Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 315 g (2+ ¾ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 250 ml (1 cup) water
  • 150 ml (½ cup + 2 Tbsp) neutral oil (I use sunflower)
  • 180 g (¾ cup + 2 Tbsp) caster or granulated sugar
  • 5 tsp cider or white wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp almond extract ((optional))
  • 275 g (9 ¾ oz/1 + ¾ cups) raw cashews
  • 250 g (9oz/1 cup) firm silken tofu* (excess liquid drained off)
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 120 ml (½ cup) melted refined coconut oil**
  • 80 ml (⅓ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 100 g (½ cup) caster or granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 300 ml (1 + ¼ cups) very strong cooled coffee/espresso ((if using coffee granules use 2-3 Tbsp plus 300ml boiling water))
  • 100 ml (6 Tbsp + 2 tsp) Tia Maria/rum/whisky*** (I like to use rum)
  • sifted cocoa powder for dusting

Instruction

  • You need to make the tiramisu the day before you want to serve it. Start by making the cake. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13 in rectangular cake tin and line it with baking parchment.
  • In a large bowl sift together the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
  • In a jug whisk together the caster sugar, oil, vinegar, water, vanilla extract and almond extract (if using).
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until they are just combined. Don’t over-beat the batter as that can make the cake tough.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread it level. Bake for about 20 minutes until it is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  • Let it cool in the tin for 20 minutes then lift it out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely.
  • Once the cake is cool, preheat the oven to 140°C/120°fan/275°F/gas mark 1. Level the top of the cake if needed then use a sharp serrated knife to cut it into fingers. I sliced it in half lengthways then cut it into strips about 2 cm / ¾ in wide.
  • Place the cake fingers slightly spaced apart on a couple of baking sheets and bake for 30-40 minutes until they feel dry to the touch. They don’t need to be completely dried out but the outsides should feel dry. Let them cool on a wire rack then store in an airtight container.
  • To make the cream, soak the cashews in boiling water for at least half an hour to soften them.
  • Drain them well and place in a blender or food processor with the silken tofu, lemon juice, melted refined coconut oil, non-dairy milk, caster sugar, vanilla extract and salt.
  • Blend until the mixture is extremely smooth. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times. Pour the cream into a bowl, cover and place in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up a bit. It should still be soft and spreadable but not runny.
  • To assemble the tiramisu, mix together the cooled very strong black coffee or espresso, and your choice of alcohol. Pour it into a shallow bowl that is wide enough to dunk the cake fingers into.
  • Dunk the cake fingers into the coffee mixture very briefly, no more than a second or they will become too soggy. Arrange them in an approx 25 x 18 x 7cm / 10 x 7 x 2 ¾ in dish as you go, placing them close together to make one complete layer. You can cut some into smaller pieces as needed to fill in any gaps.
  • Spread half of the cream over the top of the cake layer and sprinkle over some cocoa powder if you like.
  • Dip the remaining cake fingers into the coffee mixture one-by-one, arranging them on top of the cream layer as you go. Spread the rest of the cream over the top. Dust the top with cocoa powder, cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • Just before serving, dust the top of the tiramisu generously with more cocoa powder.