While the origins of Valentine’s Day are still a bit muddled, we have markedly moved away from how it was once celebrated by the ancient Romans. Gone are the days (thankfully) of animal sacrifice and public rituals of fertility. In their stead, we have sugary sweet greeting cards, rose dealers waiting outside subway stations, and a plethora of heart-shaped goodies for sale right after New Year’s. If neither of these scenarios sound like your jam, we’ve got another suggestion: roll up your sleeves and whip up this vegan chocolate raspberry tart for your sweetheart, because nothing says ‘I care’ like a delicious handmade dessert.
What you’ll need:
Crust:
- 1 ½ cups hazelnuts, toasted
- 1 cup rolled oats, toasted
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 90g dried dates
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 4 Tbsp almond milk (or other non-dairy alternative)
Raspberry “Cheesecake” filling:
- 1 ½ cup raw cashews, soaked (for at least 4 hours or overnight) and drained
- ¼ cup coconut nectar (or agave syrup)
- 4 Tbsp coconut cream*
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup frozen raspberries (+ extra for filling)
Chocolate Ganache topping:
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp coconut milk
How you’ll make it:
First we’ll tackle the crust. Combine the hazelnuts, oats, salt and cocoa powder in the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Be careful not to over-process! Then add in the dates, coconut oil and almond milk and process until the mixture comes together to form a dough. When the dough is sticky enough to form a ball with, line an 8-inch round pan with saran wrap and press the dough into the pan and up its sides to form a crust. Stick it in the fridge and let it hang out there for a bit while you prepare the filling.
For the raspberry filling, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process for 3-4 minutes until smooth. Take the chilled crust out of the fridge, and place a few whole raspberries at the bottom of the prepared crust, and gently pour the filling over the berries. Now slide this tart in the freezer until the filling is firm.
Finally, we come to the chocolate ganache. In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients until a smooth chocolate sauce is formed. The sauce should reach a pourable honey-like consistency. If it clumps, just heat the mixture up a bit and stir. Then remove the tart from the freezer and pour the ganache on top of the raspberry filling, making sure to spread it into all the corners and completely covering the filling. Place the tart in the freezer until you’re ready to knock someone’s socks off!
And there you have it – the perfect way to express those warm and fuzzy feelings without all that modern-day frou frou or ancient brutish traditions. If you decide to give this recipe a shot, we would love to see the results – just tag us on Instagram @demetres. Make sure to check back soon for more recipes, DIYs and behind-the-scenes peeks 😉
This recipe is part of a Valentine’s series developed as a collaboration with Clear Life Magazine.
| Servings |
8-inch tart
|
- 1 1/2 cups Hazelnuts toasted
- 1 cup Rolled oats toasted
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 90 grams Dried dates
- 3 Tbsp Coconut oil melted
- 4 Tbsp Almond milk or other non-dairy alternative
- 1 1/2 cup Raw cashews soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight, then drained
- 1/4 cup Coconut nectar or agave syrup
- 4 Tbsp Coconut cream
- 2 Tbsp Coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup Frozen raspberries + a few extras to embed in the filling
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp Coconut oil melted
- 2 Tbsp Maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp Coconut milk
Ingredients
Crust
Raspberry Cheesecake Filling
Chocolate Ganache Topping
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|
- Combine the hazelnuts, oats, salt and cocoa powder in the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Be careful not to over-process!
- Add in the dates, coconut oil and almond milk and process until the mixture comes together to form a dough. The dough should be sticky enough to form a ball with.
- Line an 8-inch round pan with saran wrap and press the dough into the pan and up its sides to form a crust.
- Stick the crust in the fridge and let it hang out there for a bit while you prepare the filling.
- Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process for 3-4 minutes until smooth.
- Take the chilled crust out of the fridge, and place a few whole raspberries at the bottom of the prepared crust, and gently pour the filling over the berries.
- Slide this tart in the freezer until the filling is firm.
- In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients until a smooth chocolate sauce is formed. The sauce should reach a pourable honey-like consistency. If it clumps, just heat the mixture up a bit and stir.
- Then remove the tart from the freezer and pour the ganache on top of the raspberry filling, making sure to spread it into all the corners and completely covering the filling.
- Place the tart in the freezer until you're ready to serve.
