buckwheat

I can’t quite believe I’m writing this but it’s that time of year – Christmas is fast approaching so I thought it time to roll out a few festive delights, starting with these delicious, easy to whip-up Rich Chocolate Tarts. Who doesn’t love a rich chocolate tart?!

This is a great make-ahead dessert for Christmas day as you can prepare all the components in advance and then assemble just prior to serving. The buckwheat flour makes for a really simple, biscuity pastry crust. I love to use it in gluten-free baking because it is such a cost effective flour. I hope you love it!

Health benefits

This dessert is packed with wholesome ingredients, including buckwheat flour, a gluten-free alternative rich in fibre and nutrients. The cashew cream provides healthy fats, while cacao is a great source of antioxidants. Sweetened naturally with rice malt syrup or maple syrup, these tarts offer a refined sugar-free option.

Ingredients

This recipe includes ingredients such as raw cashews, coconut water, maple syrup or rice malt syrup, and cacao powder, which come together to create a creamy, smooth filling. The chocolate pastry is made with buckwheat flour, butter, coconut sugar, and cacao powder, resulting in a rich, gluten-free base. Fresh fruit like berries or cherries adds a fresh flavour to balance the richness of the chocolate.

How to make these healthy chocolate tarts

To make these tarts, start by preparing the chocolate cashew cream. Blend the soaked cashews with cacao powder, coconut water, and a natural sweetener until smooth and creamy, then set the mixture aside in a bowl. For the pastry, combine buckwheat flour, butter, coconut sugar, and cacao powder to form a dough. After chilling the dough, roll it out and bake it in tart tins. Once the pastry has cooled, assemble the tarts by filling the shells with the chocolate cashew cream. Finish by garnishing with fruit and shaved dark chocolate (optional).

Serving suggestions and how to store

Serve these tarts chilled, garnished with fresh fruit (my favourites are fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and cherries) and shaved dark chocolate (optional). Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. Any leftover pastry dough can be refrigerated or frozen for future use.

Vary rich chocolate tarts to suit your dietary needs

This recipe can be adapted to suit different dietary preferences. For a nut-free version of the chocolate filling, replace the cashew cream with whipped cream, crème fraîche, or coconut yoghurt. For a vegan option, use maple syrup as the sweetener, replace the egg with a chia egg, and substitute the butter in the pastry with coconut oil. If you’re short on time, you can use pre-made chocolate shortcrust pastry and fill it with the chocolate cashew cream, crème fraîche or coconut yoghurt for a quick and easy version.

This adaptable dessert is perfect for a variety of dietary needs, ensuring everyone can enjoy this decadent treat!\

For more easy to make, delicious healthy dessert recipes, click HERE.

Print Recipe

4.75 from 8 votes

Rich Chocolate Tarts

A delicious, yet nourishing dessert that is sure to impress the crowds. Remember to allow soaking time for the cashews. 

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time7 minutes mins

Total Time27 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: 8

Author: Georgia Harding

Ingredients

Chocolate Cashew Cream

• 125 g raw cashew nuts (approx. 1 cup) soaked 3-4 hours, or overnight
• 60 ml coconut water (¼ cup)
• 85 g rice malt syrup or maple syrup (¼ cup)
• 2-3 tbsp cacao powder (unsweetened Dutch process or raw)

Chocolate Pastry

• 280 g buckwheat flour
• 125 g butter room temperature
• 80-100 g coconut sugar or rapadura (approx. ½ cup)
• 2 tbsp cacao powder (unsweetened Dutch process or raw)
• 1 egg/s

Fruit

• 1 cup/s fruit -of your choice. I love fresh berries or cherries (think Black-forest flavours)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Chocolate Cashew cream

• Start with the cashew cream. It can be made a day or so ahead, up to you. Soak the cashews for 3-4 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.
• To make the chocolate cream, blend the soaked cashews in a powerful food processor or high speed blender until a coarse texture. If using a Thermomix 20 seconds speed 4.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and blend again until a silky smooth cream is formed. If using a Thermomix 30 seconds, speed 4-5 (you may need to scrape the sides once or twice).
• Set it aside until you're ready to serve.

Chocolate Pastry

• Pre-heat your oven to 180℃ (fan forced) and grease one large or four small springform tart tins.
• In a food processor, combine the butter and buckwheat flour until a crumb like texture forms. If using a Thermomix 20 seconds, speed 4.
• Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until the dough forms a disc. If using a Thermomix 30-40 seconds, speed 4. As you mix it it should come together.
• Wrap the dough in baking paper and pop in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Cut the dough in half (you have enough for two large tarts or 8 small tarts - see tip below). Any leftover dough can be refrigerated or frozen until needed.
• Roll the dough to about 5mm thickness. It's important to work quickly, especially in a hot kitchen - as the dough softens, it's harder to work with. Cut the pastry to suit the tin you are using. You may need to bring the pastry back together and re-roll to use it all up. You can mend any tears or thin areas by pushing the dough into the tin with your fingers.
• Any leftover you can cut into shapes to decorate or just enjoy as biscuits.
• Cover the tarts with a sheet of baking paper and weight it to blind bake the shells.
• Cook for just 7 minutes for a small tart, 10 for a larger one. Remove from the oven and cool in the tins for a few minutes, then, when cool enough to handle, carefully push out of the base and cool completely on a wire wrack.
• Keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve.

To serve

• Top the shells with the cashew cream and garnish with fruit and shaved dark chocolate (optional, as pictured).

Tip

• Individual tarts are most fool proof as the larger tarts can crack when cutting (unless the pastry is cooked perfectly).

Store

• Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

Cheats version

Use the Careme Chocolate Shortcrust for the quickest dessert ever! You can even fill the cases with creme fraiche and fresh fruit for an even quicker dessert (if dairy-free is not a concern). 

Nut-free

Fill the cases with whipped cream or creme fraiche or coconut yoghurt (if dairy and nut-free)

Vegan, dairy-free and egg-free options

Choose maple syrup as your sweetener for vegan and replace the egg with chia-egg. Replace the butter in the pastry with coconut oil (this will produce a tougher shell once it cools). 

 

 

I hope you love this dessert. I'd love to hear what you think, feel free to post a comment below.