Social media has been alight with the Manchester’s new dessert hatch but is it any good ? The proof is in the pudding.
05:57, 02 Mar 2026
LAYR is a new tiramisu hatch in Ancoats(Image: MEN)
It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks for the team behind LAYR, the city’s latest dessert spot. Manchester’s ‘first’ tiramisu hatch opened its doors at the end of January serving up the much-loved Italian dessert in classic, matcha and pistachio flavours.
Launched by Moona Ali, 30, it is her first hospitality business. Prior to starting out her new venture, she was an accountant, but left her job last year to pursue her passion for making desserts. The difference here is that no alcohol is used and it’s totally halal, meaning she’s catering for a wider audience.
A few viral social media reels later and the business owner has been flooded with requests and huge queues have snaked down Radium Street in Ancoats where she serves the dessert from a tiny window, alongside fellow dessert and bakery pros, Baby Mayhem and Flat Baker respectively.
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With peaks inevitably comes troughs though, and earlier this week, the owner was compelled to issue a statement after receiving what she called ‘hostile hate messages, comments and reviews’. The dessert shop owner claimed she has been sent numerous direct messages and comments from another business, and left a disingenuous 1-star review on Google.
The dessert hatch opened in Ancoats in January 2026(Image: Supplied)
As it turns out, it did little to deter customers, and the queues have very much continued as I discovered when visiting the hatch on Thursday evening. Just a few minutes past the hour and there were already several people in front of me, a good sign on a chilly February evening.
Patience is key here because of a couple of factors. First, she’s new to this and wanting to make sure she gives every customer the best service possible, and two, because she finishes off the dessert in front of them, giving their tiramisu of choice a generous dusting of cacao powder, matcha dust or pistachio nuts and sauce – depending on which of the three options they go for.
Flavours include classic, matcha and pistachio (Image: Supplied)
Surely if you’re trying it for the first time it has to be the classic, espresso-soaked sponge with mascarpone cream and cacao? The proof is in the pudding for me when the original version is mastered, and besides, I think matcha is a risky one – made poorly it can taste bitter and like the earth beneath you. The classic and matcha are priced at £7.50 and pistachio at £8.50.
Served in a plastic container which shows the layers – see what she did there – it’s then sealed with a branded red and gold-foiled sticker, ready to be taken home. The urge to dive in straight away was palpable amongst those in the queue including the family in front who travelled ‘30-minutes’ beyond Crewe to come and try the new viral dessert.
15 minutes later I’m at the office prizing open the box and tucking in, but not before a debate with my colleagues over the tiramisu ensues. “What do you mean there’s no alcohol,” probed one with a look of pure panic.
The classic and matcha are priced at £7.50 and pistachio at £8.50.(Image: MEN)
“If there’s no alcohol then it’s not really tiramisu,” declared another before turning his back, clearly triggered by the audacity of the dessert.
Another told me she’s not really into tiramisu and has only tried it recently, so I mentally discount her input. Sorry.
This led me down a rabbit hole trawling the internet for the origins. What we do know is that at its core there’s coffee-soaked ladyfingers covered with cream of egg yolks, sugar and mascarpone and cocoa powder.
The classic tiramisu by LAYR with coffee-soaked ladyfingers covered with cream of egg yolks, sugar and mascarpone and cocoa powder(Image: MEN)
It originated in northwestern Italy and modern variations were popularised in the 1960s onwards. My favourite fact, though it didn’t settle the alcohol debate, is that it comes from the Italian ‘tirami su’, meaning ‘pick me up’ or ‘cheer me up’, which we can all agree is just lovely.
I digress. Turns out the traditional recipes don’t require it, which led me to conclude that we Brits just love a boozy dessert. That settled, I turned my attention back to my box of tiramisu.
A great tiramisu balances all those flavours and textures and should be creamy and indulgent without being sickly and too sweet. Soaking the ladyfingers is key too, making sure they’ve absorbed the coffee but are not soggy. Clear defined layers are a must.
LAYR’s classic tiramisu (Image: MEN)
Appearance wise it had a lot of potential, and I could see the sponge fingers clearly, perhaps not in a neat or uniform way you might expect, but there was a distinct separation of all the parts.
Spoon at the ready I dived in and was immediately impressed by the quality and lightness of the cream.
The strongest flavours coming through were from the cream and cocoa, and while I could detect the coffee I did think this could have been a little stronger. For me, a strong espresso flavour is what makes a tiramisu such a beloved dessert, so I just wish this could have come through more.
Texture wise, I don’t think the absence of alcohol affected the moistness, but I couldn’t help feeling it was more cake-like than dessert. Overall it was a really spoiled effort, with a good flavour, decent texture and clear layers. I didn’t miss the lack of marsala wine or liqueur, but if I had it again, I’d want to really get that distinct coffee taste it’s known and loved for.
Dining and Cooking