• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
My PCOS Kitchen
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Sugar Free Recipes
    • Gluten Free Recipes
    • Keto Recipes
    • Paleo
    • Dairy Free Recipes
    • Low Carb Recipes
    • Nut Free Recipes
  • Start Here
    • How To Start A Keto Diet
    • Macro Calculator
  • PCOS
    • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Facial Hair - Electrolysis Hair Removal
    • PCOS Cookbook with a 7-Day Meal Plan
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Sugar Free Recipes
    • Gluten Free Recipes
    • Keto Recipes
    • Paleo
    • Dairy Free Recipes
    • Low Carb Recipes
    • Nut Free Recipes
  • Start Here
    • How To Start A Keto Diet
    • Macro Calculator
  • PCOS
    • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Facial Hair - Electrolysis Hair Removal
    • PCOS Cookbook with a 7-Day Meal Plan
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ร—

    Home ยป Low Carb Desserts ยป Low Carb Cakes ยป Easy Keto Tiramisu Cake

    Easy Keto Tiramisu Cake

    May 11, 2021 by Ashley 7 Comments

    1.4K shares
    • Share!142
    • Tweet!
    • Yum!
    • Email
    • Print

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure policy for details.

    Jump to Recipe
    A descriptive picture of tiramisu cake showing how to make it.
    A three layered coffee-flavored Italian tiramisu slice served on a plate.

    A homemade coffee-flavored Italian Keto Tiramisu dessert made without lady fingers and uses a low carb sponge cake instead. This easy keto recipe can be made into individual cups or a whole cake to fit your needs!

    A three layered coffee-flavored Italian tiramisu slice served on a plate.

    Even though this recipe is low carb and gluten free, the taste is just like an authentic Tiramisu. Don't be taken aback by the sponge cake layers as they taste just like lady fingers that have been soaked in coffee! For other chocolate desserts, you'll love to try my chocolate zucchini cake or keto chocolate cheesecake.

    I love buying the Costco Tiramisu here in Japan, but it is unfortunately super high in carbs, so here is my keto version of a traditional Tiramisu.

    This recipe is actually the same that I use in my bakery here in Japan and now you'll know how to make tiramisu at home bakery-style, but ketofied!

    Table of Contents
    • Recipe Video
    • How to Make Keto Lady Fingers
    • The Filling
    • How to Make Tiramisu ๐Ÿณ
    • Troubleshooting Tips
    • Equipment Used
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Other Low Carb Dessert Recipes
    • Recipe Card
    • Read Comments

    Recipe Video

    If you'd like to watch my Youtube tutorial on how to make this delicious and simple tiramisu, watch below and make sure to subscribe for more cooking videos!

    How to Make Keto Lady Fingers

    A classic Tiramisu will use savaoiardi, lady fingers, but because they are high in carbs and made with wheat, this recipe uses a gluten free soft pillowy sponge cake that absorbs coffee really well, stays soft and moist.

    The ingredients for this sponge cake is eggs, almond flour, keto sweetener, coffee and psyllium husk powder. Adding psyllium husk powder to the sponge helps it not dry out and stay soft and pillowy even after assembling the tiramisu.

    Steps showing how to make keto lady fingers for tiramisu.
    Steps showing how to make keto lady fingers.

    The Meringue

    First, you'll want to separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two different bowls. You'll whip up the egg whites with a bit of cream of tartar to help stabilize the egg whites and increase its volume. If you don't have any cream of tartar, simply use ยฝ teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice instead. You'll then whip the eggs until stiff peaks form.

    The Sponge Cake ☕

    Next you'll want to add the erythritol, stevia, psyllium husk powder, coffee and almond flour (in that order) and mix with a hand mixer between each ingredients. The batter will start to thicken up the longer it sits out.

    Finally, you'll add โ…“ of the meringue into the batter and mix with a hand mixer at first just to loosen the batter out. Then add half of the remaining meringue and carefully fold it in. Repeat with the remaining meringue.

    Pro Tip💭 : Add โ…“ of the meringue and use a hand mixer to loosen the batter first before folding the rest of the meringue. This will ensure you do not have any dough clumps in the sponge cake.

