About Tiramisu

As a kid tiramisu was my specialty. I made so many times I got really good at it…

That is when I lived in Italy, many years ago.

Now as part of my Italian “theme” I decided to revisit the tiramisu of my younger years and make it Keto for you.

WARNING: this recipe came out amazing and you might want to eat it all at once!

What is Xilitol?

For this recipe I decide to try and use Xylitol for the first time. As you might know I am a big supporter of whole foods, especially local and organic.

Something that is chemically derived from plants, did not strike me as particularly healthful and fitting my parameters.

Let me tell you a bit about it first.

Xylitol is a naturally occurring alcohol found in plants. It is usually extracted from birch bark, sugar cane pulp or cellulose. The one I used for this recipe is extracted from non-GMO Corn cobbs.

Xylitol has about 40% less calories than sugar, but it’s glycemic index is only 7, Vs 100 of table sugar. It is also absorbed very slowly in the gut, so it does not cause an immediate reaction and an insulin spike.

Xylitol is also known for not causing cavities, unlike regular sugar. (BTW do you know why sugar causes cavities? It ferments in your mouth, becoming food to bacteria, which then in turn over multiply and cause the PH of the mouth to become acidic. This puts tiny holes in the tooth enamel’s getting cavities started!)

When I mad this tiramisu I had a Lady finger cookie as soon as it came out of the oven…was delicious and tasted just like the ones in Italy! Yes, another advantage of Xylitol is that it can be used just like sugar and it tastes just like it, so it’s great for baking.

BUT

It threw me right out of ketosis!

One meager cookie, yes.

Conclusions

I think this “other white stuff” is a great weapon to have in your kitchen arsenal. Especially for applications where Stevia fails us, like baking, or where it needs to be used as an emulsifier. It worked great for that.

BUT

If you are extremely carb intolerant like me, I would use with caution and only when really necessary. (Did you take the carb intolerance quiz? – Take it to find out how sensitive YOU are, then go to the Q&A page for more info)

I still think Stevia or Swerve are a better everyday option.

It’s healthier, has no calories and it’s pretty versatile! AND it will not get me out of ketosis!!

With all that said the Xylitol worked fantastic, and the tiramisu was a smashing success! Try and let me know if you liked it!

QUICK NOTE ON CREME FRAICHE

I used Creme Fraiche instead of Mascarpone because it is cultured but it does not taste sour. It is basically a fancier version of sour cream. if you can not find it you can substitute by using regular sour cream or mascarpone.