The rich flavors of dark chocolate, Kahlua, and espresso in this dairy-free tiramisu make a decadent dessert!
Dairy-Free Tiramisu
Tiramisu is an Italian dessert made with lady finger cookies and is coffee flavored. It’s also my favorite dessert, and I always request tiramisu for my birthday. After perfecting the recipe, I thought it would be fun to make a dairy-free tiramisu, so more people could enjoy it! I love the rich flavors of coffee, Kahlua, and dark chocolate, and it’s perfect for people who don’t love overly sweet desserts. So, if you want to make this for a partner or friend or anybody, I think it would be a great way to show your love this valentine’s day!
Ingredients
The main ingredient and the base of this dessert is lady fingers. For a gluten free option, once again Shar has got our back! I used to be able to find these lady fingers in stores, but lately I’ve had to order them online. Again we run into the vegan or gluten free dilemma because the lady fingers do contain egg.
Next, you will need Kahlua which is a coffee liquor. This is my favorite alcohol to use in tiramisu because it has a really nice flavor. Other recipes I’ve seen use other alcohols like a sweet marsala wine or a rum. You could substitute another liquor if you wanted or omit the Kahlua if you don’t consume any alcohol.
You will also need a strong coffee or espresso. If you have an espresso maker and can easily brew 2 cups of liquid then you will probably get the best flavor from espresso. However, you can also use a dark roast coffee blend and get a very similar taste for the dessert. I’m not a coffee expert, so I don’t taste a meaningful difference.
Finally, get a bar of good dark chocolate for grating between the layers. Many recipe call for cocoa powder which will work, and you can use this if you don’t have a tool to grate chocolate. However, I think that sometimes cocoa powder tastes too bitter, and I prefer better dark chocolate. This there are so few ingredients in this dessert, I think it’s worth using quality ones.
Making Vegan Whipped Cream
For the non-vegan filling, tiramisu uses whipped egg yolks, whipped cream, and mascarpone cheese to make a light and fluffy filling. For this dish, we are going to substitute in coconut milk to make whipped cream because it has a thick creamy texture and whips up nicely.
Look for coconut milk that is sold in cans, not in the non-diary milk section. Usually you’ll find coconut milk in the Asian section of the store. You want to buy full fat coconut milk or even coconut cream if they have it. Don’t shake the cans, and if you can feel the liquid moving around in the can, set it aside for a day or so for the liquid to separate.
When the coconut milk sits, it will separate into the cream and the liquid. For this recipe we only want the cream to make our whipped filling stiffer. If your cans sill feel liquid, you can put them in the fridge to help them solidify and separate. When you are ready to make the whipped cream, open the can a scoop out the cream. You can discard the liquid or save it for smoothies.
The easiest way to make this whipped cream is to use a stand mixer or a hand mixer. However, if you do not have a mixer, you can whisk by hand since this is not as labor intensive as making dairy-based whipped cream. When all the ingredients are combined and the texture has reached soft peak, then you are done making whipped cream. Taste it and adjust sugar levels to your preference.
Assembling the Tiramisu
To make the dairy-free tiramisu you will layer the lady fingers, whipped cream, and chocolate, and then repeat with lady fingers, more whipped cream, and chocolate. The hardest part here is finding a dish that the lady fingers will fit nicely into. I happen to find that this Pyrex 11 cup rectangular dish fits a package of Schar lady fingers perfectly. Six cookies fit across and the package comes with 12 for two layers. Whatever container you use, test the dry cookies to see how you can arrange them and if you need to cut them before you begin to assemble the dish.
The best way to make this dessert it to pour the coffee mixture into a shallow dish like a pie pan to make soaking the cookies easier. One at a time, roll the lady fingers in the coffee mixture to saturate them. Make sure they get soaked all the way through but don’t let them disintegrate. Line the soaked cookies up in a flat layer in the dish. Then scoop out half the whipped cream mixture and spread it evenly.
For the chocolate layer, you want to use a grater or a microplane to grate the chocolate over the dish. This will get messy, but make sure all the whipped cream is covered. The repeat with another layer of soaked cookies, the other half of the whipped cream, and more chocolate. If you don’t have a grater, you could use a vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls or you can use cocoa powder. Get the full recipe and video instructions below!
Dairy-Free Tiramisu
Ingredients
For the filling-
- 3 cans coconut milk or coconut cream
- 3 tbsp Kahlua
- 6 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
For the coffee-
- 2 cups strong coffee or espresso
- 6 tbsp powered sugar
- 4 tbsp Kahlua
For assembly-
- 1 package Shar lady fingers
- ½ bar dark chocolate
Instructions
To make the filling-
- Take the cans of coconut milk and do not shake or invert them. Open the top and scoop of the thick coconut cream and discard the liquid. If you’re cans seem to be too homogenous, you can put them the the fridge to help the cream solidify. Add the cream to a mixing bowl.
- To the mixing bowl add the sugar, kaluah, and vanilla bean paste. Whip on high for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Set aside.
To make the coffee-
- Brew 2 cups of strong coffee or espresso if you have an espresso maker. The difference is taste is small, so do whatever is easier.
To assemble the dish-
- Add the sugar and kaluah and set aside to cool.
- Open the lady fingers and find a dish they fit into. I suggest testing to see how to arrange them and if you need to cut them before dipping them in the coffee.
- Take the coffee mixture and add it to a pie pan or a shallow dish that you can easily dip the lady fingers in.
- Rotate the lady fingers in the coffee mixture so they absorb the flavor and become soft, but without them crumbling. If you do not let them absorb enough liquid the final dish will be crunchy.
- Once the bottom layer of the dish is covered in soaked lady fingers, add half the whipped cream filling.
- Take a microplane and the chocolate and shave dark chocolate over the layer.
- Then repeat the layers starting with soaked cookies, the other half of the whipped cream, and lastly another layer of shaved chocolate.
- Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours to let the cream stiffen up and for the flavors to incorporate.
- Store in the fridge and serve cold.