Raw vegan tiramisu; a delightful dessert inspired by Flora restaurant in Verona. It has a layer of coconut ‘sponge’ topped with silky smooth coffee-cashew cream. Decorated with a dusting of cocoa powder and a sprinkling of cacao nibs.
Verona was the last stop on our epic 17 day vegan tour of Northern Italy and boy did Italy save the best until last! Italy was full of surprises and was every foodies’ dream. By the time we reached Verona for a stop over on the way back to Milan airport we were content, with bellies full of wonderful vegan food and minds buzzing with all of the exciting dishes we had tried; which you can read about in my blog here.
Verona is a beautiful city and is a must for any traveller in Italy. We booked into a beautiful all-vegan restaurant called Flora, which was tastefully decorated and painted with delicate foliage. The menu was brilliantly inventive with a mixture of both raw and cooked dishes that were full of flavour and ingenuity. Despite being so full that we could barely move, sampling the decadent sounding desserts was an absolute must; one of which was a mostly-raw tiramisu or ti-raw-misu as they called it!
When the tirawmisu arrived it looked deceptive and despite the four other incredible courses that we had shared between us, I was still convinced there was ‘no way’ it would taste like the regular creamy, non-vegan tiramisu that I had made on many a Christmas day prior to turning vegan.
Oh how wrong I was! My mind was blown from the first spoonful and I bounced excitedly in my chair, not believing what my taste buds were telling me.
The cream was impossibly smooth and silky with no clue that would tell you it was dairy free. Each bite gave the perfect light hit of coffee and the sponge underneath… well I will never know how they made that taste just like the traditional savoiardi, or ‘sponge fingers’ as us Brits call them!
This recipe is perfect for dinner parties and will be enjoyed all round. I’m not one for blowing my own trumpet but I have nailed this coffee-cashew cream, even if I do say so myself! Soaking the cashews makes them so easy to blend into a sleek, glossy cream that is light and effortless in your mouth. This silky smooth cream with the perfect hint of coffee and rum will fool many a dairy-eater or die-hard tiramisu fan.
The coconut in the sponge adds a delicate flavour that compliments the coffee perfectly and whilst not to Flora levels of savoiardi-imitation, it is a welcome addition to this delicious dessert to add a bit of bite. Of course whilst this recipe does contain some non-raw ingredients, it is mostly raw and is so worth making if you are partial to a decadent coffee-flavoured dessert. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
I have no doubt that you will LOVE this recipe – be sure to tag me on Instagram when you make it @aveganvisit 🙂
The Video Recipe:
The Written Recipe:
Vegan Ti-RAW-Misu
Ingredients
For the sponge:
- 175 g cashews (dry, not soaked)
- 50 g desiccated coconut
- 50 ml coconut cream (the thick white part from the top of a tin of coconut milk)
- 75 ml maple syrup
For the coffee and rum cream:
- 150 g cashews (soaked overnight or for at least 30 minutes in hot water)
- 100 ml water
- 50 ml maple syrup
- 20 ml rum
- 50 ml freshly brewed coffee
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 125 ml coconut oil (melted and at room temperature)
To serve:
- raw cacao powder (substitute: cocoa powder)
- cacao nibs
Instructions
To make the sponge:
- To make the sponge add the un-soaked cashew nuts and desiccated coconut to a blender and blitz to form a crumb.175 g cashews, 50 g desiccated coconut
- Add the 50ml coconut cream and 75ml maple syrup to the blender and blitz together to make a dense cake-like texture.50 ml coconut cream, 75 ml maple syrup
- Press the ‘sponge’ into the base of your four serving dishes and put them in the fridge to firm up.
To make the coffee and rum cream:
- To make the cream blend all of the cream ingredients (except for the the oil), using a high-powered blender. Start blending on a slow speed for around 30 seconds and then once the ingredients are combined put the speed up to high and blend until the cream is smooth, silky and light (around 30 seconds to 1 minute).150 g cashews, 100 ml water, 50 ml maple syrup, 20 ml rum, 50 ml freshly brewed coffee, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Feel free to add more coffee or rum if you like the flavour a little stronger.
- Add the coconut oil to the cream, blend for 10 seconds to combine.125 ml coconut oil
To finish the desserts:
- Pour the cream on top of the sponge and put the desserts in the fridge to firm up for around 5 hours. You can serve it sooner with a lighter, custard-like texture or if you leave it longer, overnight for example, it will firm up to more of a cheesecake-like texture.
- Before serving dust the tops with cacao powder and sprinkle over some cacao nibs.raw cacao powder, cacao nibs
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Tara
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
