Making a sugar free tiramisu has been on my mind for far too long, so when we were away a few months ago, I finally found time to make it.
You can make this as boozy as you like, alternatively, you can omit the alcohol entirely, especially if you are serving to children. Why not simply drizzle a little brandy over the top of individual servings for those who like it.
Sugar free tiramisu
Tiramisu generally starts with a very dry sponge, sponge fingers or two-day old sponge. If the sponge is dry, it allows the coffee and brandy liquid to be soaked up without going soggy.
I made a quick flourless sponge and cooked it for a little longer to allow it to dry out. I didn’t want to wait for two days to complete the recipe. Who does?
I am in boozy tiramisu heaven - only 3.1g net carbs per slice!You can adapt the recipe to your liking by adjusting how strong you brew your coffee (I like mine really strong) and how much brandy you add. You can even make this alcohol free by using brandy essence.
Sugar free tiramisu flourless sponge
This is my flourless sponge which I slightly overcooked to ensure it was dry enough for the sugar free tiramisu. I adapted the recipe from my flourless berry sponge cake, just omitting the berries. The flourless sponge is an adaptable recipe and I am sure it will feature in many more sugar free and low carb recipes in the future.
After it had cooled, I sliced it and left it uncovered for a few hours whilst I made the cream and coffee/brandy layers.
Sugar Free Tiramisu
Ingredients
Flourless sponge cake
- 110 g butter melted
- 50 g coconut flour
- 4 tbsp granulated sweetener of choice or more, to you taste
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 8 eggs - medium
Coffee and brandy drizzle
- 250 ml very strong coffee
- brandy optional or use brandy essence
Cream layer
- 250 ml heavy/double cream
- 4 tbsp granulated sweetener of choice or more, to you taste
- brandy optional or use brandy essence
To decorate
- 40 g 90% chocolate to decorate
Instructions
Flourless sponge cake
- Mix the melted butter, coconut flour, sweetener, vanilla and baking powder together until smooth.
- Add the eggs one by one, mixing in between each addition.
- Pour into an oiled and lined loaf tin.
- Bake at 180C/350F for 20-25 minutes until cooked in the centre.
- Once it is cool, cut into 1cm / 1/2 inch slices and leave to dry for a few hours, or leave them to dry overnight and make the tiramisu the following day.
Coffee and brandy drizzle
- Mix the coffee and brandy together then drizzle over the sponge slices. I find this easier than dipping them in the coffee, as they have a tendency to fall apart.
Cream layer
- Whip the cream with the sweetener until it is firm. Stir through the brandy/essence if using.
Putting it altogether
- In your serving dish, place carefully half the sponge slices that have been drizzled with the coffee and brandy. Make sure they sit tightly together.
- Spread half the whipped cream mixture on top.
- Place the remaining sponge slices along the top.
- Spread the remaining cream to cover the top, then finally, drizzle melted dark chocolate across the top to decorate.
- Allow the sugar free tiramisu to sit in the fridge for at least an hour for all the flavours and layers to settle together.
If you love coffee, chocolate or brandy, you may like my mocha ice bombs or my walnut and brandy truffles.
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Littleone says
I use the sponge cake for my cream cheese filled variation of tiramisu, I add 8oz of cream cheese to the cream. As I’m sensitive to nuts, I’m always looking for coconut flour versions for lady fingers.
I make the cake in an 8×8″ pan. When cooled I cut it up the centre then cut each side into 12 lady fingers, 24 in total. Instead of drying overnight, I lightly toast each side in the oven. The 24 fingers then fit perfectly back in my 8×8″ pan for the 2 layer tiramisu. I also use this cake for chocolate, berry or cinnamon tiramisu.
Thank you for the lovely cake.
Lowcarbfrenchie says
Hello Libby !
I’m addicted to tiramisu, so thanks a lot for the recpie
I made my own version of the tiramisu, inspired by yours.
The main difference is the proportions between the sponge and the cream. I made less sponge and more cream.
Your sponge cake is perfect, so I keept it. I just cook it very thin, 3-4mm. I cut the shape and it’s ready.
I changed the cream for mascarpone. Don’t know if you can find it in USA, but France is close to Italia :). For me there is no comparaison possible. It’s WAY better, OMG !!
You can find the recipe (in French) on my website: http://lowcarbfrenchie.com/le-tiramisu-aux-fraises-keto/
Thanks you Lilly!
<3 Olivier
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
I absolutely love how you gave my recipe a French twist and your presentation is absolutely stunning. Bonjour form Nouvelle-Zélande!
Marissa says
I started this recipe and my cake came out with a gelatin like layer on the bottom and very greasey. What could’ve caused this? Do you have any ideas on how to fix it? Going ahead with the rest of the recipe in hopes I can still have yummy tiramisu but I couldn’t find anything like this problem anywhere on the internet.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
I’m so sorry to hear this, no one likes wasted ingredients. I use this basic coconut flour sponge recipe all the time and it never fails. If the oil/fat has come out, my best guess would be that the cake batter wasn’t mixed enough or allowed to stand until the coconut flour absorbed the liquids. I also wonder if you used large eggs? Possibly too much liquid? I hope you managed to rescue it.
Terri says
I think tastes much better if left overnight so goes nice and soft
Terri says
I used cream and mascarpone cheese a very authentic addition to any Italian turamisu.
Alice says
Would it come out the same if I use almond flour in place of the coconut flour?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Sorry, no. This article explains the difference in Coconut flour vs almond flour and this article explains all low-carb flours. They both behave quite differently.
Sean says
Hi Libby,
Could you state what size dish you cooked the sponge, assembled the sponge fingers in? It makes life much easier with correctly sized dishes. Thanks!!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Apologies, I made this when I was on vacation so I don’t know the size of dish I used. I’ll try to add this info from now on in my recipes.
Judi O. says
This took twice as long to bake, and my coconut flour cookbook with similar recipes required about 55 minutes at that temperature. Looks good, though!
Averil6731 Brown says
New to this. Do we subtract fibre from the carbs and count net carbs please
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Yes, all my recipes show total carbs so simply deduct the fibre to become net carbs. Welcome to low carb, this page may help you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
I love tiramisu but on a low carb diet it’s tough to fit in. Thanks for providing a low carb and sugar free version! I’ll definitely be trying this one soon!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Aw thanks Maya. I love tiramisu (really boozy too) so I knew I had to find a way to make it low carb.