://www.peta.org.uk/action/retailers-drop-thai-coconut/).
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Nuno,
    - I haven't but it should work the same.
    - never used it in this context so you would need to experiment, I'm afraid.
    - not sure it would, to be honest as my understanding is that creamed coconut is very different from coconut milk (different fat content and water to fat ratio, which would affect the outcome). I was not aware of this, but from what I have read since this is an industry wide-issue - do you perhaps have a recommendation for a brand that's definitely cruelty free and available in the UK? Cheers, Ania
Sam:
How can I make the cream chocolate? Would you suggest cocoa powder or melted chocolate and how much of each? I personally think melted chocolate will be better because chocolate normally sets in the fridge, even at room temperature but I don't know if my thinking is wrong.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Sam,
    I would love to help you out but I'll be honest, I do not understand what you are asking for? There is a chocolate ganache that is part of this dessert already. Ania
Lott:
Hi, love this recipe and my non vegan sister did too! I'm wondering for how long it will keep in the fridge after making it? Thanks!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Lott, that's lovely to hear. I would say 2-3 days in an airtight container so that it doesn't dry out. The 'cream' is quite fragile so I reckon it will deteriorate fairly quickly after that. Hope that helps! Ania
Méabh:
I've had a craving for tiramisu recently and decided to give it a bash, and thought to myself "I bet Ania has a recipe for this"...and here you are! Just waiting for my oats to soak for oat milk and then I'm ready to go, can't wait x
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks and I hope you'll enjoy my take on this classic dessert! Ania
Anita Amit:
This recipe looks yummy and I look forward to trying it! I am no good with desserts of baking, so a couple of questions - what size cake pan are you using for the sponge in order to get the desired thickness for the quantities you have? I too would like to try it as a cake rather than ramekins and trying to figure out quantities and pan sizes. You mentioned this amount serves in 4 ramekins and the 8inch square pan option by doubling only the ganache and cream - not the cake?
Could you help clarify 1) how many servings this recipe makes (4, I am guessing) and what size pan you use for the sponge 2) would it work to double everything in the recipe and make a cake using a 9 inch round pan?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Anita,
    Here are my answers: 1) this recipe makes 4 servings, 2) the tin size I used is 20 cm / 8" square tin and 3) I think it could work, but you don't need to double the batter for the cake as the quantity given is for an 8" pan so maybe just add 25-50% more. Hope that makes sense! Ania
Sarah:
I've tried the recipe a few times and it was delicious.
One question, do you think the tiramisu can stand by itself like a cake after chilled in the fridge? For example, to make it in a cake tin and chill, would it firm up a bit so that it can stand on a cake stand instead of glass ramekins (I don't have pretty ones like yours)? Thanks
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Sarah,
    I'm really happy hear that, thank you! Yes, I think it should be okay as a cake too! In fact, I was planning to make a tiramisu cake for the blog at some point - watch this space :) x Ania
Lola:
What can i use instead of Aquafaba? I dont really live next to a store so maybe it can be something i can make at home? Sorry if im being a little annoying ^-^. Oh and can i use cow cream instead of coconut cream? I searched vegan because i dont eat eggs, im very eager to try this recipe! :)
Lola
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi,
    Hmm, if you don't want to use either aquafaba or coconut cream then then maybe use whatever you would use normally for the cream layer if you don't care about keeping them vegan. Ania
Johanna Franz:
Hello Ania
I'm going to make your tiramisu as dessert on Christmas day, can it be made the day before? P.s I absolutely love your receipes x
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Johanna! I'm so glad to hear that! Yes, I think it should be very fine. I hope it will go down well. Ania
kevin:
Hi Ania, is it possible to make it gluten free?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Kevin,
    Yes, I think so. I am pretty sure that gluten-free cake flour mix would work just as well. Hope that helps! Ania
Teri:
This looks delicious! I’m thinking of making individual ones in shot glasses for a shower I’m hosting. I normally use coconut sugar in all my baking. Woukd that work, or should I buy granulated sugar. Also, woukd almond flour or whole wheat flour be okay?
