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Vegan Lemon Tiramisu

The best vegan tiramisu with a fruity twist. Zesty lemon ladyfingers, dipped in dairy-free milk, layered with lemon mascarpone cream, fresh lemon curd, topped with dairy-free whipped cream and fresh lemon zest. This Vegan Lemon Tiramisu is bursting with flavour, a summer must make!

This recipe has been made in collaboration with AEG. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. (For more information along with affiliated links, check out my disclosure policy.)

side view of lemon tiramisu

Vegan Lemon Tiramisu

I am so excited to be sharing this recipe today. I’ve taken the classic tiramisu, and have given it a summery, zesty twist. All hail – Vegan Lemon Tiramisu!

This tiramisu has the same basis of a classic ‘coffee based’ tiramisu, but instead uses fresh lemon, lemon curd and lemon lady fingers dunked in dairy-free milk. When I tell you it’s like biting into a lemon cloud, i’m not joking. It’s so soft, creamy and delicious.

What is Tiramisu?

Before getting to the method and ingredient’s of this vegan lemon tiramisu, I’m sure you want to know what tiramisu is. Tiramisu is ‘classically’ a coffee flavoured, Italian dessert consisting of ladyfingers, dipped in coffee and rum, topped with a mascarpone cream cheese and dusted with cocoa powder. As you are able to see, it’s had a summer upgrade!

lemon tiramisu on a side plate with a gold fork
up close photo of a layered lemon tiramisu on a side plate

What are lady fingers?

Ladyfingers are a sweet, quite dry cookie / sponge. They are long in length and pretty flat. They are used in many desserts like tiramisu and cream based trifles. When they are exposed to moisture like coffee, cream or even alcohol, they take on the moisture and become soft, cake like, it’s pretty magical.

You can find non-vegan ladyfingers in supermarkets, but if you’re looking for the cruelty-free, vegan version (which is even tastier), you’ll have to make your own homemade version. Thankfully, they are easy and straight forward to make. Plus, these are flavoured with fresh lemon. Keep reading to learn how to make them.

lemon ladyfingers on a wire rack
layered vegan lemon tiramisu in a white dish
lemon tiramisu in a white dish

How to make a Lemon Tiramisu:

This tiramisu has 4 main components:

Lady fingers: I’ve given these ladyfingers a hint of lemon, which taste scrumptious alongside the lemon cream. Go all out and make them boozy by adding some vegan lemon liqueur. (Adults only!)

The best Lemon curd: To make this dessert as zesty and zingy as possible, I made a homemade vegan lemon curd. Lemon curd is the perfect addition to desserts, especially for exceptional summer bakes such as this tiramisu.

Lemon mascarpone: Why have a plain mascarpone? After all, this is a lemon dessert and so I added fresh lemon zest and lemon flavouring into the mascarpone which takes it to a whole new level. It really makes the dessert flavour explode in your mouth.

Whipped cream: It wouldn’t a tiramisu without some whipped cream on top. Add it into a piping bag and pipe on as much as your heart desires.

up close photo of a layered lemon tiramisu on a side plate

I am so excited to have partnered with AEG to bring you this recipe.

This is my first recipe in my brand new AEG oven and using my new AEG hob. My first thought for this recipe was to create lemon curd which I could make on the hob and some kind of cake or cookie using the oven and it’s features. I couldn’t wait to get started. The hob and the oven looked great in my kitchen and the features on both are really impressive.

My new AEG Hob:

I am finally the proud owner of a 5 burner hob. You have no idea how excited it made me when I saw the hob for the first time. It looks sleek, classy and best of all, it’s wide enough to cook multiple things on at once! It’s a real ‘wow factor’ and eye-catcher in the kitchen. It helped me make the most scrumptious lemon curd for this recipe.

My new AEG Oven:

I was also gifted the most INCREDIBLE Smart oven I have ever laid my eyes on, with lots of incredible features. Ps, how gorgeous does it look?! I baked the lemon ladyfingers in it for this recipe and they turned out beautifully, with a gorgeous all round golden brown colour and perfectly baked.

This is the ‘9000 Steam Pro Oven with Steamify.’ What is that I hear you ask? Well, It has three cooking levels that allows heating, steaming or a combination of both.

What does that mean for baking?

It’s a first for me to have of an oven that has a steam feature that can also adjust the steam level automatically. I cant wait to try this out. I’m still just getting use to my new oven and can’t wait to share more recipes with you all using it’s many features. One feature that I am extremely impressed with is the Cookview camera. You can set it up that you can check on your bakes on your mobile phone as they are baking. Wow!! This is restaurant quality technology in the comfort of your very own kitchen. I’m OBSESSED!

Shop AEG kitchen appliances here.

up close photo of a layered lemon tiramisu on a side plate

Looking for more lemon recipes? Check these out:

Vegan Lemon Baked Tart

The BEST Vegan Lemon Loaf

Vegan Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Vegan Lemon Curd Cake

If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking!

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side view of lemon tiramisu

Vegan Lemon Tiramisu


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Description

Easy Vegan Lemon Tiramisu with lemon ladyfingers, lemon curd and a lemon flavoured mascarpone. A summer must make! 


