This vegan gingerbread tiramisu is the perfect cozy dessert. A total crowd pleaser, it features warmly spiced dairy-free cream, layered with coffee-dipped gingerbread cookies, and finished with a dusting of cocoa powder. If you can run a blender, you can make this easy vegan dessert!
1cupunsweetened plain vegan yogurt (use Greek-style if available), room temperature
½cupgranulated sugar
1tbsprum(or more vanilla extract, or rum extract to taste, if preferred)
1 tspvanilla extract
1tspground cinnamon
1 tspground ginger
¼tspground cloves
¼tspground nutmeg
Cookie Layer
1 ½cupsespresso or strong brewed coffee, room temperature(decaffeinated if desired)
½cupgranulated sugar
2tbsprum
24-48gingerbread cookies, (gluten-free if needed)(depends on the size and shape of the cookies - see notes on determining how many you’ll need and what other varieties can be used)
Make sure your vegan butter, silken tofu, and yogurt are all at room temperature. If they are cold, they will not blend properly and you'll have a curdled looking cream which won't emulsify properly.
Set aside an 8x8x2-inch (20x20x5 cm) or 9x9-inch (23x23x5 cm) baking dish, or something similar with at an 8-10 cup (2L-2.5 L) capacity. See Notes below for more information on dish sizes.
For the Vegan Spiced Mascarpone Cream:
To a high-powdered blender or food processor, place all of the ingredients for the spiced mascarpone cream (i.e. vegan butter, silken tofu, yogurt, sugar, rum, and spices.) If your blender isn't very powerful, add all of the ingredients except the butter. Add the butter a few spoonfuls at a time.) Blend on high until smooth and creamy with no lumps, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender occasionally. Set aside on the counter.
For the Coffee Mixture:
In a medium-sized, shallow bowl, whisk together the espresso, sugar, and rum. The temperature of this coffee mixture can be warm or room temperature - it shouldn't be hot as you'll burn your fingers dipping the cookies and will melt the filling during assembly.
To Assemble the Tiramisu:
Dip half of the cookies, one at a time, turning to coat the whole cookie, in the coffee mixture. Dunk the cookies quickly so they don't absorb too much coffee and become soggy. Place each dipped cookie into the baking dish to create a single layer of cookies. You may have to cut some of the cookies to make them fit next to each other so there are no gaps.
Spread half of the cream layer evenly over the first layer of cookies.
Dip the remaining cookies in the coffee mixture, arranging them one at a time over the cream layer.
Spread the rest of the cream evenly over the second layer of cookies. Cover the tiramisu tightly with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate the covered tiramisu for 4-8 hours, or overnight. The tiramisu will set during this time, the cookies soften nicely, and the flavors will marry.
To Serve:
If you'd like to top the tiramisu with whipped vegan cream, spread it over the top or pipe it in dollops (as pictured) using a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Dust the top of the tiramisu (with or without whipped cream layer) with cocoa powder, and serve! Enjoy.
For food safety, tiramisu must be kept refrigerated. Cover with cling wrap or a fitted lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. See blog post for freezing suggestions.
Dish Sizes:This recipe is written to make a tiramisu with two layers of cookies, and needs a dish that can hold about 10 cups (2.5 L.) If you use a dish that's longer but narrower than specified (i.e. a loaf pan), you will need to make a tiramisu with more than 2 layers of cookies and 2 layers of mascarpone cream - it will be a taller, narrower tiramisu than what is pictured in this recipe post. If you choose to use a larger pan, you may not have enough filling or cookies to make 2 layers. Unsure what volume your pan holds? Use a liquid measuring cup to fill it with cups of water; keep count as you fill it to the top.Number of Cookies: To determine how many cookies you'll need, line the bottom of your baking dish with a layer cookies lined up with minimal gaps (this is harder with irregularly shaped cookies, but just do your best to fit them together like a puzzle.) You may have to cut some of the cookies to make them fit next to each other so there are no gaps. Count the cookies, and then double this number to determine how many cookies you'll need. Types of Cookies: You could use Biscoff cookies, gingernuts, gingersnaps, or any other dry crisp cookie. For thin cookies, try stacking 2-3 cookies per cookie layer instead of just one, so the tiramisu is not as rich or too short. While you can use a soft cookie like a molasses cookie, it will soften much more and may be soggy if you dip it in the coffee for more than a couple of seconds. To firm up other cookie layer options like sponge cake or gingerbread bars cut into finger sized pieces, allow them to stale a bit, uncovered on the counter overnight (or place them in the oven on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 300°F/150°C/gas mark 2.)