This keto tiramisu recipe will have you coming back for more. Tender almond flour cake layers brushed with coffee and layered with a creamy sugar-free mascarpone filling. It’s an easy low carb version of the Italian classic dessert.
My keto tiramisu gets a much deserved update. This beloved Italian dessert now has fewer carbs and is even easier to make. It’s one of my favorite keto desserts and it may just become one of yours too.
Now, when I call this recipe “easy, I have to acknowledge that it’s all relative. Perhaps I should say that it’s easier keto tiramisu. Because authentic tiramisu actually takes some effort to make.
And the keto version takes even more effort to make, since we can’t just head to the store and grab a package of pre-made lady fingers. Trust me, I know of what I speak. I created a true-to-the original for The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking, even going as far as making my own homemade lady fingers.
While it was delicious, it was definitely more work than many people want to put in. So how can you simplify the process and still be able to enjoy all the delicious flavors of the Italian classic in a way that won’t blow your low carb diet? Read on!
Easy Pound Cake Keto Tiramisu
Making your own keto pound cake is a whole lot easier than making your own keto lady fingers, and it makes a perfect replacement for the spongy cookies.
I had seen some conventional versions using pound cake, like this one from Feast and Farm. Once it’s brushed with coffee and layered with mascarpone, you can hardly tell the difference in taste or in appearance. It’s really just about providing the dessert some structure for the layers.
When I first wrote this keto tiramisu recipe, I went to the trouble of making pound cake in a loaf pan, waiting for it to cool, and slicing it thinly. But then it hit me… why not bake it as a sheet cake? That way, it bakes in less than half the time and I could cut the layers easily to fit my pan.
I also simplified the tiramisu cream, forgoing the traditional method of making zabaglione first. Zabaglione is a creamy concoction made by whisking egg yolks over gentle heat with sugar, and often with a little sweet wine, like marsala. All very tasty but yet another time consuming process that many people don’t have time for.
You can get the same delicious tiramisu flavors simply by folding the mascarpone and whipped cream together. Not quite authentic but it definitely serves the purpose!
Tips for Easy Keto Tiramisu
The cake
You will want to make this first so that it can cool as you prepare the filling. This is a cake made with both almond and coconut flour, as I like that consistency the best. However, if you would like to make it with just almond flour, you can follow the ingredients in this Keto Victoria Sponge Cake. The baking time will be about the same.
I baked it in a 15×11 inch jelly roll pan, which allowed me to get thin layers of cake with very little wasted. However, if you only have a half sheet (18×13), you can bake it in that. Just know that your cake layers will be thinner and the cake will bake faster so keep your eye on it. You will have a bit of cake leftover after creating your layers.
The coffee syrup
This isn’t really a syrup so much as a combination of espresso and rum. You don’t have to use the rum but it won’t be tiramisu if you don’t use the coffee! It’s easier to brush this over the cake, rather than dipping the cake into it, as you would for lady fingers. But the end result is about the same.
The tiramisu cream
Now for the delicious part! Because anything made with mascarpone has to be delicious. I recommend beating the mascarpone to a smooth consistency before adding the other ingredients. Make sure it’s at room temperature before proceeding so that it doesn’t clump or curdle.
Whipping the cream separately and folding the two parts together creates a light and voluminous filling.
The garnish
The final step involves dusting the top of the dessert with a coating of cocoa powder and shaved chocolate. You can use either ChocZero or Lily’s for the chocolate and it takes only about half an ounce to get lovely little chocolate flakes overtop.
Can you make Keto Tiramisu ahead?
Absolutely! This easy tiramisu recipe has no eggs so as long as your mascarpone and cream are fresh, it will be fine for up to a week in the fridge. As with any dessert recipe, wrap it up tightly.
It can also be stored in the freezer for up to two months.
