Tiramisu is a gorgeous decadent Italian dessert. I can’t say that this raw tiramisu tastes exactly like the original version, but it’s delicious nonetheless. Sweet, yet a little bitter. Soft, yet a little crispy. Served cold, yet warmed with satisfaction.
I have always loved the aroma of freshly brewed coffee – rich, full, and luxuriant. Coffee smells like chocolate tastes. Unfortunately for me the taste of coffee has none of the depth, the subtleties, or the scope that the smell has. I only taste one flavor. Bitter.
It’s not that I’ve only tried ‘cheap’ coffee. I’ve had really good coffee. I’ve had light roast, medium roast, dark roast. Fine ground, coarse ground. I’ve had instant coffee, coffee machine coffee, k-cup coffee, percolator coffee, espresso, mocha, latte, cappuccino … you name it. Until recently, I also avoided coffee-flavored anything because I always thought that coffee-flavored desserts would taste, well, like coffee. Bitter.
That was before I had a bite of raw tiramisu at our local raw food restaurant and got hooked. The coffee flavor was rich without being overwhelming. Its bitter edge elevated the tiramisu from one-dimensional sweetness to refined sophistication. The delicate layer of sweet vanilla cream was contrasted with the darkly robust presence of espresso and sharpness of cacao powder. And the combination of coffee and high-quality chocolate was just incredible.
Tips for Making Raw Tiramisu
Ingredients
There are so many ways you can add coffee to desserts.
- Whole beans pack the most flavor since coffee loses its flavor and aroma exponentially after being ground. For the most intense coffee flavor, I recommend roasting the coffee beans in the oven first (to encourage their flavorful oils to emerge) and then grind them in a coffee grinder right before use.
- Instant coffee and instant espresso add flavor quickly. Since I don’t drink coffee, I always keep a jar of this instant espresso powder in the fridge for making coffee-infused desserts, like this raw tiramisu.
- Brewed coffee works best when you don’t want an overpowering coffee flavor (because brewed coffee as the only coffee flavoring in a recipe doesn’t pack enough coffee flavor). To get the most flavor out of brewed coffee, I recommend using espresso because it has a strong, dark flavor.
The great thing about coffee is that it pairs well with many dessert flavors. Coffee and cacao, for instance, is a very common pairing. In fact, coffee-chocolate combination has its own name – mocha. Cinnamon is also delicious with coffee; cappuccino often comes sprinkled with it. I also like to pair coffee and caramel-y Medjool dates because they’re both strong flavors that play well off each other.
Besides these traditional coffee combinations, a few others stand out. Rich nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, or cashews round out the sharply intense flavor of coffee. The coffee flavor is less pronounced, but the addition of nuts creates a new and delicious flavor altogether. Adding vanilla to coffee desserts produces a similar result.
Technique
One of the things I love about this raw tiramisu is how sophisticated it looks with all those layers. Yet, it’s so simple to make. All you need is a food processor. (I used a blender for the vanilla cream layer, but you can make it in a food processor as well). Here are just a few quick tips for making this raw tiramisu incredible.
First things first, I highly recommend soaking the nuts overnight (or for at least 4 hours) for both the chocolate mousse and the vanilla cream. When the nuts are re-hydrated and plumped up, they blend into a beautiful smooth, cheesecake-like consistency. I’ve tried blending unsoaked nuts into creams and was never able to achieve completely smooth consistency even when I was blending the nuts in my Vitamix. So soaking the nuts is key.
Another tip I have is to use a small springform pan. I usually go with a 6″ (15 cm) pan. This raw tiramisu is so rich and filling that you really don’t need much of it to feel satisfied. Of course, the ingredients for raw desserts aren’t the cheapest either. So, a smaller cake is a win-win. I now actually use a 6-inch springform pan for most raw cakes, including cheesecake and carrot cake.
Finally, make sure you freeze the chocolate mousse before adding the vanilla cream. If you don’t, the chocolate mousse will mix with the vanilla cream and you won’t get the pretty layer effect. To even out the layers, I always use a spatula AND I also tap the springform gently on the counter. Tapping the springform not only evens the layers out, but it also helps to get rid of any air bubbles that might have formed when blending the ingredients.
