Eggless Tiramisu - Ladyfingers dipped in espresso, layered with a mascarpone imposter cream, chilled overnight and dusted with cocoa powder.
Tiramisu. The elegant, iconic and rich layered Italian dessert has always been on my must-try list even though I had no idea what goes into making one. When I learnt that we need Italian ladyfinger biscuits to make tiramisu, I gave up reading the rest of the recipe because honestly, I did not want to go through the pain of making ladyfingers in an oven-free kitchen and yes there was also a time when I mistook Marie's finger biscuits as ladyfingers! 😁
Ladyfingers or Savoiardi are sweet sponge Italian biscuits used extensively to make Italian desserts. Very recently I sighted a few packs of ladyfingers here in Yanbu, in the most unexpected store!!!!. I picked one pack dreaming of Tiramisu. Well, it stayed as a dream for a couple of weeks because yours truly had to look for a perfect recipe that has all the elements at least to its closest form. I know, two weeks is too long... but I am plain lazy these days when it comes to making a dessert and also drafting blog posts. Can you believe, I made this almost 20 days ago?
Most of the recipes out there are eggless and it was only when I looked specifically at classic or authentic, that I realised a true Tiramisu is made with eggs and Kaluha, which is a coffee-flavoured liqueur. Hands down I will go for eggless, and I can replace the liqueur with strong coffee or espresso but what am I going to do for Mascarpone? and Heavy cream? I couldn't wait any further nor a trip to Jeddah LuLu would happen anytime. So like always asked google mama and found a great substitute for mascarpone and heavy cream, I settled for whipping cream.
Don't get disheartened that I am sharing a made-up Tiramisu! I wouldn't take the effort to draft in detail with the brand names that I used if it was not good enough for me. You know me by now, I am close to a perfectionist and this Tiramisu - I shall make many more times!
This recipe has all the great taste of a traditional Tiramisu (or at least the ones I have had) even though it is made without eggs. All you need to do is mix the whipped cream with sweetened mascarpone substitute, prepare the coffee mixture, then dip some ladyfingers in the espresso or coffee mixture, layer the cookies with the cream and chill overnight! This is a great make-ahead halal dessert. Right before serving, dust with some cocoa powder or like me take it to another level of making it pretty!
For the cocoa powder garnish, because I had only the dark cocoa powder which F hates, I added cinnamon powder and icing sugar to camouflage the dark cocoa taste. 😁I have used the square brownie pan for this recipe and was left with ¼ cup cheese mixture which I used to make tiramisu shots as a taste sample! 😛 That actually helped me determine if the main dish was ready to be served. I had to keep this version of Tiramisu overnight to firm up.
Eggless Tiramisu Recipe
Yields 9 servings. shared by two of us.
INGREDIENTS
Mascarpone Cheese Substitute:
200gms Puck Cream Cheese Soft
¼ cup whipping cream
2 tablespoon Almarai Labneh
1 ½ tablespoon sugar
Whipped Cream:
⅓ cup Almarai Whipping Cream (cold)
¼ cup icing sugar /powdered sugar/confectioners' sugar
a dash of vanilla essence
Instant Coffee Mixture:
~16 ladyfingers (make from scratch)
~¾ cup of very hot water
2 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons sugar
Garnish:
1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Stencil to decorate (optional)
METHOD
Instant Coffee Mixture
- In a shallow bowl, mix the hot water, instant coffee powder and sugar until everything dissolves and let it cool
Make the Mascarpone Cheese imposter Filling
- Prepare the mascarpone imposter by carefully mixing all the ingredients in a bowl ensuring not to overdo the mixing - keep refrigerated
- Take another bowl and add the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract and whip on medium to high speed until stiff peaks form. Approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
- Carefully fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone cheese mixture.
- Keep refrigerated
Layer the Tiramisu
- Quickly and lightly dip each ladyfinger into the coffee mixture, and place them as the first layer
- Spread half of the cream filling over the cookies.
- Repeat another layer of ladyfingers and mascarpone filling
- Chill overnight.
Garnish
- Mix the garnish ingredients
- Dust the cocoa mixture using a sieve all over the top
- Optionally, you can make your own stencil with paper by cutting random designs. Place it over the pan and sieve the cocoa mixture to make a beautiful pattern. 😛
Yesterday while we were at the supermarket, I sighted Mascarpone and picked a small pack of 200g. All these days, I was looking at the dairy section but this is placed in the fresh cheese counter - where they keep all the fresh pickled olives too. It is super expensive and about to expire in two months! yet, I picked it! 🙁 I am planning to make some tiramisu shots with the remaining ladyfinger biscuits.
By the time I clicked a zillion images, I couldn't resist the temptation any longer! I sat down right there and had that whole piece that was silky smooth and melting in the mouth good!
The following weekend after we finished this whole portion by ourselves in two days, I went and picked a huge pack of Ladyfingers hoping to make for two darling friends here in Yanbu. InshaAllah!
TRIED THIS RECIPE?
I would love to hear from you. If you have made this recipe then do leave a comment below. If you like this recipe then do share the recipe link on Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Follow me on Instagram and mention @butfirstchaai or tag #butfirstchai so that I can see your creations!
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!