More delicious keto Italian recipes
- Keto Cannoli Sheet Cake
- Keto Pizzelle
- Keto Focaccia Bread
- Keto Italian Wedding Soup
- Keto Italian Salad Dressing
- Keto Italian Sausage Meatballs
- Keto Italian Baked Zucchini
Easy Keto Tiramisu
Ingredients
Cake Layers
- 2 cups almond flour
- ⅔ cup Swerve Granular
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ⅓ cup unflavored whey protein powder (or egg white protein powder)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ⅔ cup water
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coffee Syrup
- ½ cup espresso or strongly brewed coffee
- 2 tablespoon dark rum
Tiramisu Filling
- 16 ounces mascarpone, softened
- ¾ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener divided
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ ounce sugar-free dark chocolate
Instructions
Cake Layers
- Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a rimmed 15x11 inch rimmed sheet pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment and grease the parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the eggs, water, butter, and vanilla extract until well combined and smooth.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake 18 to 22 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the top is just firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool completely in the pan.
Coffee Syrup
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coffee and the rum. Set aside.
Tiramisu Filling
- In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone until smooth, then beat in ½ cup of the sweetener. Add 3 tablespoons of the coffee/rum mixture and beat until well combined.
- In another large bowl, beat the cream with the remaining sweetener and the vanilla extract until it holds medium soft peaks (the top of the peak should fall over when the beaters are lifted).
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until well combined.
To Assemble
- Cut the cake into pieces to fit into the bottom a 9x9 inch pan. Brush with half of the remaining coffee mixutre. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over top.
- Repeat with remaining cake, coffee mixture, and mascarpone mixture. You will have a few bits of cake left over. Discard or use for snacking!
- Dust the top of the tiramisu with cocoa powder and grate the chocolate over top. Refrigerate 2 hours to firm up before cutting.
Sam says
Is there something I can use instead of protein powder
Carolyn says
Not if you want it to rise properly! 🙂
Julz says
I have a nut allergy and am super new to this diet. What would you recommend using instead of almond flour?
Carolyn says
Don’t use this recipe for the cake. Grab the coconut flour cake recipe from my Chantilly cake and use that instead!
Jen says
I’ve made this twice now and it’s been a hit for our keto eaters and non-keto eaters alike! To simplify things, I use a Duncan Hines keto yellow cake mix for the cake and it works great.
Tom says
This recipe is wonderful, and very forgiving. I am not low carb, but I eat very low sugar and due to a medical issue, I have to eat lower/low fat. I subbed applesauce for half of the butter and for the eggs, I used one whole egg and two eggs whites. I also subbed light cream cheese for the mascarpone. It turned out really great and tastes terrific. This might be helpful for anyone else out there who needs a lower fat version. Your recipes are always great!
Margaret McCasland says
This was delicious and easy to make! Tiramisu is one of my favorites and, boy, was I skeptical. Did not disappoint! Thanks for all you do!
Sarah says
Hello! I am wanting to try making this right now. However, it is called pumpkin Tiramisu, I don’t see where the pumpkin is added? Did I miss something here? .
Carolyn says
https://swervesweet.com/recipes/pumpkin-tiramisu
Tami says
I know this is an older post, but I just recently found it. I just finished filtering a recipe of your coffee liqueur. I have made this several times and this time I used spiced rum rather than vodka (quite tasty I must say). What would you think of trying that liqueur rather than the coffee & rum syrup in this tiramisu? Or maybe it would be too sweet? Maybe the spiced rum would be the wrong flavor profile? I have been finding all sorts of ideas for the liqueur and when I read this recipe I immediately thought of it. Thanks for all your hard work to bring us such fantastic recipes.
Carolyn says
I say go for it!
Shannon says
OH. MY. GOODNESS!
This recipe is amazing! The cake is perfect and even though I messed up and only bought half the amount of mascarpone (I subbed cream cheese), the frosting is delicious! (I could eat it as a pudding!). Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your delicious recipes!
PS I do believe I’m going to have to share this with my friends or I’ll run the risk of gorging it all myself! ????