Ingredients

Units Scale

Ingredients for the ladyfingers

  • 180ml of aquafaba (chickpea brine)*
  • 12g of cream of tartar
  • 180g of caster sugar
  • 60ml of sunflower oil
  • 20g of dairy-free vanilla / lemon yogurt
  • 80g of coconut cream*
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 300g of plain flour
  • 2 lemons (zest only)

Ingredients for the lemon curd

  • 3 tablespoons of corn flour + 2 tablespoons of water
  • 100g of dairy-free butter/margarine
  • 100g of caster sugar
  • 170ml of lemon juice
  • 3 small unwaxed lemons (zest)
  • 100g of vegan condensed milk*
  • Pinch of turmeric (used to enhance the colour – optional)

Ingredients for the lemon mascarpone

  • 250g of dairy-free block butter (softened)*
  • 420g of icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
  • 80g of dairy-free vanilla / lemon yogurt

+

  • Dairy-free whipped cream (I use Elmlea Plant Based Double Cream)

Instructions

Method (ladyfingers)

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan, and line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper. This recipe will make around 3-4 trays, so you’ll want to bake 1 tray at a time.
  2. Pour the aquafaba (chickpea brine) into a medium / large mixing bowl and whisk on low, adding in the cream of tartar. You will want to use an electric hand whisk or stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment. Whip on high speed for 5-8 minutes until soft peaks form.
  3. While the aquafaba mixture is still whipping on high speed, sprinkle in 150g of the sugar, a little at a time until it’s all in the bowl. Allow this to whip for 5-8 minutes until stiff peaks form. If you can hold the bowl upside down and the meringue doesn’t move or slide out of the bowl, it’s ready.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, yogurt, coconut cream, vanilla bean paste and remaining sugar. Whisk this together to combine.
  5. Use a spatula to carefully fold the meringue mixture into the yogurt mixture, do this in 2-3 stages as you don’t want to and deflate the air we made in the meringue.
  6. Sift in the baking powder, flour and lemon zest, carefully fold this in to combine. Fold until there is not dry ingredients visible, be-careful not to over mix.
  7. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip nozzle.
  8. Pipe lines of the mixture (around 4 inches / 10cm long and 11/2 inches / 4cm wide) onto the lined trays, making sure to space them out as they will spread in the oven.
  9. Place 1 tray at a time into the middle of the oven and bake the ladyfingers for 15 minutes, making sure not to burn them. You will know they’re ready when the edges of the ladyfingers turn golden brown.
  10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray before peeling them off the paper and placing onto a wire rack to cool down fully. Repeat until you’ve used up all the mixture.
  11. Once cool, keep all the ladyfingers fresh by placing them in a sealed container at room temperature until you need them. You will want to use them on the day of making, or the next day. Don’t leave them too long in the container or they could soften.

Method (lemon curd)

  1. In a small bowl, add in the cornflour and water. Stir together into thick paste.
  2. Add the cornflour paste, dairy-free butter, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, condensed milk and a pinch of turmeric if using (for a more yellow colour) into a medium sized saucepan.
  3. Place the saucepan on the hob and heat over low to medium, stirring constantly, preferably with a whisk. After around 5-8 minutes the lemon curd will thicken. If the curd isn’t thickening, turn up the heat and constantly whisk.
  4. Pour curd into a heat-proof jar or bowl, cover and place aside to cool down.
  5. You can either put it in the fridge or keep it at room temperature to cool. Before you use it, give it a good stir as it will thicken.

Method (lemon mascarpone)

  1. In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free softened butter. Using a hand whisk or stand mixer with balloon whisk attachment, whip the butter for 5-8 minutes until pale.
  2. Sift in the icing sugar and add in the lemon juice. Whip on high speed, adding in the yogurt. Keep whipping for around 5 minutes. The mixture will turn very thick and creamy. If your mixture looks like it is splitting, keep whipping it! It will come together.

Assemble

  1. Add dairy-free milk into a bowl and sprinkle in some lemon zest. This will give the milk a slight lemon flavour. Give it a little stir.
  2. Dip the ladyfingers into the milk (making sure not to over dip them, or they will become soggy), place into your desired dish to make the first layer.
  3. Spread half of the lemon mascarpone cream evenly over the first layer of ladyfingers. Use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.
  4. Spread , pipe or drizzle some of the lemon curd over the mascarpone and spread out. 
  5. Repeat the ladyfinger layer and mascarpone layer 2 / 3 more times until you’ve used up all of your mixture.
  6. Whip up the Elmlea cream (or any good quality dairy-free double cream) with the cream cheese and vanilla bean paste, until thick, add into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip nozzle and pipe blobs all over the top of the dessert.
  7. Sprinkle some lemon zest over the top. Then place into the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight to chill (my preferred method is overnight as it makes sure everything is set).
  8. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice the chilled tiramisu into squares / servings. TIP: Wipe the knife clean between each cut with kitchen paper, this makes for neat slices.
  9. To lift the tiramisu out of the dish, use a flat spatula, it really helps to get underneath the tiramisu and lift it up without damaging the dessert too much. The first slice is always the trickiest to get out of the dish.
  10. Serve the tiramisu with a swirl of dairy-free whipped cream, or a scoop of ice-cream, and enjoy.

Notes

To store: Store the tiramisu in the fridge and allow to come to room temperature before enjoying. Best eaten within 3-4 days of making. 

  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Cakes and layer cakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Italian
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3 Comments

  1. Molly
    June 23, 2022 / 11:56 am

    Hello, this looks absolutely delicious! You mention how to make the whipped cream but I can’t see the measurements. Please could you share how much cream and cream cheese to use? Thank you!

  2. Sandra
    June 26, 2022 / 7:28 pm

    Absolutely amazing. Perfect for summer.






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