    Carefully spread the sponge cake dough all over a baking tray lined with parchment paper (NOT wax paper) and spread it around evenly with a silicone spatula. I personally used two trays that measured 30x40cm/11x15".

    Bake it in the oven for about 17 minutes until golden brown.

    The Filling

    The delicious mascarpone filling is called zabaglione, or Sabayon in English. It's a rich custard-like cream made egg yolks, keto sweeteners, mascarpone cream and heavy whipping cream.

    Steps showing how to make tiramisu sabayon.
    Steps showing how to make tiramisu sabayon.

    The Egg Yolk Custard🍮

    The first step to making a sabayon is to cook the egg yolks and sweeteners over a double boiler. You'll want to add the egg yolks, erythritol and stevia powder to a heat-proof bowl over a double boiler and whisk the yolks for about 5-7 minutes over medium heat until thickened.

    You can use granulated or powdered sweeteners for this step, I've used both and they work equally fine. The custard should not look grainy at all and the erythritol should have completely melted.

    The Sabayon

    Add the custard over the mascarpone and whisk on low until fully incorporated. Turn off the mixer.

    In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks. Add the whipping cream into the mascarpone and carefully fold it in. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the cream and you're ready to assemble the tiramisu.

    Pro Tips💭 :

    • Make sure to use room temperature mascarpone as cold one can curdle the sabayon.
    • Mix the egg custard on low speed, NEVER high speed as it will curdle.
    • Whisk the meringue during the last step as they tend to melt back down to egg whites the longer they sit out.
    • Always fold in the custard, cream and meringue in one another. Do not beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer as your sabayon won't be as fluffy or thick.

    How to Make Tiramisu 🍳

    Now that you've finished baking your low carb sponge cake, your coffee is brewed and your sabayon is all ready and whipped, your low carb tiramisu is ready to assemble.

    Images showing how to assemble a low carb tiramisu with a sponge cake.
    Images showing how to assemble a low carb tiramisu with a sponge cake.

    From here on out it's super easy to make this tiramisu. You'll need to cut your sponge up to the size of the dish you'll be using.

    Make sure to use a pretty deep dish as this tiramisu is quite tall. You can choose however many layers you want to make, but I personally made 3 layers. I was inspired by the Olive Garden tiramisu as its final layer is super thick and that's just the amount of cream that I like in my desserts!

    You'll basically drizzle the rum coffee all over the sponge, spread the sabayon equally and sprinkle a generous amount of cocoa powder on top. Repeat two more times with the remaining ingredients and you have yourself an impressive three layer tiramisu.

    Pro Tip💭 : Oil your hands before touching the dough. This will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.

    Now if you want to make individual servings into cups or tiramisu in a glass, you can totally do that too! You'll just need to cut the sponge into small circles that fit the cups you choose. These are the cups that I sell at my keto bakery.

    9 tiramisu individual cups lined up.
    9 individual servings of low carb tiramisu served into plastic cups.

    Troubleshooting Tips

    The Sabayon is too runny

    If the mascarpone cream is too runny there's usually two explanations. Either the whipping cream wasn't whisked until stiff peaks so when you added it to the mascarpone, it turns back to liquid.

    Or, you waited too long after adding the egg whites so the fluffiness of the filling starts to shrink down. Make sure to make the tiramisu immediately after making the filling.

    The erythritol isn't melting in the Sabayon

    If the erythritol isn't melting in the Sabayon, it just means you need to cook it longer over the double boiler. It will eventually melt, about 2-3 minutes in and the yolks will be very runny. The longer you cook it though, the thicker the yolks will become and they will also become a light yellow color.

    The sponge isn't thick

    The number one reason the sponge isn't thick enough is usually because the egg whites weren't whisk until stiff peaks or if you over whisked the meringue. Make sure to add that cream of tartar so that it helps stabilize the meringue.

    The sponge is too wet

    If the sponge is too wet it's because you added too much coffee in it! Just drizzle a little bit, not too much, and you'll have the perfect sponge.

