Lemon Tiramisu with Limoncello

Mmm, this dessert made me realise how much I miss bread pudding-type desserts! I haven't made any "pain perdu" situations in a while because I have rarely had leftover baked goods, if TC has had any say.



Father-in-law gave me two small bottles of Limoncello and said to make something. TC presented it to me as an Iron Chef Challenge. Evaluating what we had on hand, I quickly made a batch of vanilla cupcakes and set some cashews to soaking. Lemon Tiramisu it would be!

Basically, vegan tiramisu is not nearly as fancy as regular tiramisu. I made vanilla cupcakes, soaked them in liquor, and then layered them in lemon cashew-tofu cream. While I don't drink alcohol, I don't have a problem cooking with it. I ran out of limoncello after one layer of cupcakes, and so I used triple sec (orange-flavored) to soak the rest of the cakes. It's probably not vegan, but since it's made from fermented citrus peels, it's GF. Psst...check Barnivore for the scoop on vegan booze.



I call my cashew cream "fortified" since it isn't true raw cashew cream; I added silken tofu to bulk it up without adding a ridiculous amount of fat that pure cashews would otherwise have.

To make this straightedge, soak the cakes in lemon tea or lemonade (ginger-lemon kombucha, anyone?)

Lemon Tiramisu with Limoncello

Cake:

1 batch (12) vegan, gluten-free vanilla cupcakes of choice.

[Note: I used Gluten-free Goddess' cupcakes recipe, with a mix of sorghum, coconut and tapioca flours; reduced to 3/4 cup coconut sugar; increased to 1/4 cup coconut oil, psyllium husk vegan egg substitute, baked for 18 minutes at high altitude]

Soaking Liquid:

1 cup lemon/citrus liquor of choice

Fortified Cashew Cream:

• 2/3 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked for 4 hours and drained


• 14 ounces silken tofu


• 1/2 cup raw honey, agave, or maple syrup, or even soaked dates (your preference)


• juice of 1 lemon (3-4 tablespoons)


• zest of 1 lemon


• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Blitz the crap out of everything in a high speed blender or food processor until smooth. Chill for two hours before assembling everything.

Decoration:

Zest of one lemon for the top

Assembly:

Once your cupcakes are made and cooled, and the cashew cream is chilled...

Cut the cupcakes in half width-wise, to make the stumps and tops.



Line a 12-inch springform pan with parchment paper (I had to make do with foil, but I recommend parchment).

Spread a layer of cashew cream (about 1/3 of the batch) on the bottom of the pan.



Dip the cupcake halves in liquor, then fill in the layer with cupcake rounds.



Cover with another third of the cream.



Soak the rest of the cupcake halves and fill in another layer.

Cover with the rest of the cream, dust with lemon zest, and chill!

Mmm, tiramisu.



I also made another dessert this weekend: berry tarts with almond crust!

Recipe forthcoming. Enjoy!