Individual Tiramisu Cups with Orange Cream

Traditional tiramisu gets its name from the Italian phrase meaning "pick me up," and most versions lean on soaked ladyfingers and a heavy mascarpone cream. This one takes a different road. The base is toasted almond flour, cinnamon and a spoonful of espresso, and the top is a loose cream made mostly from Greek yogurt with just a little mascarpone for richness. You get the coffee-and-cocoa flavor everyone remembers without the soggy biscuit layer.

A quick word on the yogurt. Plain nonfat Greek yogurt is thick because it has been strained, which is why it can stand in for much of the mascarpone here and still hold a spoon-shaped peak. Stir it smooth before you add anything else. If it looks loose or watery, let it sit in a fine sieve over a bowl in the fridge for twenty minutes and pour off the liquid. That small step makes the cream silkier and keeps the glasses from weeping.

Toasting the almond flour is the step I would not skip. Three minutes in a dry skillet, stirring often, brings out a nutty, biscuity smell that does the work of the ladyfingers. Watch it closely, because almond flour goes from golden to bitter faster than you expect. Pull it off the heat the moment it smells toasty and let it cool before you stir in the sweetener and spices. The orange zest in the cream is small but worth it. Zest only the colored part of the peel, since the white pith underneath tastes bitter.

These cups keep well. Covered in the fridge they hold for a day or so, and the base actually firms up as it rests. Dust the cocoa on just before serving, because it will darken and speckle if it sits too long. Leftover cream makes a good dip for fresh berries the next morning.

For a light meal, these pair nicely with a bowl of grilled strawberries on creamy yogurt on a warm afternoon, or after a dinner of chicken penne with fresh basil sauce, where the bright herbs and the coffee-scented dessert make a satisfying close.