I used to love tiramisu in my pre-vegan days and I don’t know why it’s taken me 10 years to realise it can be veganised really easily. Switching the extremely calorific ingredients of double cream, condensed milk, marscapone cheese and in some cases raw egg yolk for a low-fat, delectable, healthy and cruelty-free combination of coconut cream and silken tofu has a multitude of benefits, not least the incredible deliciousness.
Sponge Fingers
Ingredients
12 x Sponge fingers.
If you can’t find vegan sponge (or lady?) fingers in the shop, they are very easy to make. If you make them the day before they’ll be less soft and crumbly.
115g plant-based margarine or butter
55g castor sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
140g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup cold, strong coffee
1/4 cup cacao powder for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.
Add the flour and baking powder and whisk carefully together, making sure you don’t over beat the mixture.
Form finger shapes with the dough and place on a lined baking tray.
Cook for 10-12 minutes, the sponge fingers will be slightly golden, not brown.
Tiramisu Cream
Ingredients
50g castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp brandy
Method
Wizz together the coconut cream, silken tofu, vanilla essence, castor sugar and brandy so you have a smooth mousse.
Dunk the sponge fingers into the cold coffee and lay flat at the bottom of your serving dish.
Cover the fingers with a layer of tiramisu cream.
Repeat the above until you finish with a final layer of cream.
Dust over the cacao powder to coat the top. You can also optionally add cacao nibs and coffee beans.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Serve cold to tumultuous applause.