So this is what happens when two delicious iconic desserts collide, vegan tiramisu cheesecake! This easy tiramisu cheesecake recipe is like a fusion of my vegan tiramisu and no-bake mocha cheesecake all in one mouthwatering dessert. It's got all the classic flavors of tiramisu, espresso, creamy mascarpone, and a hint of alcohol all layered up in an eye-catching cheesecake.
There is nothing quite like the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and capturing that flavor in this mousse-y cake is what I call heaven!
Ingredients overview
What you'll need for the crust:
- Digestive biscuits: You can also use graham crackers or other vegan-friendly cookies.
- Coconut sugar: We're just adding a little bit of sugar as the crust already has some sweetness from the biscuits. You can sub this for any brown sugar.
- Sea salt: This helps to lift the flavors in the crust and helps to contrast against the sweetness of the recipe.
- Vegan butter: This binds everything together as well as adds a delicious buttery flavor.
What you'll need for the cheesecake layers:
- Cashews: These nuts help to give vegan cheesecake recipes that have distinct tangy flavor and creamy consistency. They also provide some structure to the filling as they act as a thickening agent when blended with the other ingredients.
- Vegan cream cheese: I use violife, but you can use any vegan-friendly cream cheese that’s available to you.
- Vegan Greek-style yogurt: I love adding yogurt to vegan cheesecake and tart recipes such as my creamy pistachio tart. It honestly takes the flavor and consistency to the next level. The yogurt also helps with achieving that "mascarpone" flavor for this dairy-free tiramisu cheesecake. You can also swap this for homemade mascarpone.
- Pure maple syrup: My go-to sweetener for vegan cheesecake recipes.
- Cacao butter and coconut oil: These are what helps to set the cheesecake layers. The coffee layer calls for cacao butter to give it a slight "mocha" flavor and the vanilla layer uses coconut oil. If you're unable to source them both you can use one or the other for both layers. Side note - if you're not a fan of coconut, opt for odorless coconut oil.
- Espresso: You can make this as strong as you like. You can always taste test the filling before pouring it into the base to see if the flavor is to your liking.
- Lemon juice: For more of the tangy cheesecake flavor.
- Rum or brandy: You can also use amaretto, tia maria, or whiskey. For tiramisu cheesecake without alcohol, you can omit it or use a little rum essence instead.
- Vanilla bean paste: This is used for the mascarpone cheesecake layer. I recommend using. good quality vanilla paste if you can get it as the flavor will come through in the cheesecake.
- Cacao powder: You can use raw cacao powder for a slightly bitter taste or Dutch-processed cocoa for a sweeter chocolate flavor.
- Dark chocolate: For the chocolate curls and garnish!
How to make no-bake tiramisu cheesecake
1. Make the easy biscuit crust
Add the biscuits, coconut sugar, and salt to your food processor and blitz for a minute or so until they form a light crumb consistency. Add the vegan butter and blend again until the ingredients stick together to form a dough.
Press the dough into the base of your cake tin. Pack it down tightly using a spatula or glass, and set it aside in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
2. Make the coffee cheesecake
Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blitz until completely smooth and creamy without any lumps. Transfer the mixture to the cake tin and tap the tin on the counter to knock out any air bubbles. Place in the freezer to set for 1 hour.
3. Make the vegan mascarpone cheesecake
Blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until completely smooth and creamy without any lumps. Transfer the mixture on top of the now set coffee layer of the cheesecake. Again, tap the tin off the counter to knock out any air bubbles. Place the cake back in the freezer to set for at least 4 hours or overnight if possible.
4. Garnish your tiramisu cheesecake
Remove the cake from the cake tin at least 1 hour before serving to allow time for it to defrost. Dust the top of the cake with some sifted cacao powder.
To make the chocolate curls, add the chocolate and vegan butter to a bowl and melt over a bain-marie (double boiler). Use a spatula to spread the chocolate out onto a clean baking sheet and place it in the freezer to set for 5 minutes. Use a cake scraper to carefully scrape off strips of chocolate.
Decorate the cake with chocolate curls, more grated chocolate, and coffee beans. if you've never made chocolate curls before, check out this recipe on foodnetwork.com that goes into more detail on how it's done.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can! If freezing whole, remove the frozen tiramisu cheesecake from the cake tin and wrap it with foil or plastic wrap so that it isn't exposed to the air. Defrost the cake at least 1-2 hours before serving. Alternatively, you can slice the cake into individual portions and freeze them in airtight containers until you're ready to serve.
