Tiramisu

I love coffee. Coffee flavored anything.  Make a dessert with coffee in it and I am in trouble!  For this reason tiramisu has always been my favorite dessert. Anytime we were at a restaurant this is what I would order.  Once I finally said good bye to dairy once and for all I thought I would never have this again. That was a sad day.  How in the world can you make a cream based dessert without dairy? Cashews. Yes I know that sounds so weird. And disgusting!  I have learned that cashews make a great cream base and also are used with paleo cheesecakes and taste amazing!  They don't have a strong flavor and once soaked overnight are very versatile.  
A couple of years ago I stumbled across a Christmas cookbook filled with Paleo desserts. It is by Leanne Vogel. I didn't care about the rest of the cookbook since I had my eye on one particular recipe in that book. Tiramisu. It was the first paleo version I had ever seen.  I had to have it!  I finally got my hands on the cookbook and made the tiramisu. It was pretty good. The part that I didn't love was the ladyfinger layer. She used a maple shortbread cookie which was good but not amazing. So, I decided for the ladyfingers I would use gluten free flour.  The rest of the dessert would be considered paleo with  no refined sugars, grains, or dairy. But the cookie layer is gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free.  My husband loves this dessert which is saying a lot since he doesn't drink coffee and despises the smell even. I know, who doesn't love the smell of fresh roasted coffee? 

Ingredients:

Ladyfingers:

• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour
• 1/8 tsp salt

Cream layers:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 12 hours, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup almond or coconut milk
• 2 Tbs coconut oil
• 2 Tbs light coconut nectar or raw honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp raw apple cider vinegar

• 1 can full fat coconut milk- chilled in can overnight
• 2 tsp light coconut nectar or raw honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup brewed dark roast coffee
• 2 Tbs dark rum (optional) I have never done this 

• 1 Tbs cocoa powder
• 1/2 ounce dark chocolate, shaved

Instructions:

Ladyfingers:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.  Use a tiny bit of oil between the paper and the bottom of the pan to hold it in place.  Do not grease the parchment paper since this will deflate the ladyfingers.
2. Mix egg yolks and half of the honey in a large bowl on medium speed for 4-5 minutes until yolks turn light yellow and thicken.
3. Putt egg whites in a medium sized bowl and beat on medium-high until they develop billowy mounds.  Add remaining honey and lemon juice.  Beat until soft peaks form.
4. Take 1/4 of the egg whites and stir into the egg yolks.  Once they are incorporated fold the remaining egg whites into the yolk mixture.  Do not stir.
5. Put the flour and salt in a sifter.  Sift the flour into egg mixture in three additions, gently folding flour into eggs after each addition.  Turn batter into prepared pan. Run a knife through it to remove any large air bubbles, just like you would to marble a cake.
6. Bake for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a wire wrack for 10 minutes then run a thin spatula between the cake and the pan to remove the ladyfingers from the pan to finish cooling.  Once they have cooled completely, cut into 1x3 inch fingers.

Cream layers:

1. Add the cashews, milk, oil, coconut nectar (or honey) vanilla, lemon juice and vinegar to a blender.  Blend on high until smooth. Scoop it out of the blender and put into a small clean dish. Place the bowl in the fridge.
2. Flip the coconut milk can upside down. Open the can and drain out the excess liquid. You will be left with a large, solid mass of coconut cream.  Add this cream to a chilled bowl.  Beat on high for 30 seconds.  Add the coconut nectar and vanilla and beat for 10 seconds. Place in the fridge.
3. Line the bottom of an 8x4 loaf pan with ladyfingers. Pour over the ladyfingers about 1/2 of the coffee, soaking them well.  
4. Next remove cashew mixture from the fridge and cover the soaked cookies with about 1/2 of the mixture. Then follow up that layer with half of the coconut milk mixture.
5. Repeat with a layer of soaked ladyfingers, then the cashew cream, followed by the coconut milk mixture.  
6. Dust the top with cocoa powder and shaved chocolate. Cover and allow to set in the refrigerator overnight.