Keto Tiramisu (Easy, No Ladyfingers)
This keto tiramisu swaps ladyfingers for a coffee-soaked vanilla sponge made with our Keto Vanilla Cake Mix, layered with mascarpone cream sweetened with Groovy Keto Monk Fruit Decoction Powder. Each slice has 3.8g net carbs. It takes 30 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to bake, then 7 hours to cool and chill, and serves 10.
This keto tiramisu recipe borrows from some proven favourites. Lulu Grimes's best ever tiramisu on BBC Good Food shows how simple the cream can be: double cream and mascarpone whisked together until thick, with no eggs, then layered with sponge fingers given a quick dip in coffee, grated dark chocolate and a dusting of cocoa. Katrin Nürnberger's keto tiramisu on Sugar Free Londoner replaces the sponge fingers with a quick low-carb sponge, and for a large tiramisu she suggests slicing the sponge in half and layering it like a cake. On Reddit's r/ketorecipes, one keto cook who made tiramisu with homemade low-carb sponge fingers found it tasted best at least a day later. Our twist is to bake the sponge with our Keto Vanilla Cake Mix and sweeten the cream with a single tablespoon of monk fruit powder.
The result is a soft, coffee-soaked keto tiramisu with a light mascarpone cream, a dark cocoa top and 3.8g net carbs a slice. If you're searching for a sugar free tiramisu that you can make the day before a dinner party, this low carb tiramisu is a good one to try.
What we used: Groovy Keto Monk Fruit Decoction Powder, which is about three times as sweet as sugar and contains no erythritol, so a tablespoon sweetens all of the cream; Keto Vanilla Cake Mix for the sponge; and our Keto Dark Chocolate Buttons, grated between the layers. See all our monk fruit sweeteners, or read our monk fruit sweetener guide for more on how they differ.
Groovy Keto Monk Fruit Decoction Powder
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Keto Vanilla Cake Mix
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Keto Dark Chocolate Buttons
View productKeto tiramisu vs classic tiramisu
Classic tiramisu gets most of its carbs from sugar and sponge fingers. Here, the sponge is made with our cake mix, which is sweetened with erythritol, and the cream is sweetened with monk fruit powder, so a slice has far fewer net carbs.
| Per 120g slice | Carbohydrate | Sugars | Net carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiramisu (CoFID) | 32.5g | 25.3g | 32.5g |
| This keto tiramisu | 16.0g | 2.7g | 3.8g |
Classic tiramisu figures are UK CoFID data for tiramisu (27.1g carbohydrate and 21.1g sugars per 100g), worked out for a 120g slice. They contain no polyols, so their net carbs are the same as their carbohydrate. Our carbohydrate figure includes 12.2g of polyols from the cake mix and chocolate buttons.
Tips for the best keto tiramisu
- Let the sponge cool completely. A warm sponge breaks up when you slice it and melts the cream. Give it a full hour on a wire rack.
- Spoon the coffee slowly. Spoon it evenly over each layer and let it soak in. The sponge should be moist all the way through but not swimming in coffee.
- Use cream straight from the fridge. Cold mascarpone and double cream whip faster and hold their shape. Stop as soon as the cream is thick, because over-whipped mascarpone turns grainy.
- Sweeten to taste. The vanilla sponge is already sweet, so 1 tbsp of monk fruit powder is enough for the cream. Taste it before you layer and add a little more only if you need to.
- Make it the day before. Like the classic, keto tiramisu tastes best after a night in the fridge, and it cuts more neatly too.
Keto Tiramisu (Easy, No Ladyfingers)
- Prep time30 min
- Bake35 min
- Cool and chill7 hours
- Total time8 hours 5 minutes
- Serves10
- Net carbs3.8g per slice
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 1 x 260g pack Groovy Keto Vanilla Cake Mix
- 3 large eggs
- 80g unsalted butter, melted
For the coffee soak
- 200ml strong black coffee (2 tsp instant coffee granules and 200ml boiling water), cooled
- ½ tsp Groovy Keto Monk Fruit Decoction Powder
For the mascarpone cream
- 250g mascarpone, from the fridge
- 300ml double cream, from the fridge
- 1 tbsp Groovy Keto Monk Fruit Decoction Powder (about 14g)
To finish
- 2 tsp cocoa powder
- 15g (5 buttons) Groovy Keto Dark Chocolate Buttons, finely grated
You will also need a 20cm (8-inch) round cake tin, a 20cm round springform tin or deep dish to assemble it in, an electric whisk, a long serrated knife and a fine grater.
Allergens: contains eggs, milk and nuts (almonds). See the allergen notes under Nutrition for the cake mix, chocolate buttons and monk fruit powder packs.
Method
- Bake the sponge. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas mark 4) and line a 20cm (8-inch) round cake tin with baking paper. Whisk the eggs and melted butter together, stir in the cake mix, spread it in the tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.
- Cool and split. Leave the sponge to cool completely, about 1 hour. Then slice it in half horizontally with a long serrated knife to make two thin layers.
- Make the coffee soak. Stir the monk fruit powder into the cooled coffee until it dissolves.