Now that you know all my tips and tricks for making flawless raw tiramisu, you can dive into the recipe.
Tools You’ll Need
1. Food Processor (Breville Sous Chef) | 2. Blender (Vitamix Pro 750) | 3. Spring-Loaded Pan (6 Inches. Wilton, Coated Steel) | 4. Measuring Cup (4 Cups, Pyrex, Glass) | 5. Mesh Strainers (Set of 3, Cuisinart, Stainless Steel) | 8. Offset Spatula (6-Inch, ECYC, Stainless Steel) | 7. Measuring Cups (Set of 6, Bellemain, Stainless Steel) | 8. Measuring Spoons (Set of 6, 1Easylife, Stainless Steel)
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Tiramisu is a gorgeous decadent Italian dessert. I can't say that this raw tiramisu tastes exactly like the original version, but it's delicious nonetheless. The delicate layer of sweet vanilla cream is contrasted with the darkly robust presence of espresso and sharpness of cacao powder. Sweet, yet a little bitter. Soft, yet a little crispy.
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
- 3/4 tsp. instant espresso powder
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts, soaked*
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked*
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 3 Tbsp. cacao powder
- 2 tsp. instant espresso powder
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
- cacao powder (for dusting)
- cacao nibs (for sprinkling)
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Place all the ingredients for the crust into the food processor and pulse until the crust begins to stick together when you pinch it in between your fingers.
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Scoop the crust into a greased 6" (15 cm) springform pan and press it down into an even layer with your fingers. You can also use the bottom of a glass to really pack the crust down. Place the springform pan in the freezer while you’re working on the next layer.
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Blend all the ingredients for the chocolate mousse in a high-speed blender until smooth. The chocolate mouse is quite thick so if you don’t have a powerful blender, use a food processor instead.
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Pour the chocolate mousse over the crust and smooth it out with a spatula. Lightly tap the springform pan on the counter to get rid of any air-bubbles inside the chocolate mousse. Place the springform pan in the freezer for at least 15-30 minutes.
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Clean out your blender and blend all the ingredients for the vanilla cream until smooth.
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Pour the vanilla cream mixture on the chocolate mousse layer and smooth it out with a spatula. Be careful when evening out the vanilla cream so the layers don’t mix.
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Dust the top with a bit of cacao powder and sprinkle with some cacao nibs.
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Cover the cake and freeze it for at least 6 hours or overnight to firm up. For soft tiramisu, take it out of the freezer 5-10 minutes prior to serving.
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Store leftover tiramisu in an airtight container in the freezer for 1-2 weeks.
*Soak the cashews and walnuts together in water for at least 8 hours (or overnight) so they soften up and are easy to blend. If the nuts are not soft, the chocolate mousse might turn out grainy and not completely smooth. When the cashews and walnuts are done soaking, drain the water and rinse the nuts thoroughly.
**Prep time does not include soaking the nuts (8 hours).
This recipe has been adapted from Unconventional Baker.
Hi Petra, I was looking for the vegan version of tiramisu coz almost all the videos I came across had coffee and lady finger as the prime ingredient (as I don’t drink coffee either n I don’t like to). That was a wonderful vegan tiramisu recipe by you.. thanks a ton n hats off!! Keep posting more vegan stuffs..
Hi Deborah – yea, coffee is not really my thing, but I do love this tiramisu too. I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for your feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to comment 🙂
Hi, there’s a coffee alternative called Roma, Postum, and Cafix. Its made from Roasted Barley and doesn’t have caffeine. Closest thing to coffee though.
Hi Petra,
Can we substitute other dates for the Medjool?
Hi Danielle – yes, you can use any dates you have on hand. Just make sure you soak the dates in warm water for a couple of hours first so they soften up a little bit.
