A decadent and homemade plant-based version of the Italian classic,
this "pick me up" is guaranteed to satisfy vegans and non-vegans
alike!
Make the Vegan Mascarpone Cream:
To make the creamy filling, blend the soft tofu, cream cheese, sugar,
melted butter, and vanilla until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute).
Place the mixture in the fridge to stiffen while you make the
ladyfingers.
Make the Vegan Ladyfingers:
To make the ladyfingers, preheat your oven to 350°F. In a large bowl,
whisk together flour, corn starch, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the aquafaba and cream of tartar.
Using the balloon whip attachment, whisk on high until the aquafaba
whips into stiff peaks, about 8 minutes (if using a hand mixer, it
will take up to 12 minutes). Make sure to scrape down the sides with
a spatula, as needed.
Once you achieve stiff peaks, gently add in 90 g of the sugar. Whip
at high speed until the mixture is stiff and glossy (about 2 minutes).
Using a hand mixer, mix the vanilla extract, melted butter, ground
turmeric, remaining caster sugar (50 g) and silken tofu on high until
completely smooth (around 2 minutes). This is the "custard" mixture.
Gently fold the whipped aquafaba mixture into the custard mixture by
using a circular motion around the bowl and then cutting down the
middle to incorporate the aquafaba. Continue this motion until the
meringue is completely incorporated and the mixture is pale yellow.
Gently fold in one third of the flour mixture, until completely
incorporated. Incorporate the remaining flour, 1/3rd at a time. Once
mixed, the dough will be fairly sticky and thick (much thicker than a
cake batter). Scoop the pastry dough into a piping bag fitted with a
1/2" plain tip. You can also just use a plastic Ziploc bag with one
of the corners snipped to make a 1/2" hole.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I usually end up needing two
baking sheets, so plan ahead). If you want uniform ladyfingers, use a
ruler to draw lines 4" long on the parchment paper (make sure they
are about 2" apart as the cookies will spread in the oven). Flip the
parchment paper over so that the side with the pencil markings are
down (you don't want graphite on your cookies!). Dab little bits of
the dough on the underside of your parchment paper to keep it in
place.
