Vegan terrine cake with layers of vanilla custard and gingerbread soaked in coffee. Uses only 7 ingredients and super easy to assemble!
Every now and thank, I make desserts which are a bit odd and don't fit into pre-existing categories. This cake is a combination of a:
- terrine dessert
- vegan tiramisu with layers of coffee-spiked cookies and cream/custard
- vegan custard tart
This dessert is lovely because there are so many simply flavours and textures and it's simply fun to eat!
How to make vegan custard
I wanted to make a vegan custard which was:
- Creamy
- Smooth
- Easy to make
- Free from nuts (especially cashews), agar agar and uncommon ingredients
In order to do this, I used:
- Thick canned coconut cream. The natural fats from the cream are needed for a smooth and creamy mouthfeel which you cannot get from canned coconut milk or drinkable plant-based milk.
- Sweetener such as cane sugar or maple syrup.
- Corn flour as a thickener
- Vegan butter or refined coconut oil to add creaminess. Thick vegan custard made with only corn flour has a jelly-like texture which isn't great.
- Vanilla for flavour... otherwise we only have a glob of thickened coconutc cream!
To make the custard, simply add all ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat. Mix until thickened or until you can leave 'ribbons' of custard on the surface, like below.
If you're in doubt, it's better to cook the custard for a little longer than necessary.
Assembling the vegan terrine
This part is pretty easy! I used vegan gingerbread cookies and dipped them in a few shots of coffee, just like tiramisu. If you need gluten-free cookies, I'd recommend this recipe.
In Australia, these gingernut cookies are in most supermarkets and accidentally vegan.
To layer the terrine, simply add 1 cup of the custard to your lined loaf tin. Top it with gingerbread cookies so it covers most of the surface. Repeat with custard and gingerbread until everything has been used up.
The amount of cookies and custard in the recipe should make about 3 layers of cookies and 4-5 layers of custard.
Then chill the terrine in the fridge until set or ideally overnight.
Serving the vegan terrine
Once the terrine has set, simply pop it out of the tin and slice it up! I'd recommend using a sharp knife to cut it!
You can serve the terrine by itself or with a scoop of ice cream or drizzle of sauce. If you're in Australia, it's just like a vanilla slice but with cookies!
If you cooked the custard properly, the terrine can stay at room temperature for a couple of hours. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Gingerbread custard tiramisu terrine
Ingredients
Custard
- 3 ⅓ cups (800g) thick scoopable canned coconut cream, (note 1)
- ½ cup (100g) sugar, maple or rice malt syrup, to taste
- ½ cup (55g) corn starch / corn flour
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter or refined coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cookies
- ¼ cup (60g) hot water
- 3 teaspoon (5g) instant or ground coffee
- 600g gingerbread cookies, store-bought or homemade (gluten free if needed)
Instructions
- Line a 20 cm loaf tin with baking paper (or use a small glass casserole dish like a traditional tiramisu).
- Scoop only the thick part of the coconut cream (reserve the rest for another recipe)* and place it in a large saucepan with all the other custard ingredients.
- Boil the mixture for 5 minutes then reduce to a simmer for another 10 minutes while stirring to make sure the bottom doesn't burn. When the mixture turns into the consistency of thick yoghurt or pudding, remove from the heat.
- Combine the hot water and coffee in a medium flat bowl. Set aside.
- To assemble, scoop about 1 cup of the custard mixture into the base of the tin. Dunk about 3-4 cookies in the coffee, allow to soak for 10 seconds then layer on top of the custard. Repeat until you have run out of custard. You will have some cookies left.
- Cover the tin and set aside in the fridge for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
- To serve, invert the tin onto a serving plate and remove the baking paper. Crumble the remaining cookies on top of the custard tiramisu and serve.
Notes
- To get the coconut cream to seperate, chill the cans in the fridge overnight. For a less coconutty custard, you can use just 1 ½ cups (360g) canned coconut cream and 1 ½ cups (375g) soy milk but your custard will be less creamy.
Nutrition
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Thanks Anthea I'll try the alternate filling.
Yes here's to a safer 2021 and an effective vaccine - but I can't help but feel so sad for all those ferrets and maybe other animals who were sacrificed once again for man's folly. They don't deserve it.
I hope so too but I agree about the ferrets and animals! No non-consenting being deserves that!!!
Tiramisu - swoon (I was going to write "tick" with a symbol but I couldn't work out how to do it : ) ) Coffee - swoon (I love anything coffee flavoured gingerbread - swoon but I don't really like coconut cream. I understand why it's included in the recipe but is the flavour very strong?
I have to give this beautiful recipe a go though because "three out of four aint bad" (sorry for that Meatloaf) Thank you once again for another wonderful recipe. Anthea.
I like that I can buy vegan ginger biscuits because it's too hot to put the oven on: (
Happy Christmas to you and yours Anthea. Here's to a better 2021!
Aw thanks for your comment Angela! With the vanilla, sweetener and gingerbread, the coconut cream isn't too strong but you might still be able to taste it.
Alternatively, you can use 800g soy milk with 60g cornflour/starch and just boil then simmer it for 10 minutes or until it reaches a thick custard consistency. It's a little riskier than the coconut cream way but it's still delicious! If you're unsure if it's cooked enough, you can let the custard set in the saucepan and if it's your desired consistency, remelt it and layer it with the gingerbread :).
Also, I hear you about the vegan ginger biscuits! I hope you, your friends and family have a wonderful Christmas too and thanks for your support this year! Crossing fingers for all of us for 2021! xo