The tiramisu was the last dessert I agreed to transform.
Not because I thought it was impossible. Because I thought it would be close but not quite right. And close but not quite right is exactly the kind of result I refuse to put my name on.
A tiramisu has three things that have to be exactly right. The cream has to have that specific richness, heavy and light at the same time, the kind that holds a layer without collapsing but melts the moment it meets the coffee. The base has to absorb without disintegrating. And the flavour has to linger in a particular way, bitter from the coffee, sweet from the cream, with that faint caramel quality that the best versions always have.
None of those things require dairy. None of them require refined sugar. They require fat, acidity, the right level of sweetness and a base that behaves like a sponge finger even when it contains no wheat.
The cream in this version uses full-fat coconut cream that has been chilled overnight, whipped with a very small amount of coconut sugar and a little vanilla. It is rich. It holds. It tastes like cream.
The base is a gluten-free sponge finger, made with a combination of oat flour and tapioca, baked until just firm and cooled completely before assembling. It absorbs the coffee the way it should without falling apart.
The coffee is strong espresso with a very small amount of coconut sugar dissolved in. Nothing else.
The finish is raw cacao powder, sifted over at the last moment.
It tastes like a tiramisu. Not like a version of one.
The full recipe is available here.