Storage instructions
This cake will store in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
Substitutions
- Vanilla bean paste: Use one vanilla pod (scraping out the seeds) or 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract in its place.
- Rum: Swap this out for amaretto, brandy, whiskey, or tia maria. You can also omit the alcohol and use a teaspoon of rum essence.
- Vegan Greek-style yogurt: Use regular soya or coconut yogurt instead.
- Vegan cream cheese: You can swap this out for coconut cream or chilled full-fat canned coconut milk (using the cream from the can and not the water).
Variations
- Tiramisu cheesecake bars: You can make this recipe in a lined baking dish and cut it into bars or bites once set. I'd recommend a minimum size of 8x8" for this recipe.
- Mini cheesecakes: If you'd like to make individual tiramisu cheesecakes you can use a muffin tray to make them instead of one large cake tin.
- Strawberry tiramisu (vegan) for a summery twist on vegan tiramisu.
More vegan coffee recipes
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Description
Ingredients
Crust
- 14 (200 g) digestive biscuits, or graham crackers (weight equivalent to 200g)
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) coconut sugar, or any brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) sea salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) vegan butter
Coffee Cheesecake
- 5.3 oz (150 g) cashews , soaked *see recipe notes
- 5.3 oz (150 g) vegan cream cheese
- ⅓ cup (70 ml) pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup (82 g) vegan greek style yogurt, or ¼ cup soy/coconut yogurt, or vegan mascarpone
- 2 shots (60 ml) espresso
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) dark rum, or brandy/tia maria/whiskey/amaretto
- ⅓ cup (75 g) cacao butter (solid weight), or coconut oil
Vanilla Mascarpone Cheesecake
- 5.3 oz (150 g) cashews, soaked *see recipe notes
- 7 oz (200 g) vegan cream cheese
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (123 g) vegan greek style yogurt, or ⅓ cup soy/coconut yogurt, or vegan mascarpone
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
- ¼ cup (55 g) coconut oil, solid
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla bean paste
Toppings
- 2 teaspoons (2 g) cacao powder, for dusting
- 5.3 oz (150 g) vegan dark chocolate, optional
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) vegan butter, optional
- 1 tablespoon coffee beans, optional
Instructions
Crust
- Add the biscuits, coconut sugar, and salt to your food processor and blitz for a minute or so until they form a light crumb consistency. Add the vegan butter and blend again until the ingredients stick together to form a dough.
- Line the base of a 7.5 or 8" cake tin (with aremovable base) with some parchment paper. Press the dough into the base of your cake tin. Pack it down tightly using a spatula or glass, and set it aside in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
Coffee Cheesecake
- Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blitz until completely smooth and creamy without any lumps. Transfer the mixture to the cake tin and tap the tin on the counter to knock out any air bubbles. Place in the freezer to set for 1 hour.
Vanilla Mascarpone Cheesecake
- Blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until completely smooth and creamy without any lumps. Transfer the mixture on top of the now set coffee layer of the cheesecake. Again, tap the tin off the counter to knock out any air bubbles. Place the cake back in the freezer to set for at least 4 hours or overnight if possible.
Toppings
- Remove the cake from the cake tin at least 1 hour before serving to allow time for it to defrost. Dust the top of the cake with some sifted cacao powder.
- To make the chocolate curls, add the chocolate and vegan butter to a bowl and melt over a bain-marie (double boiler). Use a spatula to spread the chocolate out onto a clean baking sheet and place it in the freezer to set for 5 minutes. Use a cake scraper to carefully scrape off strips of chocolate. Decorate the cake with chocolate curls, more grated chocolate, and coffee beans.
Storage
- This cake will store in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days, alternatively, freeze in sections and defrost as needed.
Notes
- Soaked cashews: Place the cashews in a bowl with filtered water and allow them to soak for 4 hours. Alternatively, cover them in boiling water and allow them to soak for 1 hour. Rinse them clean and drain them before use.
- Vanilla bean paste: Swap for one vanilla pod (scraping out the seeds) or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract in its place.
- Swap rum out for amaretto, brandy, whiskey, or tia maria. You can also omit the alcohol and use a teaspoon of rum essence.
- Use regular soy or coconut yogurt instead of vegan Greek-style.
- Vegan cream cheese: You can swap this out for coconut cream or chilled full-fat canned coconut milk (using the cream from the can and not the water).
Nutrition
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*This recipe was originally published on May 8th, 2018. The recipe has since been improved and was last updated on September 17th, 2021.