Thanks
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Teri,
    I don't use coconut sugar much, but if you use it in baking all the time, this recipe should not be any different. I personally find it less sweet than brown sugar so you may perhaps want to consider increasing its amount slightly. As for the flour, almond flour will work with regular white flour (say 30 % almond flour and 70 % regular flour) - this will produce a lighter sponge. I would advise against wholemeal as it will render the sponge coarser / less delicate, but that's really up to you - you may not mind that at all. Good luck! Hope you'll enjoy it. Ania
anita:
Hi, this recipe looks amazing. Just wondering, with the chocolate ganache layer, does it harden by the time you go to eat it, or is it soft and smooth. Given that this dessert needs to set in the fridge, I wanted to know if this will mean the chocolate layer becomes hard and difficult to cut through?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Anita,
    No, it stays creamy and soft, don't worry. It has quite a lot of liquid in it which prevents the chocolate from hardening. Hope that helps! Ania
Cassie:
Hi! I just made this and the flavours are fantastic! I will definitely make it again - it's an easy treat and everyone has loved it so far. However, it was actually impossible to get the coconut cream "smooth with no lumps" - I tried everything. Should it be at room temperature? I had mine straight from the fridge. So the top is essentially coconut cream bits held together by aquafaba. Any tips would be appreciated. It tastes great but the top "cream" layer is kind of weird.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Cassie,
    I am glad that you enjoyed the flavours despite issues with the cream. I have tried making this 'cream' layer with both refrigerated and room temperature coconut cream and it worked well in both cases. I found that giving coconut cream a good whisk (even with an electric whisk if the lumps are stubborn) before incorporating into stiff aquafaba got rid of the lumps. Other than, I don't really know what else to suggest, sorry. Ania
Stez:
Your coffee amounts are confusing. The ingredients for the chocolate coffee layer include half a cup whereas the method states a quarter of a cup. Is the spare quarter of a cup to be used to soak the sponge?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Stez,
    Yes, exactly, the other quarter is to soak the sponge (1 tbsp per portion equals quarter cup). Apologies if that I hand't explained it very clearly. I corrected it now. Hope it makes more sense now...Ania
Stephen:
Looks great. I'm curious if you can make this ahead of time? Does the cream layer "flatten" easily, since it is made with aquafaba?
Ideally I would like to make this day before, if it can hold up.
Thanks
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Stephen,
    The top layer needs time to set so making it a day before is not an issue, but it does need to be set in the fridge. Hope that helps, Ania
Ines:
Hi Ania!
Thank you so much for your wonderful-sounding and looking recipes! I'm excited to try some of them. I have a question on the Tiramisu - I noticed that the cream layer is made up mostly of coconut cream and I'm wondering if you taste a lot of the coconut taste - or does the chocolate layer counteract it enough? I'm not a big coconut fan.
Also wanted to mention that often in the U.S., tiramisu is made with Kahlua (a coffee-flavored sweet liquor) along with the strong coffee. Thanks for your help
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Ines,
    I would not say that coconut comes through strongly in this recipe. Duncan isn't a big fan of it either and he demolished these without grumbling. Hope you'll enjoy it if you decide to give it a go! Ania
Anna:
Yumm this is a very creamy and tasty recipe. I may have to make extra spongecake next time just to enjoy by itself it's so good!
One tip for making: Clean your whisk between whisking the coconut cream and the aquafaba. I didn't the first time and my aquafaba wouldn't inflate, I think due to the coconut oils on the whisk!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks for nice feedback, Anna! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :) Sorry if that's unclear (and I'm happy to correct), but I actually used an electric whisk to whip aquafaba to stiff peaks and a manual wire whisk to incorporate coconut cream into it. Let me know if I'm not making sense! Ania
Irene Findley:
Hi!
I want to try this this weekend.. What did you use for the dusting on top?
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes on your lovely blog.
Irene
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Irene. I dusted them with cacao powder! Ania
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