Chocolate Caramel Tart

Hi guys! This is an old-ish recipe, but I’ve updated it and tweaked a couple of things. I’m loving this Chocolate Caramel Tart as a Summery centerpiece. It makes a gorgeous dinner part dessert and is suitable for not only vegan, but gluten and soya free folks as well!

THE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

For the oaty-chocolate crust:

1 1/2 cups oat flour – grind oats in your blender until a flour forms (use gluten free if needed)
3/4 cup ground almonds
4 tbsp cocoa powder/cacao powder
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup/liquid sweetener of choice
Pinch sea salt

For the date-cashew butter caramel layer:

1 1/4 cups medjool dates – soaked in hot water for at least 30 mins
1/2 cup smooth, creamy cashew butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
Pinch fine sea salt

For the chocolate ganache layer:

130g vegan dark chocolate (I use 70% cocoa solids)
1 tin full fat coconut milk – left upside-down in the fridge for 3 hours
2 tbsp maple syrup/sweetener of choice – optional
1 tbsp cocoa/cacao powder

For topping (optional):

Fresh raspberries, strawberries and blueberries
Flaked almonds
Chocolate chips
Flaked almonds

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by preheating your oven to 180C. Then, if you haven’t already, place your oats in your blender and pulse until they are ground down and resemble a flour.
Place both the ground almonds and oat flour into your food processor and add all the other crust ingredients and pulse a few times. A doughy mixture should form that comes together in your hands.
Press this into a 9-10″ tart tin (I use a loose based one to make removing easier at the end) so that it’s about half a centimetre thick.
Place this in the oven and bake for 10- 12 minutes, until it’s slightly browned and fragrant.
Meanwhile, make the date caramel. Rinse and dry out your food processor and place in all the caramel ingredients. Pulse on high for a few minutes until a smooth (very inviting) sweet + creamy paste forms.
Let the base cool for around 15 minutes before spreading the caramel on top.
To make the chocolate ganache, prepare a Bain Marie (place a glass bowl over a pan of hot water) and melt the dark chocolate over a medium heat, stirring constantly.
When melted, take the bowl off the pan. Open the tin of coconut milk and only use the hardened part of the coconut milk that has set at the top; spoon this into the bowl along with the maple syrup and cocoa powder. Whisk all this together thoroughly and carefully pour over the caramel layer.
Place this in the freezer and set for 3-4 hours. When it has frozen it should remove from the tin easily. Place it on a plate and thaw in the fridge. When thawed, top with the berries and other toppings of choice – and enjoy! Store in the fridge or freezer.