Don’t you just love a recipe that looks super fancy but is actually super easy to make? It’s like a magic trick! This Chocolate Tart is a great example of that. And as the weather warms it’s nice to have a recipe that doesn’t involve heating up the kitchen. This chocolate tart is rich, but not too sweet, super classy looking, and also happens to be vegan and gluten free by accident. I love it when recipes can be diet inclusive by accident! So make a cup of tea, grab a bit of ice cream and dive into a big slice of heaven!
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Vegan & Gluten Free by Accident
A number of years ago I worked at a bakery that made a lot of its products vegan and gluten free. Anytime I was workshopping a potential new recipe, it was important to at least try to make it one or both. This really helped me to broaden by knowledge of substitutions and different ways to make classic recipes. It also showed me that a lot of things we make can be either gluten free or vegan without trying, which seemed cool. Someone who has a gluten intolerance or coeliac disease can easily feel left out when it comes to baked goods. And that’s no fun! I’d much rather everyone get to eat the treats.
This chocolate tart uses a crust made of nuts, cocoa nibs, coconut oil, and melted chocolate. And I actually didn’t realize it was gluten free until after it was done. We used to make a similar style tart base at the bakery that I’ve modified over the years, and it’s a favourite of mine. For me a good chocolate tart filling, will set up nicely in the fridge, but still be ultra velvety and soft when you eat it. For me that means coconut cream, good chocolate, and to keep it vegan, some good quality vegan butter. I find using coconut oil in the filling can make it set up to be too stiff. Vegan butter is still slightly soft in the fridge.
Choose Your Nuts
I love walnuts and almonds for my chocolate tart. But it you’re partial to other nuts, I’ve also made this tart base with pecan, hazelnuts, and even peanuts for a bit of twist. And of course when it comes to topping it, go wild with whatever you like. Again, our house walnuts are the winner. Mike isn’t a huge pecan fan and I tend to have walnuts around more often than anything else.
The Perfect Chocolate
As many of you know, I’m the head chocolate maker at Hummingbird Chocolate, so of course I am inspired by our chocolate everyday. My favourite single origin bar (and the one I use in this chocolate tart) that we make is the Tumaco bar. In developing the roast profile for this lovely Colombian bean, I knew roughly where I wanted the taste to end up. I was going for nutty, buttery, with a bit of depth. But I wanted it to work as a good simple base chocolate. What I ended up with though was a much more complex flavour profile. It’s full of that buttery nuttiness, but has subtle notes of whiskey, tobacco, and smokiness. The flavour changes slowly when it melts, and you’re left with a soft raisiny after taste. This chocolate didn’t work so well for a base chocolate but instead became its own wonderful thing, and also my favourite chocolate to bake with! Story time over; Tumaco is my chocolate of choice for any dessert where the chocolate is the star!
For some more chocolatey recipes check out this Mocha Chocolate Mousse, or this even more decadent Rich & Creamy Drinking Chocolate. Now, on with the Chocolate Tart!
Simple Chocolate Tart
Equipment
- 9" Tart Pan with removable bottom
- Food Processor
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup Almond Meal
- 1 cup Walnuts
- 1/4 cup Cocoa Nibs
- 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
- 50 g Chocolate
- 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
Filling
- 1 cup Coconut Cream
- 120 g Chocolate
- 1/4 cup Vegan Butter
- 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 3 tbsp Cocoa Powder
Topping
- 2/3 cup Walnuts Toasted
- 100 g Chocolate
- 1/2 cup Coconut Cream
Instructions
Crust
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil for about 25 seconds in a microwave safe bowl. Stir, and melt again for 10 seconds at a time until fully melted, and combined.
- Add all crust ingredients, plus melted chocolate and coconut oil into a food processor. Pulse until nuts are ground, and mix is fully combined.
- Press the crust mixture into a 9" tart pan that has a removable bottom. Evenly cover the bottom and up the sides. Place in the fridge to set for about 20 minutes.
Filling
- While the crust sets in the fridge, make the filling.
- Combine the vegan butter and chocolate in a bowl, melt for about 20 seconds in the microwave. Heat the coconut cream in a separate cup in the the microwave for 25-30 seconds. Combine the hot cream with the butter and chocolate mix. Stir until melted fully and combined. You can put the mix into the microwave for short bursts of 10-15 seconds if it's not quite warm enough to melt the chocolate.
- Stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, and sift in the cocoa powder. Stir well until everything is incorporated.
Assemble
- Once the crust is set, pour in the filling. Smooth it out and tap the pan gently on the counter, to remove bubbles. Place in the fridge uncovered for about 30 minutes, then cover and let set for an additional 30 minutes until fully set, and up to 24 hours.
Topping
- To make the ganache drizzle, heat the coconut cream in the microwave for about 30 seconds, until it's very warm.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and let sit undisturbed for about 2 minutes. Then stir gently until the chocolate is fully melted.
- Remove the chilled and set tart from the fridge. Pour half of the ganache onto the tart and spread it out smooth. This will help the nuts to stick.
- Sprinkle the tart with toasted walnuts (or nuts of your choice). Then using a spoon or a piping bag, drizzle the tart with the remaining ganache. If you have ganache leftover, store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Serve with ice cream, extra walnuts, and extra drizzle if you like. Enjoy!
LizaLeigh
