These tiramisu were made because I got a request to do a coffee-free tiramisu featuring chocolate and cinnamon in some form or capacity. With tiramisu, there are four core components. The sponge, usually ladyfingers or savioardi biscuits, a caffeinated soak that is usually spiked with rum or amoretto, a creamy mascarpone situation, and the cocoa powder on top. Personally, I believe that tiramisu should have some form of coffee or tea, since it is called a pick me up, and caffeine literally does that for most people. But since coffee or tea weren’t options for this, I figured if I at used cocoa powder, that at least has some caffeine, so there was that. So this is basically a tiramisu that replaced the booze and coffee with Mexican hot chocolate. I was honestly not totally in love with the concept of this, since again, I am in the boat that for something to be a true tiramisu, it needs coffee or tea at the least, but it’s something for the non-coffee drinkers I suppose(though to each their own on coffee-drinking, but for me, I need caffeine to function). If not trying this with the label of tiramisu, it is actually quite tasty – you have layers of light cake, mascarpone, and the floral, cinnamon-lined flavor of Mexican hot chocolate running through every bite! As a loose homage to Day of the Dead, I felt like introducing Mexican hot chocolate was a fun way to tie in some Latin influence into an Italian classic(even if this might be bastardizing what a tiramisu is at its core).

For this variation, we used a jaconde sponge, which is an almond based spongecake, to have a similar flavor to savioardi, a mascarpone mousse, a Mexican hot chocolate soak, and cocoa powder and cinnamon dusted on top. Mexican hot chocolate is delicious because it is a hot chocolate that is lightly spiked with cinnamon. Since I was requested to somehow make a chocolate-cinnamon tiramisu without any coffee, Mexican hot chocolate was literally a no-brainer and probably the most obvious way to go about that. I will say that one thing about this dessert is that it does eat on the slightly more bitter side. The mascarpone mousse and the jaconde both provide sweetness to counteract the bitterness of the cocoa, but unsweetened cocoa powder is super bitter – if you ever had dark chocolate, that is basically cocoa powder with minimal sweetness to begin with. However, cinnamon being added in does play off of those earthy, bitter notes in the cocoa, so it might be a bit much for someone who is more accustomed to “sweet” desserts. That being said, if you are open to bitterness in your desserts, this tiramisu might be your new best friend!

Makes 2 servings:
For the jaconde sponge:
2 egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1oz canola oil

In a bowl, whisk the egg whites with sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks. In another bowl, pass the flours, baking powder, and salt through a sieve to remove any lumps. Add to that the canola oil. Then fold the whipped egg whites into the sifted ingredients to form your batter. Pour the batter into a lined sheet tray and spread into an even layer. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18 minutes. Allow the cake to fully cool before cutting out 3-inch disks out of it.

For the Mexican hot chocolate soak:
1 cup lukewarm water
3 tbsp cocoa powder
a pinch of ground cinnamon
1 tbsp granulated sugar
a pinch of salt

Mix everything together until the sugar and salt are dissolved into the liquid.

For the mascarpone mousse:
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tbsp gelatin powder + 2 tbsp cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract
8oz mascarpone cheese
2oz heavy cream, whipped stiff

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt together. In a pot, dissolve the gelatin into the milk. Temper the egg yolk mixture with the milk, then whisk the egg-milk mixture on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes. Pass through a sieve to remove any lumps before mixing into that the vanilla and mascarpone cheese first, then folding into that the heavy cream. Transfer the mousse into a piping bag for easier assembly.

For initial assembly:
Start by soaking the disks of jaconde sponge in the Mexican hot chocolate mixture for 5 seconds on each side. Layer the one round of sponge in the bottom of individual serving containers then spread on 2oz of the mousse onto each round. Then repeat the steps two more times so that you have 3 layers of sponge and mousse in each container. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before attempting to finish.

For serving:
Cocoa powder
Ground cinnamon

Sift cocoa powder on top of each tiramisu. Then finish with a night sprinkle of ground cinnamon.