- Whip the cream. Put the mascarpone, double cream and monk fruit powder in a large bowl and whisk with an electric whisk for 2 to 3 minutes, until thick and just holding soft peaks. Taste, and add up to 1 tsp more powder if you like it sweeter.
- Layer. Put one sponge layer, cut side up, in a 20cm round springform tin or deep dish. Spoon over half the coffee, spread over half the cream and grate over half the chocolate. Add the second layer, spoon over the rest of the coffee and spread the remaining cream on top.
- Chill. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours, or overnight, so the sponge softens and the flavours come together.
- Finish. Just before serving, dust the top with the cocoa powder through a small sieve, grate over the rest of the chocolate and cut into 10 slices.
Ways to change it
- Boozy: stir 2 tbsp Marsala or dark rum into the coffee soak.
- Individual glasses: cut the cooled sponge into small squares, toss them in the coffee and layer them with the cream in 10 small glasses.
- Chocolate orange: add the finely grated zest of 1 orange to the cream.
- Decaf: use decaffeinated coffee if you're serving it in the evening or to anyone avoiding caffeine.
Any of these changes will alter the nutrition figures.
How to serve keto tiramisu
- Dinner party: make it the day before, then dust and slice it just before serving.
- With coffee: serve a slice with an espresso after a meal.
- Dessert table: serve it alongside our keto chocolate mousse, or find more ideas in our keto sweet treats.
Storage and making ahead
- Make ahead: assemble it up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Add the cocoa and the last of the chocolate just before serving.
- Fridge: keep it covered in the fridge and eat it within 2 days.
- Freezer: freeze slices in a sealed container for up to 1 month. Defrost them overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition
Per slice (about 120g, one tenth of the tiramisu, serves 10):
| Nutrient | Per slice |
|---|---|
| Energy | 407 kcal |
| Fat | 40.0g |
| of which saturates | 22.4g |
| Carbohydrate | 16.0g |
| of which sugars | 2.7g |
| of which polyols | 12.2g |
| Net carbs | 3.8g |
| Fibre | 4.3g |
| Protein | 6.9g |
| Salt | 0.48g |
Net carbs are carbohydrate minus polyols. On UK labels, fibre is already listed separately from carbohydrate, so it isn't subtracted again. Figures are calculated from the Groovy Keto Vanilla Cake Mix, Dark Chocolate Buttons and Monk Fruit Decoction Powder pack labels and UK (McCance and Widdowson's CoFID) data for eggs (12-937), unsalted butter (17-661), instant coffee made up with water (17-159), mascarpone (12-490), double cream (12-334) and cocoa powder (12-545). They will vary with the brands you use. Excessive consumption of polyols, such as erythritol, may produce laxative effects.
Allergens: this recipe contains eggs, milk (mascarpone, cream and butter) and nuts (almonds). The Keto Vanilla Cake Mix pack says it contains almonds and milk, and that it is made in a facility where there may be traces of other nuts, cereals, milk and eggs. The Dark Chocolate Buttons pack says they are packed in a facility where there may be traces of nuts, cereals, milk and eggs. The Monk Fruit Decoction Powder pack says it is produced in a facility that also handles nuts and milk. Always check the current pack labels before making this for anyone with an allergy.
FAQ
Is tiramisu keto?
Classic tiramisu isn't, because the sponge fingers and sugar make it high in carbs. UK CoFID data puts tiramisu at 27.1g carbohydrate per 100g. This keto tiramisu uses a vanilla sponge made with our Keto Vanilla Cake Mix and mascarpone cream sweetened with monk fruit powder, so each slice has 3.8g net carbs.
What can I use instead of ladyfingers?
A thin layer of keto sponge works well. We bake our Keto Vanilla Cake Mix in a 20cm round tin, then slice it in half to make two layers that soak up the coffee like sponge fingers. A low-carb almond sponge cut into squares works too, as long as it is fully cooled first.
Can you make keto tiramisu without alcohol?
Yes. This recipe has no alcohol at all: the flavour comes from strong coffee, mascarpone and a dusting of cocoa. If you would like the classic boozy version, stir 2 tbsp Marsala or dark rum into the coffee soak, but remember that it will add some carbs and change the nutrition figures.
Does this keto tiramisu contain raw eggs?
No. The eggs go into the sponge, which is baked, and the cream is just mascarpone and double cream whipped with monk fruit powder. Many traditional tiramisu recipes fold raw egg yolks or whites into the cream, so this version is a simpler way to make it for a crowd.
How much monk fruit powder replaces sugar?
Our Monk Fruit Decoction Powder is about three times as sweet as sugar, so use roughly a third of the sugar a recipe asks for. As a guide, 1 tsp of the powder is about as sweet as 1 tbsp of sugar. Start with a little less, taste, then add more if you need to.
How long does keto tiramisu keep?
Keep it covered in the fridge and eat it within 2 days. It tastes best the day after you make it, once the coffee has soaked into the sponge. You can freeze slices in a sealed container for up to 1 month, then defrost them overnight in the fridge before serving.
