Low Carb Tiramisu, Keto Lady Fingers

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I’m Italian, and I’ve eaten some pretty outstanding tiramisu. The two best ever were in Florence, Italy and Asheville, North Carolina. This means you don’t have to be in Italy to eat like Italy! 

I learned something wonderful this week. Low Carb Tiramisu is possible. Before I  go any further, know that I own a home keto bakery and have lots of keto dessert experience. 

Tiramisu means “pick me up.”  It’s an Italian classic, rich layers of cake, cream, liquor and espresso makes a luscious dessert, and just for you, this is sugar free, low carb, keto friendly.

There is no need to ever miss out on this Italian classic again if you don’t eat sugar or grains.   

Let’s get right to why this is low carb tiramisu?

I used my yellow cake batter that I use in my bakery. I piped them into finger shaped cakes and used Swerve as my sweetener. A serving is 4 net carb, but be aware, it’s still loaded with calories at about 367 from 1/12 of a serving,

 

Two layers of the cake fingers is perfect.

What makes a tiramisu wonderful?

Balance and not skipping the right steps. 

Some recipes simply doctor up whipped cream and call it tiramisu.

An authentic recipe makes the cream from mixing a sabayon, mascarpone and fresh stabilized whipped cream. This recipe has the perfect balance of these ingredients for the cream, and I’m so proud of it, even for sugar free.

There are a lot of moving parts in this recipe, and I  recommend making the cake fingers one day, allowing them to dry out a bit and then making the cream the next day.  

How do you Make tiramisu?

Authentic tiramisu is made with lady fingers, drenched in espresso (with liquor) and layered between layers of a cream made with mascarpone, sabayon and whipped heavy cream. The magic in the flavor is the cream which can’t be duplicated any other way.  Some recipes use egg whipped egg whites. I’ve not tried that, but I do know my method delivers that perfect cream taste that isn’t like anything else. 

What is sabayon?

The Sabayon originated in Italy as zabaglione. It’s basically egg yolks and powdered sugar and usually a liquor such as Marsala wine. I skipped liquor in my sabayon but I added a coffee infused rye to my espresso. You could skip the alcohol, or use any coffee liquor. You can go ahead and add the Marsala wine to your sabayon. 

Le Cordon Bleu at Home, tells you to whisk a sabayon  (egg yolks and powdered sugar) in a bowl that is placed in 2-3 inches of simmering water, and that water better not touch the pan, as it can curdle. There is a lot of whisking, and I was so proud of what seemed like the perfect sabayon. You can use your electric hand mixer at the stove. 

The whisking builds the air in the yolks, resulting in an airy, creamy, silky texture. Perfect means silky, no curdling, and it falls easily away from the spoon without leaving a film.

How does mascarpone differ from cream cheese?

Cream cheese contains 33% milk fat, no more than 55 % moisture. It has a tangy taste, is firmer than mascarpone. Marscapone is made from cream, is less firm and less tangy

Is there alcohol in tiramisu?

Usually there is some form of alcohol added to the espresso. However, you can leave it out if you’re serving to kids or prefer not to use it.

How long does tiramisu last?

It takes several hours to overnight for tiramisu to set, but then should be eaten within two days.  It does freeze well, though.

Can you freeze tiramisu?

Yes, you can. You can wrap in heavy plastic wrap in dish. Thaw in refrigerator.

Does tiramisu have raw eggs?

No, the egg yolks are cooked with the sweetener over a bain marie. I did not use uncooked whipped egg whites in the cream part, as some recipes do. My cream was absolutely perfect and tasted authentic. A bain marie is a double boiler. Use a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.

How do you pronounce tiramisu?

Teer ah ma su′

Making Low Carb, Keto Friendly Tiramisu

I envisioned several hurdles in making keto tiramisu, as I needed a replacement for the high carb lady fingers.

Authentic Keto Tiramisu

Making Keto Lady Fingers

While these are not official lady finger, low carb cake fingers work well, using almond flour and coconut flour.  I piped cake fingers into and baked them for ten minutes. I was concerned that the cake fingers might fall apart or get too mushy when dipped into the espresso, but they stayed intact, and they worked well. 

Keto Cake Fingers

Can I substitute mascarpone in tiramisu?

If you have to substitute the mascarpone with cream cheese, whip the cream cheese with up to 1/4 heavy cream. 

What sugar free sweetener is used in this recipe?

I use Granulated Swerve, a powdered erythritol, and I write about Swerve here.

What is the nutrition value?

There are 304 calories, 29 grams fat, 4 carbs, 2 fiber. Net Carbs: 2

Pin This↓

Low Carb Tiramisu

More Low Carb Desserts from Spinach Tiger

Low Carb Lemon Budino

Low Carb Chocolate Cake

Low Carb Italian Orange Bundt Cake

Low Carb Chocolate Frosting

Low Carb Chocolate Budino

Low Carb Tiramisu
Print Recipe
3.75 from 4 votes

Low Carb Tiramisu

Delicious Tiramisu made with homemade cake fingers, mascarpone, espresso, Swerve
Prep Time20 minutes
Refrigerator Time6 hours
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: keto bars, low carb cake, tiramisu
Servings: 12

Ingredients

Cake Fingers

Sabayon

Remaining Ingredients

  • 16 tablespoon mascarpone room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup espresso coffee
  • 2 tablespoon coffee liquor optional

For Dusting Top

  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa for dusting

Instructions

  • Set Mascarpone Cheese out to warm up.

Make Keto Lady Fingers

  • Mix all dry ingredients together. Set aside.
  • Beat butter for a few minutes with Swerve.
  • Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.
  • Add dry ingredients. If batter is too thick, add a few tablespoons almond milk. Batter will still be thick enough to pipe into cake fingers.
  • Put into piping bag with circle tip. Pipe out onto baking sheet, to about six inches long, 2 inches wide each.
  • Bake at 350 degrees F., 180 C for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Make Stabilized Whipped Cream, set aside

  • Whip Cream to near stiff peaks mixed with one tablespoon Confectioner's Swerve.

Make Sabayon

  • Separate egg yolks from egg whites. Save whites for another recipe like my biscuits.
  • Set up a bain marie, using a stainless bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. This results in gentle heating method.
    Mix egg yolks with sweetener (add Marsala if you desire). Whisk for about ten minutes , making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. It will turn into an amazing custard like pudding. Instead of whisking by hand, I used my hand electric mixer at the stove.

Make Tiramisu

  • Mix mascarpone with sabayon. Fold in whipped cream.
  • Add your choice of liquor to cooled espresso.
  • Dip lady fingers into espresso, and layer pan. This will be more than enough to fill a 9 x 9 square dish. I sometimes use two smaller dishes so I can freeze one. Layer espresso with cream mixture, making two layers. Sprinkle with cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa.
  • Refrigerate at least six hours. Tiramisu will last in refrigerator for two to five days. Best eaten day after refrigerated. You can wrap in plastic and freeze. Defrost in refrigerator overnight.

Notes

Notes:  Nutrition figured  using 1 tablespoon of coffee liquor and no marsala wine. You actually skip the liquor and it's still very good.

Nutrition

Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 29g | Fiber: 2g

Please follow me on instagram. If you make this recipe,  please tag me #spinachtiger.

If you love this recipe, please give it five stars. It means a lot. xoxo


Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating