If you ask me, coffee desserts are always welcome and always a good idea. And when it comes to small gatherings, coffee and chocolate are always the right choice.
Pure truffle filling and gorgeous savoiardi-like layers, abundantly soaked with strong espresso and dark rum make for a perfect slice of sweetness on a plate. Additionally topped with some unsweetened cocoa powder and served with more coffee, it is a dream come true for the holidays.
My tips for success.
I made the base with just a regular spoon, as there is not a lot of batter, but a small hand mixer works well too, as does a sturdy spatula. I definitely recommend folding in the flour by hand, to avoid any overmixing.
You can use any type of sugar for the savoiardi bases; it does not have to be a mix of the two I used. This recipe works perfectly with pretty much all granulated sweeteners. Adding coconut sugar would bring a lovely caramel undertone to this dessert.
And finally, use the chocolate and the cocoa powder you enjoy the most. The chocolate flavour is quite prominent and so will be the cocoa powder, if you choose to dust the cake, so choose wisely. My choice is always a 75-80% cocoa solids bar, but any dark chocolate will work well. Same goes for the cocoa powder.
Ingredients
For the vegan savoiardi cakes
80 grams vegan block butter, softened
30 grams light brown sugar
20 grams granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
80 millilitres soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
120 grams plain flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 heaping tablespoons granulated sugar, for sprinkling
For the chocolate tiramisu truffle filling
100 grams dark chocolate (75%)
200 millilitres plant-based double cream, divided
100 grams vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the coffee mix
150 ml strong espresso
30 ml dark rum
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Preparation
Let the oven preheat to 180°C and draw two 13-cm circles on a large sheet of baking parchment, and place it onto a baking sheet. This will be used to bake the bases.
Take a medium bowl, add in the softened vegan block butter, both types of sugar, and vanilla, and blend either with just a spoon or a small hand mixer on medium speed, until combined. Add in the soy milk and vinegar and keep mixing and folding until as combined as possible. It may look like it is splitting, but that is fine.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and fold everything through. If, by any chance, the mix looks far too thick to be piped, add a small splash of soy milk. In the end, it should look like thick buttercream. Once it does, transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium regular round nozzle and pipe two circles of batter onto the prepared baking parchment. The batter should hold its shape well and not be runny.
Sprinkle them evenly with granulated sugar and bake, in a nicely preheated oven, at 180°C, for around 12-15 minutes, or until baked through. Make sure they are not overbaked and remove them as soon as they look golden on the bottom and the edges. Let the baked cakes cool completely on the baking sheet.
When the cakes are almost ready, melt together the chocolate and half of the vegan cream (100 millilitres) over a double boiler or in the microwave, and set it aside to cool down and thicken. It is best to allow it to cool down gradually and monitor it so it doesn't harden too much, as it will be nearly impossible to incorporate if it does.
Once everything is ready, whisk together the vegan cream cheese and the cocoa powder, add in the ganache and the vanilla, and combine. Separately, whip the remaining vegan cream until soft peaks form, add in the chocolate mix, and whip on medium speed until thickened and firm. It will resemble whipped ganache.
Mix the espresso, rum, and sugar in a small bowl and have a pastry brush ready.
Place the first cake layer onto a serving platter and brush it generously with the coffee mix. Take your time with this, as the cakes do not absorb the coffee that quickly, as traditional savoiardi would. Once happy with the result, spread a portion of the filling on top, and repeat with the other cake layer.
Spread the filling on top and the sides, reserving a bit of the filling to pipe on top, making the cake resemble traditional tiramisu. Pipe the decoration, dust with some additional cocoa powder, if desired, and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Yields 4 generous servings or 6 modest ones.
