Tiramisu, Paleo Style

Ingredients

Pastry Cream:
• 2 1/4 cups raw cashews. Measure first, then soak about 6 hours in filtered water, then drain well.
• 1 5.4 oz. can premium organic unsweetened coconut milk
• Sweeten to taste with 1 cup Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or Swerve, or Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener, or your favorite sweetener.
• 1/8 teaspoon unprocessed salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup vegan coconut milk powder (optional)
• 2 tablespoons agar flakes or 2 teaspoons agar powder - See Agar
• 1/4 cup filtered water or alternative milk to cook agar
Cake Wet Ingredients:
• 7 large eggs, at room temperature (385 grams out of the shell)
• 1 5.4 oz. can thick premium organic unsweetened coconut cream. I used Native Forest.
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Cake Dry Ingredients:
• 1 1/4 cups Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or Swerve, or Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener
• 2 cups medium-shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon unprocessed salt
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 tablespoon unprocessed red palm oil, optional for a yellow color
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional for buttery flavor)
Espresso Syrup:
• 1 cup sweetener such as Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or Swerve, or Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener
• 1 1/4 cups warm filtered water
• 5 tablespoons instant Mt. Hagen organic decaffeinated coffee crystals
• 1-2 tablespoons of Italian Sambuca anise liqueur, or 1/2 teaspoon anise powder
For assembly:
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder
• 4 strawberries if you like

Instructions

Pastry Cream:
1. In a large blender, combine the coconut milk, sweetener, soaked cashews, salt, vanilla, and lemon juice. Blend very well. Stop and stir if necessary. Cashews vary in density. So if your mixture becomes too thick to blend, just add a bit more liquid a tablespoon at a time.
2. To prepare the agar: In a shallow nonstick pan over medium heat, stir the agar into 1/4 cup tablespoons of liquid. Cook and stir gently for 2 to 3 minutes until it is bubbling and gummy, and the flakes begin to dissolve. Add the agar mixture to the blender immediately and blend well to remove any lumps. You can also stir in the agar by hand in a mixing bowl or food processor if your cream is too thick to blend. The idea is to thicken the pastry cream so it will hold firm between the cake layers. If you use agar powder the cooking process will be much faster. Pour the finished pastry cream into a mixing bowl and chill for 3 hours, or until thick.
Cake:
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut parchment paper to line your pan.
4. In any blender, add the eggs, coconut milk, vanilla, and vinegar. Blend very well several times to whip the eggs very smooth.
5. In a dry food processor with the “S” blade, grind the sweetener to a very fine powder. Add the shredded coconut to the sweetener in the food processor. Spin it for a minute to become a very fine powder. Open the lid, stir the bottom, replace the lid, and grind again until the powder is uniformly fine.
6. To the ingredients in the food processor, add the baking soda, salt, almond meal, and nutritional yeast (if using). Process well.
7. To the dry mixture in the food processor add the blended wet ingredients. Mix briefly and pour into the pan. Do not delay as the rising action has started. Bake 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Don’t peek or the cake may fall. Allow the cake to cool for about 30 minutes in the pan on a rack.
Espresso syrup:
8. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup or equivalent container (a spout is helpful), whisk together the sweetener, warm water, coffee crystals, and anise powder. Stir until the crystals dissolve.
To Assemble:
9. Remove one cake layer from its baking pan onto a serving dish. Tuck a few pieces of parchment or wax paper under the edges so your platter stays clean. Use a fork to poke holes in the cake so it can soak up syrup like a sponge. Pour half of the espresso syrup slowly and evenly over the cake. Spread evenly with half of the chilled pastry cream and smooth flat. Dust the top evenly with cacao powder (It’s easy to dust with a fine-mesh tea strainer).
10. Place the second layer of cake exactly on top of this, poke holes with a fork, and soak it with the rest of the espresso syrup, Then spread the rest of the pastry cream and smooth flat.
11. Dust the top with cacao powder. Garnish with strawberries, if you like. Or chocolate shavings. Cut into 12 or 15 pieces and serve. Mamma mia! I’m in Italy!