Vegan Tiramisu Cake

This recipe is a paid partnership with Whittard.

Layers of coffee soaked sponge cakes, coffee ganache and ombré chocolate buttercream. Tiramisu in the form of a layer cake, count me in!

Watch me make this cake here!

I love coffee and I love cake so why not combine the two. I am so excited to finally share my delicious Vegan Tiramisu Cake with you all.

The cake is super easy to make, as are the fillings.

I originally was going to simply fill the cakes with coffee flavoured buttercream, but wanted to make it even more exciting (and tasty). Adding the layers of coffee ganache in-between the cake + buttercream really elevates the flavours of this cake.

What is Tiramisu?

– Tiramisu is an Italian coffee based dessert. It’s classically made with ladyfingers (sponge) dunked in cold coffee, layered with a mascarpone cream filling dusted with cocoa.

What flavour is Tiramisu?

– Tiramisu has flavours of coffee (being the main focus), chocolate and sometimes brandy.

It also usually contains mascarpone, which gives it creaminess.

I’ve taken elements from the ‘classic’ tiramisu dessert but added a twist, using vegan chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream and coffee ganache. Soaking the cakes in brewed coffee really gives it that iconic tiramisu look and flavour which we all love!

slice-of-cake

I am so excited to collaborate with Whittard to show you their new coffee bags!

These are basically like a tea bag..but a coffee version, how cool is that! I’ve never seen coffee bags before!

This is a paid post with Whittard. For more information about product placement and partnerships, check out my Disclosure Policy.

I used their brand new ‘Monsoon Malabar Coffee bags’ which are dark roast to soak the sponges.
To get the ultimate coffee flavour in this cake, you’ll want to brush the cakes with brewed and then cooled coffee.

Using a food grade brush, brush some of the coffee on top of each cake layer and allow it to soak in, before adding on the coffee ganache and buttercream.

How to use the coffee bags?

Just like a cup of tea, you’ll want to place one of the bags into a heatproof mug and pour over boiled water. Stir and allow to stew for 5 minutes for the coffee flavour to really work its magic.

Check out their whole range of coffee bags here.

To help cram as much coffee and flavour into this cake as possible, I created a coffee ganache. It’s dairy free dark chocolate mixed with cream and coffee. I used Whittard ‘Monsoon Malabar ground coffee‘ which dissolves in the ganache leaving you with the most delicious coffee chocolate.

Find your perfect coffee and check out the whole Whittard coffee range here.

Looking for more vegan cake recipes? Look no further:

Vegan Funfetti Birthday Cake

The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake

Vegan Caramel Apple Cake

Vegan Funfetti Cake

ombre-buttercream

Notes*

What is aquafaba?

Aquafaba is the water from a can/tin of Chickpeas.The Chickpea water or brine as its called, acts as an amazing egg substitute for cakes, meringue buttercreams etc. You can also buy it in a carton. Check it out here.

What vegan block butter to use?
As Swiss meringue uses liquid from the aquafaba, having a stiffer butter is key. I like the Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Based Block Butter Alternative.

What cream can I use?

When it comes to ganache, any cream will work from coconut cream, to dairy-free single + double cream.

Preparation: 20 minutes

Baking time: 25-30 minutes

Serves: Approximately 6-8

Level: Medium

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Ingredients for the cake

240ml of dairy-free milk
1 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
210g of self-raising flour
200g of caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
60g of vegetable oil / melted coconut oil

Ingredients for the buttercream

150g of dairy-free dark chocolate
280g of dairy-free block butter ( see notes*)
10ml of aquafaba (chickpea brine) see notes*
400g of icing sugar

Ingredients for the coffee ganache

50g of dairy-free chocolate
50g of dairy-free cream (See notes*)
1 teaspoon of ground coffee

1 Whittard Coffee bag (for soaking the cakes)
Cocoa powder (for dusting)

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Method (cakes)

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees c fan and line two, 6 inch cake tins with grease-proof paper.

2. In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined.

Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan ‘buttermilk’.

3. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

Mix well to combine.

4. Add the oil and vanilla extract / seeds from a vanilla pod into the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.

5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.

6. Pour equal amounts of batter into the lined cake tins.

Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.

7. Pop the cakes into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes.

You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer in and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.

8. Place the cakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully.

Once cool, pop them into a sealed container to keep them fresh before frosting.

9. Slice each cake in half using a sharp, serrated knife. Set aside.

Method (chocolate ganache)

1. Place the dairy-free cream into a saucepan. Gently heat until it comes to a light simmer then turn off the heat.

2. Place the chocolate and ground coffee into a heatproof bowl and pour over the hot cream, stir to combine.

Allow to cool slightly for a few minutes in the pan. In the meantime, make the buttercream.

Method (buttercream)

1. Create a bain-marie by filling a saucepan ¾ full with water and place a heatproof bowl on top. Add in the chocolate and allow to melt. One melted, remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter and whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.

3. Sift in the icing sugar. Whip on high speed for a couple of minutes to incorporate it.

4. Pour in the aquafaba and whip for 5 minutes until it turns light and creamy. Don’t over whip it or it can become too soft. If it does, just add in more icing sugar until it’s thick and creamy. The buttercream should be airy and light. You might need to add in some more butter to get it to the right consistency.

5. Scoop out 1/3 of the buttercream into a separate bowl and set aside. This will be for the ombré effect.

Add the melted chocolate into the remaining buttercream and whip together.

6. Add one of the Whittard coffee bags into some boiling water and allow to brew.

7. Lay one of the cakes onto a turn table or cake stand, using a food grade brush, brush over some of the brewed coffee and allow it to soak into the cake.

Spread a thin layer of coffee ganache over the top.

8. Spread some of the chocolate buttercream over the first layer and spread out until even / flat.

Place another cake layer on top. Repeat for all of the 4 layers.

9. Chill the cake in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to allow the fillings to set before coating.

10. Spread the chocolate buttercream around the bottom half of the cake using an off-set spatula. Add the white buttercream to the top of the cake and spread out and down the sides of the cake to mingle in with the chocolate. Swirl them together to create a ombré effect.

To store:

Serve fresh, or store in a sealed container in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.