Gluten free tiramisu is actually very easy to make, despite it being an impressive dessert to eat. Layers of coffee-soaked sponge (booze-spiked if you wish) and vanilla mascarpone cream, it really is quite heavenly.
My recipe is adapted from Antonio Carluccio’s classic, as his tiramisu is beautifully simple and very authentic. No cream is added, simply mascarpone with sugar, vanilla, milk and egg yolk. Giving the most incredibly, silky contrast to the coffee sponge fingers.
I have used gluten free ladyfingers (savoiardi) as the sponge element of this dessert, in keeping with traditional tiramisu. They are very easy to make at home and I’ve a lovely recipe for you – you can even make them a day ahead of time if needed. If you are not gluten free, feel free to substitute with standard ladyfingers.
Can I Make This Gluten Free Tiramisu in Advance?
You can make it and enjoy immediately, or pop it in the refrigerator until you want to serve the tiramisu. It’s fine left overnight too (in the fridge), if you need to make it a day in advance.
Do I Have to Use Ladyfingers for this Gluten Free Tiramisu?
They are the classic sponge to use in tiramisu and work perfectly. They are a sort of sponge-biscuit hybrid, soaking up coffee perfectly while holding their form. So I would recommend them (especially given how easy they are to make).
Alternatively, try making a classic genoise sponge. Or buy some plain sponge cakes from the supermarket. These are prone to getting a bit soggy though, so dunk in the coffee very briefly.
Gluten Free Tiramisu
This gluten free tiramisu will serve about 6 people. You can halve the quantities if you want to make a smaller dessert for two, or even double it if you have a big group to feed.
I assembled mine in a small rectangular dish (27cm x 18cm), but any shape dish of a similar volume is fine. You can also make individual portions, using the same method but dividing between little serving dishes. It’s a very flexible one to assemble :).
You will find step by step photos underneath this recipe, to give you a visual guide. For any other help along the way or if you have questions, please do message me on social media (@myglutenfreeguide) or email me at laura@mygfguide.com.
If you enjoy tiramisu, please leave a review on the recipe card below. It makes a world of difference to me :). And you can also share photos of your home creations in my Cooking Club on Facebook.
Enjoy! Laura xxx
Gluten Free Tiramisu
Easy gluten free tiramisu - layers of coffee and liquour soaked sponge fingers and vanilla mascarpone cream. A true crowd-pleaser dessert!
Ingredients
- 12-16 gluten free ladyfingers/savoiardi (see my recipe, linked below, for easy homemade ones)
- 250ml espresso (strong black coffee)
- 30ml Kahlua/marsala wine/dark spiced rum/chocolate liqueur (or replace with extra coffee if you want an alcohol0free dessert)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 50g caster sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or the seeds of two vanilla pods)
- 500g mascarpone
- 60ml whole milk
- Cocoa powder for dusting (approx 10-15g)
Instructions
- First we'll prepare the elements of the tiramisu and serving dish. Get a small serving dish large enough to fit the sponge fingers (mine was 27cm x 18cm, rectangular - any shape is fine, similar volume is ideal - or you can also make small individual portions and break up the fingers). Place on your worktop, along with the ladyfingers.
- Pour the coffee and liquour into a small shallow dish, then set on your worktop next to the serving dish and ladyfingers.
- To make the mascarpone cream, first mix the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together until smooth. Add the mascarpone and whisk (I use a handheld balloon whisk) until smooth. Then add the milk and whisk again, until you have a beautifully smooth mascarpone cream.
- Now let's assemble the tiramisu! Dip a ladyfinger completely into the coffee, turning it over to fully soak it (but only leaving it in the coffee for about 10 seconds), then transfer into the serving dish. Repeat with roughly half the ladyfingers until you have a full layer of sponge in the base of the dish.
- Spoon half the mascarpone cream onto the sponge fingers and spread with a spatula to create a fairly even layer.
- Repeat the process to create another coffee-soaked sponge finger layer and second mascapone layer with the rest of the mixture.
- Finally dust the top liberally with cocoa powder. Ta daaaa, one delicious tiramisu ready to eat! You can enjoy it straight away, or cover and store in fridge until you are ready to serve it.
For more delicious desserts, why not try some of my other gluten free recipes:
Enjoy! Laura xxx
