I’m not much of a dessert person. Not because I don’t like desserts but mainly because I have to be really careful with my sugar intake. But I had friends coming over for lunch and wanted to make something special for my Italian inspired menu. And treat myself to a once in a while sugar fix :)
My intention was to make a semi-raw vegan tiramisu with a layer of coffee at the bottom and a thick cream on top (sort of like a vegan mascarpone), but I failed miserably! My vegan mascarpone ended up much runnier than I would have liked. I didn’t have enough ingredients to make it again and also I didn’t want to waste what I had already used. I was a little bit desperate but then I had the brilliant idea to freeze it and turn it into a semifreddo! Best idea ever!
This dessert is actually on the healthier side. The cream on top is only slightly sweetened with brown rice syrup and the layer at the bottom is sweetened with dates, but not too much.
Tiramisu inspired semifreddo
- Prep Time: 10m
- Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashew nuts soaked overnight (discard water)
- 1 can coconut cream
- 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 cup almond meal
- 8 fresh dates pitted
- 1 shot of espresso
- fresh berries to serve
Instructions
- To make the coffee base place the almond meal, dates and espresso in a food processor and pulse a couple of times until the dates have broken down slightly. Don't process too much, you still want to keep a few chunks of dates. Distribute the mixture into 6 small glass cups.
- To make the vegan mascarpone place the cashews, coconut cream, brown rice syrup, vanilla and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture in the 6 glasses.
- Freeze for 2 hours and top with fresh berries just before serving. (If freezing for longer than 2 hours, remove from freezer 30 minutes before serving)
Any thoughts?