Rich Chocolate Tarts
Servings: 8
A delicious, yet nourishing dessert that is sure to impress the crowds. Remember to allow soaking time for the cashews.
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)
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.