Shawn Titus says
I wasn’t a fan of the cake and I can taste the dryness of the coconut flour. The tirumusu filling partially saved this cake. I made some modifications by subbing canned coconut milk for heavy cream, then whipping it with mixer. I also omitted the rum flavor because I didn’t have any. As for the cake assembly, I cut the coffee macerated cake into ladyfinger logs, and layered it with the filling and sprinkled over cocoa powder. Otherwise it was ok.
Nicole says
Personally I don’t think its fair that you made changes to the recipe and then complained that it was too dry and gave the recipe 3 stars. Maybe it was a bakers error on your part. If you had made the recipe as is and then given a review then and only then would I take your review for face value, but since you pretty much changed multiple factors, which i might add that both of those things add moisture to the cake and a depth of flavor that one cannot acquire by simply swapping to coconut milk. I say you should try this recipe again and stick to the exact recipe without any tweaking of ingredients and then come back and give an honest review of said recipe. Her recipes have never steered us wrong, they are the way they are for a reason 😉
Cat Lee says
This ^^
suzanne mcginnis says
it turned out too dry to be a tiramisu.. apparently I needed more coffee syrup and maybe the cake was overcooked a bit.
Carolyn says
yes, it sounds like you over-baked it.
Bobbi Pentland says
Hi Caroline, I made this Tiramisu recipe this week and all I can say is WOW! I followed your recipe exactly and the results were spectacular. My husband who rarely says more than “this is good” ate his piece (well actually 2 pieces) and declared that if I hadn’t told him it was from my kitchen he would have thought it came from an Italian bakery in our neighborhood! High praise indeed! Thank you!
Carolyn says
WOW! Thanks so much!
suzanne mcginnis says
in the filling would it be better to use powdered bocha sweet so you dont get crystallization?
Carolyn says
If you’d like! Since it’s not heated at all, you shouldn’t get much recrystallization anyway…
Shannon says
I know to someone who bakes a lot this will be a dumb question BUT when you say strong coffee what are the ratios for coffee/espresso to water? How much of each would one use. Thank you for your time
Carolyn says
No specific ratio… simply brew it more strongly than you normally would. It will have plenty of flavor.
Helene says
I made the recipe as you directed; however, I noticed the cake had a lot of crumbs. I also did not have any rum so I used Irish Whiskey instead. I took it to a holiday party tonight and brought extra for the people at my table. Most enjoyed it and some asked for seconds. I liked the flavor of the dessert; however, I would like some advice on how to avoid the crumbs. I made the dessert two days ago and kept it refrigerated.
Carolyn says
I am not sure what you mean by a lot of crumbs? Do you mean it was crumbly? Before or after making it into tiramisu?
Helene says
I noticed the crumbs when I sliced the dessert in the pan. As result, the slides were not straight or h pieces missing. I made sure to use a sharp knife.
Carolyn says
Well any time you cut cake, there are going to be crumbs. But it shouldn’t be crumbly and breaking apart. That said, in a layered dessert like tiramisu, no one is going to see the breaks!
Angela Calabrese says
What if you put a little coffee extract in the cake mix and marscapone?
Carolyn says
Feel free!
Sandy says
This Tiramisu recipe is the real deal! I made your original one in the past and this is easier and better, in my humble opinion! It tastes very authentic. It sounds like a lot of work but it really isn’t. You could serve this to non keto friends and they wouldn’t even know it. Thanks for all the hard work you do to make great recipes for us!
Carolyn says
Thanks!
Brenda says
How can I omit the coconut flour and add more almold meal?
Carol says
Could Rum flavoring be substituted for the rum?
Carolyn says
Sure! Just add a bit more liquid too.
Cheryl Dubien says
So delicious!!! I made the recipe exactly as written. The sheet cake scraps were good too!
Sherina Marie Warstler says
This is so good! It is an exact taste replica to the tiramisu at an Italian restaurant I worked at. Thank you… again. When I need a sweet treat, your website is the only place I go now.
Holly says
WOW! Very good. Taste just like the real thing. Very happy with all your recipes. Loved your graham cracker recipe too.