Chocolate Orange Nutty Truffle Tart - silky smooth, not too sweet and filled with rich dark orange chocolate - utterly delicious as well as vegan and gluten free | thecookandhim.com

Posted in Recipes on 22.12.2017

Chocolate Orange Nutty Truffle Tart

prep: 30 mins / cook: 20 mins / inactive: 2 hours 0 mins / total: 2 hours 50 mins / quantity: 12 slices Print recipe?

Chocolate Orange Nutty Truffle Tart - silky smooth, not too sweet and filled with rich dark orange chocolate - utterly delicious as well as vegan and gluten free | thecookandhim.com

Forget about Christmas dinner, it’s all about Christmas dessert!  Who’s with me?  I love a proper Christmas Pud but as the only one in the house that does it’s a rather rich thing to eat all by myself.  And to have it bubbling away on the stove for hours, taking up a precious gas ring and steaming up the entire house!

And because it’s Christmas you want something that’s a little decadent and utterly delicious but still has lots of healthy things in it.  It’s also really easy to make ahead, saving precious time on The Big Day!

The base is all about the nuts.  Or should that be the nuts are all about the bass?  There’s also some oats for texture and a bit of melted butter to hold everything together.

Chocolate Orange Nutty Truffle Tart - silky smooth, not too sweet and filled with rich dark orange chocolate - utterly delicious as well as vegan and gluten free | thecookandhim.com

The ooey gooey middle bit is all about rich dark chocolate.  Chocolate that has that slightly bitter tang.  But I like to think that when all the matter in the universe went bang and we were all created the idea of chocolate and orange was a sort of destiny that we were just meant to discover.

Chocolate Orange Nutty Truffle Tart - silky smooth, not too sweet and filled with rich dark orange chocolate - utterly delicious as well as vegan and gluten free | thecookandhim.com

Because it’s divine.  And thankfully there’s an ever expanding market of vegan or dairy free chocolate.  Some of it’s hit and miss.  Some of it is better than dairy chocolate to be honest.  Use whatever is your favourite dark chocolate for this truffle tart recipe. I wouldn’t recommend a milk chocolate.  You want that punch of hearty dark chocolate, evened out by sweet maple and tangy orange.  If you struggle to get good vegan chocolate orange simply use all dark chocolate and add the grated zest of 1-2 medium oranges.

We’d also love to hear what your alternative Christmas desserts are!  Do you go all out with sparkles and flavours?  Or is a flaming brandy Christmas Pud the ONLY way to go?

If you make this recipe or any of the recipes from The Cook & Him we’d LOVE to see! Just snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #thecookandhim and tagging @thecookandhim in the photo itself (as this guarantees we’ll see your picture!❤)

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Chocolate Orange Nutty Truffle Tart

prep: 30 mins / cook: 20 mins / inactive: 2 hours 0 mins / total: 2 hours 50 mins / quantity: 12 slices

Ingredients

For the base

  • 1 cup mixed nuts
  • 1/2 cup vegan butter
  • 1 cup ground almonds
  • 1 cup rolled oats

For the filling

  • 100g bar of dairy free orange dark chocolate – broken into pieces
  • 150g dairy free dark chocolate – broken into pieces
  • 400ml (1 can) coconut milk
  • 1 tblsp coconut oil
  • 4 tblsp maple syrup

Optional decoration 1

  • 20g dairy free dark chocolate

Optional decoration 2

  • 100g dairy free white chocolate
  • handful goji berries
  • handful chia seeds

Optional decoration 3

  • 2 handfuls walnuts
  • 1 tblsp maple syrup

Optional decoration 4

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Instructions

  1. Start by preheating the oven to 180 Fan / 200 C / 400 F / Gas 6
  2. Put the mixed nuts onto a baking tray and toast in the oven for 20 minutes.  While they're cooking, melt the butter - either in the microwave or in a small saucepan - and set aside
  3. Then you can prepare the filling - empty the can of coconut milk (both the liquid and the solids) into a medium saucepan and heat until scalding but not boiling.  Tip in all the pieces of chocolate, coconut oil and maple syrup and whisk until the chocolate has melted and you have a smooth mixture.  Pour into a bowl and put in the fridge.  You can leave the whisk in the mixture as you'll need to keep a regular eye on it and whisk occasionally as it sets!
  4. Remove the nuts from the oven and allow  to cool for 10 minutes before tipping into a food processor and pulsing till finely chopped.  
  5. Add the coconut oil, ground almonds and oats and enough cold water - adding 1 tblsp at a time - until it starts to come together into a 'dough'.  Don't worry, we're not rolling this out so it can be a little bit sticky!
  6. Using either a spray oil or a little bit of extra coconut oil, thoroughly grease a 9 inch fluted, loose bottom tart tin - making sure you get into all the crevices!
  7. Tip the nut mixture into your tin and using your fingers, push out to the edges of the tin and up the sides
  8. Put onto a tray and put into the fridge for around half an hour until starting to set.  You can also do this well in advance of adding the filling
  9. Keeping half an eye on the filling, once it starts to thicken - how long it takes depends on how cold your fridge is, you're looking for it to be the sort of consistency of very softly whipped cream - pour into your prepared base and put back in the fridge until completely set
  10. For optional decoration 1 just melt the chocolate in a microwave or over a bain marie, spoon into a paper piping bag and pip lines across the top of the tart.  You can also use a plastic sandwich bag and snip the end off or just use a spoon and drizzle the chocolate over the tart
  11. For optional decoration 2 simply melt the white chocolate in the microwave or over a bain marie then pour into a shallow tin or dish that you've put a piece of greaseproof in to cover the bottom.  Spread the chocolate out into a thinish even later.  
  12. Sprinkle over the goji berries and chia sees (and any extra festive sprinkles you might fancy!) and put the tray in the fridge for 10 minutes until set
  13. To make the shards, just cut or break into pieces and place round the edge of your tart
  14. For optional decoration 3 put the walnuts and maple syrup into a small frying pan and cook over a medium heat until caramelised, tossing everything very frequently.  Restrain yourself from eating all of these before they get to the tart and allow to cool before nestling in between the white chocolate shards
  15. And finally *phew* simply adorn your festive tart with some gorgeously red raspberries!

Notes

  • If you can't find vegan chocolate orange, instead add the grated zest of 1-2 medium oranges
  • If you're making this a day or a few days in advance you can make all the optional decorations as well, but don't add them to the tart until you're ready to serve!
  • Keep the chocolate shards in a lidded tub in the fridge and keep the walnuts in a lidded tub at room temp
Chocolate Orange Nutty Truffle Tart

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Hello there!  I’m Sam, former Michelin star pastry chef and now your go-to vegan foodie on a mission to make plant-based eating a deliciously easy adventure!  From cozy comfort foods to vibrant salads and decadent desserts, there’s something for everyone in my kitchen.

Whether you’re cooking for one or for a houseful I believe food doesn’t have to be complicated to be full of FLAVOUR and I want to show you how.  I’ve been a rigorous meal planner for over a decade whilst embracing seasonal ingredients (because that’s where the real flavour is!)

I’m also a dedicated dog mum to Nooch and Baxter and enjoy cooking them homemade treats (many of which are posted here) when I’m not screaming at the tennis or devouring fantasy fiction.

All things autumn - warming soups, savoury bakes and delicious sweet treats!

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