Recipe by Steph Schall Hub

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Chilling time 2 hrs

Rich, decadent, silky and entirely vegan and gluten-free, this tart is simple and incredibly delicious. The whole tart comes together in less than half an hour, and is a perfect last minute impress-your-guests dessert. There's even an option to make it completely no-bake. The best part- you'll likely have most of the ingredients hanging out in your pantry already!

Serves 10

Ingredients

Crust
1 cup almonds
1 cup toasted hazelnuts
3 tablespoons cacao powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
1 pinch salt

Filling
1 can coconut milk (400mL), full fat
350 grams dairy-free 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla essence or paste
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (decaf if preferred)
1 pinch salt

To serve
1 cup toasted hazelnuts
1 pinch flaked sea salt (Maldon flakes)

Steps

Make the crust
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Spray a 20cm tart tin with removable base with olive oil. Alternatively, grease and line a loaf tin or cake tin (depending on what you have available) with baking paper.
2. To a food processor, add the almonds and toasted hazelnuts, and process until a fine breadcrumb consistency is achieved. Add in the cacao, salt, maple syrup and softened coocnut oil. Pulse until mixture is well combined and sticks together when pressed. If needing more moisture, add in a teaspon at a time more maple syrup or coconut oil.
3. Transfer to the prepared tin, and press into the base and up the sides in a uniform layer. Ensure the mixture is pressed in tight to ensure a crisp and sturdy crust.
4. Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes, then set aside to cool on a wire cooling rack. For a no-bake crust, see notes.

Make the filling
1. Fill a small saucepan with a few centimeters of water and place over med-low heat. When barely simmering, redue to low heat and place a small clean glass or metal bowl over the saucepan. Add in the coconut milk, chocolate, vanilla and coffee granules. Leave for a few minutes to gently heat, without turning up the heat. The trick to a smooth glossy ganache is to gently melt the chocolate and ingredients together, to avoid the chocolate seizing.
2. Once chocolate is beginning to melt, stir with a silicon spatula to distribute mixture. Continue to heat until all chocolate is melted and ganache looks smooth, glossy and all one colour. Add in salt, stir again and remove the bowl from the heat.
3. Once your crust is completely cool, pour in the chocolate ganache and tap a few times on the bench to flatten the top and remove any air bubbles. Transfer to the fridge to firm and chill. This will take 1-2 hours. When ready to serve, scatter with toasted hazelnuts and flaked sea salt.
4. Tart keeps in airtight container in fridge for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Slice, individually wrap and keep in freezer for an easy sweet treat. If serving from freezer, thaw entire tart on countertop for 30 minutes for best texture, or for a single serving, 5-10 minutes.

Notes

To make this a no-bake crust, simply add 1 cup almonds, 1 cup toasted hazelnuts, 3 tablespoons cacao and a pinch of salt to a food processor and process to a fine breadcrumb consistency. Add in a cup of Medjool dates (or soaked dried dates) and process until mixture sticks together when pressed. Press into tart tin and place in freezer to chill until filling is ready. 
 
For a lighter crust, replace the almonds with a heaped cup of oats, and process with the toasted hazelnuts to a fine breadcrumb consistency, then add in other ingredients and bake.
 
Keep the tart in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Alternatively, keep in freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw on counter for 30 mins to soften for best consistency. If freezing or chilling before serving, scatter hazelnuts over just before serving to stay crunchy for best texture.

Steph Schall is a plant-based chef, registered nurse, qualified yoga instructor and health coach. She is the resident chef at the Abbie James HQ and you can find out more about her culinary adventures and her cooking classes at www.stephschallhub.com

Read our interview with Steph here.