    Equipment Used

    • Stand Mixer: I used a stand mixer when making the sponge and whipping the meringue, whipping the mascarpone and heavy whipping cream.
    • Hand Mixer: I used a hand mixer to whip the egg yolks for the sponge and to whip egg whites for the zabaglione.
    • Cookie Sheet Baking Pan: Use a cookie sheet to bake the sponge cake!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What alcohol is in Tiramisu?

    A traditional Tiramisu will use a sweet wine like Marsala, but you can also use a liquor like rum or brandy. If you're feeling adventurous, you could use some Kahlua or even Bailey's!
    For a non-alcoholic tiramisu, you can simply omit the alcohol altogether.

    What kind of coffee is best?

    Now that's totally up to you! You can use espresso, drip coffee or instant coffee. If you like a strong flavored tiramisu, you'll definitely want to use some espresso. I'm personally allergic to caffeine so I used decaf instant coffee as that's all I had on hand.

    Does Tiramisu have caffeine?

    Tiramisu is a coffee-flavored dessert so it does contain caffeine. You can use decaf coffee or decaf espresso if you'd like to make a decaf tiramisu.

    Do you have to use Mascarpone?

    A tiramisu without mascarpone wouldn't be considered a tiramisu, but if you can't find mascarpone in your supermarket, you could use cream cheese. Just make sure its softened as cream cheese tends to be much harder than mascarpone.

    How long does this keep in the fridge?

    Tiramisu is best served the same day or the next, but it can stay fresh in the fridge for about 5 days.

    Can you freeze Tiramisu?

    You absolutely can! In fact that's how I sell it at my keto bakery! Just leave it in the fridge for 4-5 hours to thaw when ready to eat! You can keep frozen up to 4 months.

    Do you have to use raw eggs?

    The egg yolks are fully cooked in the Sabayon, but the egg whites are raw. Make sure to use pasteurized eggs if you don't feel comfortable using raw eggs.

    Substitution for Erythritol & Stevia

    For the sponge cake instead of 60g erythritol and ยฝ tsp stevia, you can use a ยผ cup (50g) of Lakanto Golden or Sukrin Gold.
    For the sabayon instead of 50g erythritol and 1 tsp stevia, you can use ยฝ cup (100g) of Lakanto Golden, Sukrin Gold, or ยฝ cup (100g) of xylitol or allulose with ยฝ tsp of either monk fruit extract powder or stevia powder.

    Is Tiramisu Keto Friendly?

    Traditional Tiramisu is not keto friendly as it's made with sugar and wheat, but this ketofied version is totally low carb!

    Does Tiramisu have raw eggs?

    Tiramisu does use raw eggs, but the egg yolks are cooked through a double boiler. The only raw part is the egg whites whipped for the meringue. Make sure to buy pasteurized eggs for safety! Pasteurized eggs are generally safe to eat raw. If you're in Japan, any eggs at the grocery store is safe to eat raw.

    Can Tiramisu be made dairy-free?

    Unfortunately, this is just one of those desserts that just doesn't taste the same dairy-free. You could skip the sabayon entirely and just used whipped coconut cream, but it just wouldn't taste the same.

    How many carbs in Tiramisu?

    This keto tiramisu recipe has 480 calories and 4.56g net carbs per serving.

    Other Low Carb Dessert Recipes

    • Keto Black Forest Cake: An impressive 3 layer chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and raspberry filling.
    • Keto Cheesecake: A delicious crust-free cheesecake that's extremely rich and creamy.
    • Keto Cinnamon Rolls: Soft and pillowy cinnamon rolls topped with an easy cream cheese frosting.