Hi Petra, I’ve just made your tiramisu 🙂 For the chocolate mouse layer I added my nuts straight from the soaked water but I’ve just noticed in your video that your nuts looked like they have been redried after soaking. I’m wondering if that could be the reason why my mouse was not runny at all like yours was. Mine wouldn’t blend properly (Vitamix) and I had to put it in the food processor and I had to scrape it out. Not runny at all. And a little grainy too. Do you think that could be because the nuts I used were still wet? (I used medjool dates so they were soft)
Any ideas? Thanks so much for the recipe Petra, I’m going to make your raw butter and chocolate smoothie tomorrow, so much appreciate your beautiful videos (and your wonderful taste tester too 😉 !!
Cheers, Tasch
Oh, P.S. I soaked the nuts in total for about 20 hours, could that have the opposite effect perhaps, making them grainy?
Hi Tasch, thank you for your kind comment! I am so happy you’re enjoying the videos ❤What nuts were you using? Raw or roasted? What is the wattage of your blender? I would like to compare it with mine. The problem isn’t over-soaking for sure. If anything, the longer soaking time would help getting the nuts nice and smooth. Now, you said that the mousse was not pourable. I am wondering if the mixture seized up? Was it really thick, almost like a paste? Seizing would also explain the grainy texture. Did you put all the ingredients for the mousse into the blender at once or did you blend in stages? And did you use any other sweetener other than the dates? I know it’s a lot of questions, but your answers should help me pin point the problem. Thank you once again for your kinds words!
Wow, thank you so much Petra for this kind of detail.
The Vitamix says 1000 – 1200W (that’s dependant on whether it’s using 220V or 240V (Australia))
The mousse was thick like a paste, yes. I had to scrape the whole lot out of the processor.
I put all the ingredients in the Vitamix at the same time to blend, perhaps I should try in stages next time.
Only the medjool dates were used as a sweetener, I followed your recipe exactly as I’m not a ‘cheffy’ person at all 😉
The nuts were raw.
Thanking you SO much Petra, I really appreciate your time. Tasch
Ok, yes, so if the consistency was like a grainy paste, it definitely seized up. (Nothing to do with the power of your blender). I put all the ingredients into the blender at once too. That’s not a problem, rather the opposite. Here is why: as you might know, most of the chocolate we get these days is an emulsion of the cocoa solids (among various other solids like sugar, etc.) and fat (generally the cocoa butter). Most of these solids do not prefer to mix with water. So, when you add a little bit of water (in our case, almond milk) and stir it these particles of cocoa solids and other stuff will be hydrated, like wet sand; capillary attraction keeps the solids together and in a clump. If you add enough water/almond milk, the solids will disperse sort of evenly in the water.
Alright, so two solutions to fix the problem of clumping – use ingredients that are at the same temperature so you don’t “shock” the chocolate. Was your almond milk or coconut oil cold? Just that little tweak (having all ingredients at the same temperature) could fix the problem. If that doesn’t help, you can always recover seized up chocolate by adding more liquid to loosen the mixture back up. Just be sure not to add too much liquid because you still want the mousse to hold its shape once it’s had some time to chill in the fridge.
Hope this helps. Please, let me know if you have any questions! I am happy to help 🙂
Oh THANK YOU SO MUCH PETRA!!! for this very helpful and thought out answer. Yes, you’re right, the almond milk was cold! I think I remember you saying something about that in one of your videos (it could even be this one?) I didn’t watch the video as I made it because I had already watched it previously so I just went through your instructions from this page. I will definitely try all the same temps next time.
But…. you may like to know that we tried the cake and IT WAS SUPERB!!!!! I couldn’t really taste the grainy texture, it was there a little but only if you paid attention to it while eating, even so, it was amazingly delicious. I would never have guessed it would be THIS GOOD 🙂
I really appreciate your lovely videos and I now am practicing to say ‘cafe’ the way you pronounce it 🙂 It’s so sweet and sounds so nice. Whenever we are about to go to the “cafe” I put on my best “Petra accent” 😉 Lots of fun. Blessings to you and thank you very much again, Tasch
Dear Petra,
This cake looks fabulous and I want to give it a try. Do you think that I can substitute the walnuts with almonds?
Thank you and have a lovely day!
Hi Steliana – I like walnuts because they are softer than almonds, but almonds will work too 🙂 Hope it turns out great!