Individual Tiramisu Trifles

I saw this recipe and thought it sounded divine, only then to discover that there exists no such thing on the market as vegan ladyfingers. Ladyfingers being almost entirely made of eggs, I guess no one has bothered to produce a version that is vegan-friendly.

I was determined not to give up. I found one source online suggesting commercial vanilla wafers as a substitute, but this person must not realize that vanilla wafers (i.e. Nilla wafers from Nabisco) are also not vegan. Even organic varieties I found contained milk or egg ingredients.

Finally, I stumbled across a recipe for vegan tiramisu online, including vegan ladyfingers. It served quite a crowd though, whereas I only wanted my recipe to make 9 desserts. I decided perhaps I could cut their suggested recipe amounts by one-third, which is what I did, although it meant the quantities involved are sometimes odd. But here's how I made my 'ladyfingers':

Spoon 2/3 cup whole wheat flour into measuring cups and level with a knife. Combine in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon raw sugar and a dash of salt.

Make the equivalent of one egg using egg replacer (such as Ener-G). Combine with 1/3 cup plain soy milk (such as Silk), 1 tablespoon agave nectar (in place of honey) and 2 teaspoons canola oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir just until moist.

Coat an 8x4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, and pour the batter into the bottom of the pan, spreading to cover evenly (it will only be about a 1/2-inch thick layer). Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

Cut these "ladyfingers" into small cubes - crosswise 6 times and 15 times lengthwise so you have 90 small cubes total. Set aside.

Meanwhile, combine 1 cup cold strong brewed coffee with 3 tablespoons marsala wine. I made the mistake a) of not giving my coffee enough time to cool all the way and b) using a French press which I really didn't understand how to use, ergo I ended up with a lot of coffee granules floating around by accident. Oh well; you win some you lose some. Set aside.

Beat 12 ounces (about 3/4 cup) of softened vegan cream cheese (such as Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese) until smooth, then gradually beat in 3/4 cup raw sugar.

In each of 9 wineglasses, place 5 'ladyfinger' cubes. Top with 1 tablespoon coffee mixture and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons 'cream cheese' mixture. Repeat the layers in all 9 glasses. Sprinkle the tops evenly with 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder.

Cover and chill for at least one hour, although you can make these up to a day ahead, which makes them a great dessert for a dinner party. Each individual trifle is 230 calories.

Cost:
Marsala $7.99
vegan cream cheese $3.49