This post is also available in: Deutsch (German)
A classic reinvented totally dairy-free, gluten-free in a cake form: Raw Vegan Tiramisu Cake
I love tiramisu! I loved it since I was a child, on vacation with my parents in Italy, indulging in this creamy heavenly “something”, that seemed perfect and unflawed. For months, it was a goal to recreate this classic in a vegan, no-bake and nourishing way. And it still needed to be super-yummy, so my Italian friends would love it as much as the traditional one.
The “how to make a Tiramisu vegan challenge”
When starting this challenge I found the Tiramisu recipe from Audrey from Unconventionalbaker and I adapted a big chunck of her recipe to overcome the two main challenges I had to face. How do I replace the consistency of mascarpone and how it would turn out without adding any single egg. Also, I wanted to completely leave out the alcohol and still get a good result. With no expectations at all, I started creating and normally I would need 2-3 trails in order to be satisfied with my creation. This time was different. I tried it and I thought it was:
CREAMY
PERFECT BALANCE OF FLAVORS
CHOCOLATEY YET COFFEE INFUSED
MUCH LIGHTER THAN A CLASSICAL TIRAMISU
I personally thought that the lack of alcohol wasn’t a problem at all. I used very rich cold pressed coffee powder and raw cacao powder which both added to the richness of the Cake. However, if you feel like adding some booze, please go ahead and let m know how it went, so I can add it here in this post. I would say using Kahlua would work best!
The best part about this Cake is not only that it tastes super delicious it is also a healthy, gluten-free, vegan version, which in my opinion tastes better than the traditional one and makes you feel less heavy after eating it. I know bakers always love to title their new creation such as: “the best….I’ve ever made.”, but this one really is the best vegan Cake I’ve ever made and believe me I have tried a lot!
To make the cake, you only need a bunch of ingredients, and I swear none of them are fancy or hard to get!
I hope you give this Italian classic a go! I am a little bit scared to get Italien reviews but I think I can handle it:) I would be very happy to see your own version on Social Media! Share it with me on my on Instagram @vanillacrunnch or leave a comment here!
XO
- Base
- ½ cup hazelnuts
- 1 cup almonds
- 10 Medjool dates
- 1 tbsp finely grounded coffee (coffee powder)
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- a pinch of fine sea salt
- Mousse Layer
- 1½ cup cashews, soaked overnight
- ¾ cup Medjool dates
- ⅓ cup melted raw dark chocolate
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ⅔ cup almond milk, room-temperature
- 4 tbsp cacao butter, melted
- ⅓ cup cacao powder
- 2 tsp freshly grounded coffee
- Cream layer
- ¾ cup cashews, soaked overnight
- ¾ cup full-fat coconut milk or cream*
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- -
- more cacao powder
- cacao nibs
- * the upper hardened part of the coconut milk in a can when you leave it in the fridge overnight
- Process all base layer ingredients in your food processor until sticky.
- With your fingers, press into a 8" springform pan and press down into an even crust, going up the edges a little all around.
- Put in the freezer.
- For the middle layer, process all the ingredients until smooth and well combined.
- Pour into the pan over the crust and put the Cake back into the freezer.
- Blend your ingredients for the cream layer but only pour them over the chocolate layer once it has hardened.
- Let sit in the freezer for 4 hours or overnight
- Before serving, dust the top with cacao powder and sprinkle with some cacao nibs
- Note: Use an 8-inch springform pan or a smaller one when you want to make the cake "higher" in size
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thanks so much for the kind feedback. I am happy you and your friends love the recipe as much as I do. <3
I made this and served it as the vegan dessert at Thanksgiving and it was a hit!! You nailed this with all the right flavors of tiramisu. Thank you. I will definitely be making this again!
Thanks a lot for trying it, happy you liked it!
Delicious!!! I love the recipe, it was so really fantastic! Thank you for share 💕
Thanks so much for the hint I will check on the recipes and adapt if there is a mistake 🙂
I’ve wanted to try this cake since you posted it but somehow never made it. Now I finally got it done and it was super delish! I was just wondering about the crust. In the german recipe it says 30 g hazelnuts, in english it’s 1/2 cup which would be 75 g. Same for the almonds. That really changes the ratio of nuts to dates! I went with the english recipe but I feel like the crust should have been stickier so more dates or less nuts.
