Raw cakes are very compact and rich, so you only need a tiny piece. There are two tricks to making this vegan version of the Italian classic: The first is to use a powerful blender and a powerful food processor, and the second is to use the freezer to set each layer before adding the next.
Ultimate Vegan Tiramisu
This Vegan Tiramisu delivers all the indulgence of a traditional tiramisu — but 100% plant‑based. A date and pecan crust forms the base, while silky cashew‑coconut fillings (one coffee‑cacao, one vanilla) layered over top bring creamy, dessert‑level richness. No baking required: a quick blend, freeze‑and‑layer method makes it easy to prepare, and serving in small squares keeps the richness in check.
Ingredients
Base
- 1 cup pecans
- ¾ cup Medjool dates pitted
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp espresso powder
- ½ tsp flaked sea salt
Coffee Filling
- 1⅓ cups cashews
- 7 tbsp coconut butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp cacao butter melted
- 2 tbsp coconut oil melted
- 1 tbsp instant coffee
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp flaked sea salt
Vanilla Filling
- 1⅓ cups cashews
- 7 tbsp coconut butter
- ¼ cup agave syrup
- 4 tbsp coconut oil melted
- 1 tbsp cacao butter melted
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
- ¼ tsp flaked sea salt
Topping
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
- For Coffee Filling and Vanilla Filling, place cashews in two large bowls; cover with water and soak for 2 hours.
Base
- Line a 7 x 5½- inch baking dish with parchment paper. Combine pecans, dates, cocoa powder, coffee and sea salt in food processor, and whirl until ingredients stick together. Press the mixture into prepared pan and freeze for 20 to 30 minutes.
Coffee Filling
- Drain and rinse cashews, discarding soaking liquid. Place in high-speed blender with coconut butter, maple syrup, cacao butter, coconut oil, instant coffee and salt; blend until smooth, scraping down sides with rubber spatula. Pour over chilled base, smoothing out. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
Vanilla Filling
- Drain and rinse cashews, discarding soaking liquid. Place in high-speed blender with coconut butter, agave syrup, coconut oil, cacao butter, vanilla sugar and salt; blend until smooth, scraping down sides with a rubber spatula. Pour mixture over coffee filling and spread so that coffee layer is covered. Return to freezer until firm, about 2 hours.
- Before serving, cut into bite-size squares. Sprinkle with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh sieve.
Notes
ELLE Tip: To make vanilla sugar, place a pure vanilla bean (pod) cut in half lengthwise or 1½ tbsp vanilla extract into a jar with ¾ cup icing sugar or raw cane sugar, seal with a lid and let infuse. Once finished, you can try using the aromatic sugar in frostings and custards too.
More delicious vegan chocolate recipes
These three-layer vegan millionaire shortbread bars have a vegan shortbread base, thick caramel and dark chocolate topping sprinkled with sea salt flakes. They are also grain-free
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These three-layer vegan millionaire shortbread bars have a vegan shortbread base, thick caramel and dark chocolate topping sprinkled with sea salt flakes. They are also grain-free
Get the recipe
Discover the ultimate vegan hot chocolate — rich cocoa, dark chocolate squares, cashew butter and plant-milk combine for a decadent dairy-free drink you can make at home.
Get the recipe
Discover the ultimate vegan hot chocolate — rich cocoa, dark chocolate squares, cashew butter and plant-milk combine for a decadent dairy-free drink you can make at home.
Get the recipe
Recipes excerpted from Vegan at Home: Recipes for a Modern Plant-Based Lifestyle © 2022 by Solla Eiríksdóttir, adapted for ELLE Gourmet. Photography © 2022 by Hildur Ársælsdóttir. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.
