June's Diary-free Tiramisu

This is a recipe that my dear friend June perfected on my behalf. (And I was oh so happy to taste all of the "mistakes" along the way!) I think that this recipe is better than the dairy version. It takes a little time to prepare this recipe, so plan ahead, but it's well worth the work!

Dairy-free Pastry Cream
Ingredients
2 cups coconut milk
1/4 tsp sea salt
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs cornstarch
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions
Combine coconut milk and salt in a large sauce pan and bring to boil.
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with sugar on medium-high speed until mixture is light yellow and thick, about 3 minutes.
Turn mixer to low and add cornstarch. Be sure to scrape sides of bowl.
Still mixing on low speed, slowly add hot coconut milk to egg mixture.
Pour mixture back into sauce pan and cook over medium heat until thick. Do NOT let it boil, stirring constantly with a spook or whisk. Continue cooking 1-2 minutes, but do not cook more than 2 minutes or the cornstarch will lose its effectiveness. If it looks curdled, whisk it until it is smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and almond extracts.
Strain into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap, placing the plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream.
Refrigerate 2-3 hours. Whisk again before using if needed.

Dairy-free Tiramisu
Ingredients
4 egg whites
4 egg yolks
1-1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 batch of Dairy-free Pastry Cream (see above), approx. 3 cups
7 oz ladyfingers
1 cup freshly brewed, strong coffee*, cooled
zest of 1 lemon (*add lemon zest to coffee grounds when brewing)
grated dark chocolate
unsweetened cocoa powder & cinnamon, for dusting

Directions
Stiffly whisk egg whites in a grease-free bowl.
In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Gently fold in Dairy-free Pastry Cream and then the egg whites.
Make a layer of ladyfingers on the base of a deep, rectangular serving dish and brush them evenly with coffee.
Cover with a layer of the cream and sprinkle with a little grated chocolate.
Continue making layers until all of the ingredients are used, ending with a layer of Dairy-free Cream.
Dust with cocoa and cinnamon, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or over night.

Thanks June!!!