    Loved this recipe? Please rate and review!⭐ 

    Recipe Card

    A three layered coffee-flavored Italian tiramisu slice served on a plate.
    Print Pin Leave a Comment
    5 from 2 votes

    Easy Classic Keto Tiramisu Cake (without Lady Fingers)

    Soft, pillowy and creamy, this keto tiramisu is made with a gluten free sponge and a sugar free zabaglione. Choose to make one whole cake or individual cups.
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Italian
    Keyword easy tiramisu, keto tiramisu, low carb tiramisu, tiramisu recipe
    Prep Time 40 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
    Chill Time 4 hours hours
    Total Time 5 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
    Servings 9 servings
    NET Carbs
    calories 480kcal
    Protein
    Fat
    Cook Ashley

    Equipment Needed

    • stand mixer
    • hand mixer
    • 2 cookie sheet
    • deep baking dish 10x10"/25x25cm

    Ingredients

    • cocoa powder (as needed)

    Coffee Sponge

    • 6 egg whites
    • ยฝ tsp cream of tartar (or 1 tsp lemon juice/white vinegar)
    • 6 egg yolks
    • ยผ cup + 1 tbsp erythritol (See Note 1 for substitutions)
    • ยฝ tsp stevia powder (See Note 1 for substitutions)
    • 2 tbsp psyllium husk powder
    • 1 tbsp instant coffee (or ยผ cup brewed coffee or espresso)
    • ยฝ cup boiling water
    • ยฝ cup almond flour

    Sabayon

    • 2 egg yolks
    • ยผ cup erythritol (See Note 1 for substitutions)
    • 1 tsp stevia (See Note 1 for substitutions)
    • 1 cup mascarpone (room temp)
    • 2.5 cups heavy whipping cream (COLD)
    • 2 egg whites

    Rum Coffee

    • 1 cup espresso (or instant coffee, brewed coffee)
    • 1 tbsp rum (or marsala, Kahlua, Bailey's - or none at all)

    Instructions

    Coffee Sponge

    • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line some parchment paper on two baking trays. Do NOT use wax paper. It's not the same as parchment paper.
    • Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two different bowls. I put the egg whites in my stand mixer bowl, but if you don't have one just use a large regular bowl with a hand mixer.
    • Add the erythritol and stevia to the egg yolk bowl and whisk with a hand mixer until light creamy and yellow. Add the psyllium husk powder and mix again. Add the coffee and almond flour and mix once more. Set aside while we make the meringue.
    • Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and whisk until stiff peaks.
    • Add the โ…“ of the meringue into the egg yolks bowl and mix with the hand mixer. This will help loosen the batter. Now add half of the remaining meringue and carefully fold in the egg yolks. Repeat with the remaining meringue and you should have a thick and fluffy batter.
    • Spread the batter evenly with a silicone spatula onto your cookie sheet. I used two baking sheets that measured about 10x14"/25x35cm.
    • Place in the oven and bake 18-20 minutes. The top and bottom should be perfectly baked and not sticky when touched.
    • Take out of the oven, remove the sponge from the tray, flip over onto a new piece of parchment paper and peel the parchment paper off the sponge. Let it cool and set aside to use later.

    The Filling

    • Separate the egg yolks and egg whites into two different bowls. The egg yolk bowl should be a heat proof one.
      Place the mascarpone into the bowl of a stand mixer.
    • Add the erythritol and stevia to the yolks and mix well. Place on top of a double boiler set to medium heat and whisk continuously for 5-7 minutes until the yolks thicken up. Do not stop whisking of the yolks can cook and scramble. At first the mixture will be grainy because of the erythritol, then the erythritol will melt and the mixture will be pretty liquid. Finally it'll start to thicken up and should coat the back of a spoon no problem.
    • Transfer the cooked yolks into the mascarpone and stir on low speed about 30 seconds.
    • In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks, thick and creamy. Make sure it's THICK and not runny or else your filling will be very runny.
    • Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks using a hand mixer.
    • Add the whipped cream into the mascarpone and fold in 3-4 steps. Add the meringue at once and mix in.

    Assembling the Cake

    • Add the rum to the coffee and mix well.
    • Cut the sponge with a pizza cutter or a knife so that it fits your deep baking dish. I managed to cut it into three layers.
    • Place the first sponge at the bottom of the dish and cover with as much coffee as you want ( the more you add, the more it'll be wet). Add โ…“ of the cream and spread even. Sprinkle a generous amount of cocoa powder on top of the cream. Repeat the same steps with the two more layers. You should now have a 3 layer tiramisu cake.
    • Transfer to the fridge and chill 4+ hours before slicing and serving.

