Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Tiramisu

It was my husbands birthday two weeks ago, so of course I wanted to surprise him with something scrumptious. My mind went back and forth with what kind of a cake I would make (nice rhyme!), but at the end it came down to what my husband loves most - coffee, nuts and chocolate. He no longer drinks coffee daily, only on special occasions. These days he has also switched to organic coffee infused with medicinal mushrooms (etc Reishi, Cordyceps). Iherb sells and ships these even to Finland with an affordable price, and their flavor is as good as any other regular coffee brand.

Of course, since coffee is used in this recipe it is not entirely raw. What it is, is my own take on a healthier tiramisu. It is my best attempt to recreate this delicious Italian dessert without cream, sugar and amaretto liquor. I do think that once these key flavor ingredients are omitted, the coffee is necessary to keep it resembling the original. If you don't care for it, just omit it. In this case I would add some almond extract to bring out some amaretto flavor in the cream.

Base:
Raw, organic almonds
Raw cacao powder
Honey, coconut oil
dash salt and organic vanilla/almond extract

Process almonds into a powder, mix with rest of the ingredients in a bowl. The mixture should be firm enough to shaped on a serving dish with your hands. Taste it to make sure the flavors are balanced, you don't want the base too sweet. Set in the fridge to chill.

Tiramisu cream layer:
3/4 C Reishi Coffee (I use Longreen, better tasting and cheaper than MadreLabs)
2 handfuls of cashews + 1 handful of peeled almonds
Honey/agave, to taste
Lucuma powder (for nutritional value and sweetness)
Almond extract

Soak almonds overnight and cashews for a couple hours. Make the coffee, allow it to cool down to room temperature. Blend everything until smooth, thick creamy consistency. Spread on the base with a spatula/knife. Set in the fridge. This is best when served the day after making, because the flavors continue to intensify and develop. Sprinkle with grated raw chocolate or cacao powder. Enjoy!

This recipe does not specify amounts, because it all depends on how thick a base you want or whether you like your tiramisu in several layers. The precise amounts of the ingredients are best determined by tasting. With this nut-coffee ratio the cream takes on a rich but not overpowering coffee taste. It is however a good idea to add the coffee slowly to make sure you get the right taste and texture. 

A tiramisu like this makes for a nice introduction to raw desserts. It is easy to prepare and it resembles a well-known "regular" dessert in both texture and flavor. I am already planning to serve this for my coffee-loving in-laws next time they come to visit.

13 comments:

Chaos said...

You are a one master chef! Looks even too delicious :)

Jael said...

What a yummy looking tiramisu!

Kaisu said...

Looks great and yummy:)

Unknown said...

I have been running across so many raw tiramisu recipes lately that I guessmhave to give it a try. Yours looks very promising!

Aletheia said...

Chaos, thanks for flattering me :) I noticed you've made your blog invite only. Could I get access?

Thanks Yaelian, I probably could've put more effort in decorating it though!

Kaisu, thank you. Your amazing blog was my inspiration for this!

Okriina, I'd love to see your take on a raw tiramisu! I didn't think I'd be attempting one either, but there you go.

Daniela said...

This looks delicious, I will have to try this!

...but I'm wondering, do you think one could subsitute cacao with carob? My body and raw cacao don't quite get along.. :/

Aletheia said...

Daniela, I'm personally all for carob instead of cacao! So especially if you enjoy the flavor, I don't see any problem with it.

Eeva said...

This looks absolutely delicious! I have ran out of lucuma powder (and I can't wait with this recipe till my iHerb order will materialize at my door) so do you have any idea how to replace that one? Or can I just skip the powder?
And thanks for the tip, next time I'll going to try Longreen Reishi Coffee!

Aletheia said...

Eve, sorry I've taken so long to reply! I think I would just omit the lucuma, or replace with some mesquite powder. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

Stephanie said...

OH MY WORD! You're a genius! Thank you thank you for making a raw version of my very favorite traditional dessert! And by the way, where are those lovely dishes from? I love them too!

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Unknown said...

This looks absolutely perfect. All these tiny details are made with lot of background

knowledge. I like it a lot.

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