Hi Dea, you are right I will adapt ut asap! Thank you!
Hi! Just made this wonderful tiramisu cake! But, somehow the cream layer is too tin? It is 1/3 compared to mozsse layer.
Should there be mora of cashews than 1/3 cup?
Thanks
You’re welcome if you come to Montreal! 😉
Thanks so much! Would love to join your christmas feast 😊
I would even say 12. Thank you so much for this recipe! The cake taste so good, the texture is amazing and it looks beautiful! I’m going to serve this cake for Christmas!
Around 8-10 depending on the size of slices. They are very rich so you can slice rather thin slices.
How many does this serve?
I’d add it to the chocolate layer 🙂
You can use both I prefer ground coffee beans because I believe they have a stronger and better taste
also, is the ground coffee INSTANT coffee or ground coffee beans? thank you so much!
if I were to add a bit of madeira wine (the alcohol commonly used in Tiramisu) in which layer would I add it without it being too liquidy and how much? I want to make this for my friends birthday coming up. we are serving her Italian food so this would be perfect. thank you so much! 🙂
white chocolate or coconut oil 🙂
Hi, I cannot find cacao butter… By what can i replace it? Thank you.
Hi Elina, Yes totally and only take the really hard part of the coconut cream this should help as well as watery parts can make it less creamy. Hope that helps 🙂
Hello.
I love this recipe, thank you for sharing! All the tastes are well balanced. Do you have any recommendations how to make the cream layer more creamier? Mine was kind of watery. Should I try adding for example cocoa butter?
No, not frozen 🙂 I keep it in the fridge and it totally stays solid for 2-3 days 🙂
Does this mean, that the Tiramisu will have to be eaten frozen? If totally unfrozen (out of the fridge), would it collapse? thanks for a wonderful looking recipe.
There is not really a sub you could try tofu but I don‘t know whether it works..
What can I use to replace the coconut element of the cake
Hi Renu it depends how you prefer I like to wait for 10+ minutes after taking it out of the freezer ????
Hello Lara, thank you for sharing the recipe. I made the cake last night for my friend’s birthday today. Cake looks perfect and divine. Just one question, do we serve the cake straight from the freezer or let it come at room temperature?
Thank you
Yes true! Though the coconut oil was more like room temperature soft ????
Thank you for the answer 🙂 Then coconut oil and cacao butter are for solid as well?
No for solid ????
It looks amazing! Is the chocolate amount for melted?
You can but watch the consistency that it doesn’t get too liquid!
Can I sub dates in this chocolate layer for something like maple syrup or xylitol? 🙂
oh my god looks very soft and yummy!
Thanks so much Sam! I am glad you did not actually eat the laptop otherwise I should take this in my blog disclaimer ????
Stunning! I should make this for a church potluck. Nobody would believe it was raw and vegan — then again, with me bringing it, they’d at least know it was vegan, haha. Thanks so much for sharing! It’s beautiful. As I said to my friend who posted this on Facebook, “I just ate my laptop!” 😉
Thanks! It is finely ground but instant coffee would work as well. I adapted it in the recipe.
Looks delish! Is the ‘grounded coffee” an ‘instant’ coffee or is it actually finely ground coffee beans?
Mmmm, this looks divine, Lara!
Mhh can you use cashewmilk? A thick consistency would be good! Otherwise try coconut or soyyogurt ????
What could I replace the coconut cream/milk with?
Ich habe die von loving earth und bestellt bei yumraw.ch sonst ganz gerne ombar die kann man bei uns im naturmarkt kaufen oder auch online bestellen ????
Hallo Lara
Welche raw dark chocolate beunutzt du/ wo kaufst du diese?
Lg
Looks beautiful, darling! Tiramisu can definitely be a very challenging dessert to make, but I think you hit the nail right on the head!