    WATCH THE RECIPE VIDEO (must disable adblocker)

    Notes

    Note 1:
    For the sponge cake you can use a ยผ cup of your favorite keto sweetener blend instead of the erythritol + stevia.
    For the sabayon you can use 6 tbsp of your favorite keto sweetener blend instead of the erythritol + stevia.

    Nutritional information is provided through calculations made on fatsecret.com. They are approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on mypcoskitchen.com. Sugar alcohols are included in the fiber count. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber (which include sugar alcohols).

     

    All text, pictures & videos are copyright protected © by Mira Richard-Fioramore for My PCOS Kitchen.

     

    Shares are very much appreciated, just make sure to share a link and not a screenshot.

     

    Copy/pasting full recipe text to websites and social media is prohibited. Excerpts, single photos, and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to www.mypcoskitchen.com with appropriate link back to the original content.

    « Chewy Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
    Easy Keto Cauliflower au Gratin Recipe with Heavy Cream »
    1.4K shares
    • Share!142
    • Tweet!
    • Yum!
    • Email
    • Print

    Ashley

    Food Blogger | Beating PCOS through diet and lifestyle | Healthy Food Enthusiast | Amateur Photographer | Animal Lover | Based in Virginia

    Subscribe

    for your weekly recipe fix.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sarah

      September 20, 2021 at 1:08 am

      Can coconut flour be used instead of Psyllium husk?

      Reply
      • Mira

        September 21, 2021 at 2:43 am

        Hi Sarah, no you can't use coconut flour instead of psyllium. There is no replacement for the psyllium. It's there to keep the sponge from falling apart - it's acting like glue so it's absolutely necessary.

        Reply
    2. JT

      May 19, 2021 at 10:02 pm

      How much almond flour is used, I don't see it listed anywhere.

      Reply
      • Mira

        May 20, 2021 at 1:28 am

        Oh dear, I just updated it!! 1/2 cup 60g of almond flour!

        Reply
    3. Esther

      May 19, 2021 at 3:01 am

      5 stars
      Hi Mira!

      Thank you for all your recipes!! Absolutely love them. Iโ€™ve recently started to really change my lifestyle to manage my PCOS symptoms and your recipes have been so wonderful!

      As a beginner on this PCOS journey, I have one question for you, Iโ€™ve read a lot conflicting information about dairy and PCOS and I canโ€™t quite determine if dairy is fine or not fine to consume . I see that you do use dairy and it looks like youโ€™re beating PCOS in the butt!! Would love to hear your thoughts on consuming dairy. I also read that maybe milk is bad but cheese is not? Very confusing.. >_<

      Reply
      • Mira

        May 20, 2021 at 1:26 am

        Hi Esther, I think dairy depends on your body. Honestly my goal has always been to control my PCOS and have a baby and I've done just that and I eat dairy like 2 times a day so for me it's a big yes. And I've tried dairy free and I absolutely hate it, I hate all the alternatives to milk/cream/cheese and I also have really limited options in Japan. So I do me and try dairy for a while and if you notice any bad side effects then stop or limit it. But for me, not quitting any time soon haha.

        Reply
    4. santhathi

      May 11, 2021 at 12:21 pm

      5 stars
      Yummy!! Super cake to try this at home and nice explanation.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Ashley

    Ashley is a self-taught home cook, originally from Montreal, Canada, that was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) as a teenager.

    She was able to alleviate all of her PCOS symptoms by going on a culinary journey to heal herself. By eating gluten-free, sugar-free, low-carb and keto meals. Now, all of her PCOS symptoms all disappeared. Read Moreโ€ฆ

    Footer

    About Ashley

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest

    A self-taught home cook, originally from Montreal, Canada, that was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) as a teenager. Realizing the only way to thrive with PCOS was to change her lifestyle, Ashley decided to go on a culinary journey to heal herself.

    My Favorites

    Copyright

    Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogโ€™s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to My PCOS Kitchen with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

    Affiliate Notice

    My PCOS Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

    Copyright © 2025 My PCOS Kitchen ยท Privacy Policy
    The photos on this blog are copyright protected. If you wish to share this recipe, simply provide a link back to my blog.

    1.4K shares
    • 142