Dark chocolate tart

A delicious and decadent vegan chocolate dessert that will blow your mind. The silky chocolate tart is topped with sweet, sticky spiced figs.

Dark chocolate tart. Credit: Freshly Picked with Simon Toohey

• serves

  10

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Pastry

• 125 g vegan butter
• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp ice-cold water

Filling

• 200 g 85% dark chocolate or any vegan chocolate of your choosing
• 60 g coconut sugar
• 50 ml soy milk (or any other nut milk)
• Pinch salt
• 300 g silken tofu

Spiced figs (see Note)

• 5 figs
• 100 ml water
• 20 ml balsamic vinegar
• 50 g caster sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf

 

To garnish

• Dried rose petals (optional)

Chilling time: 60 minutes total. Setting time: about 1 hour.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. For the pastry, chop the vegan butter up into manageable chunks, then pulse in a blender with the other pastry ingredients until it comes together to form a crumbly dough. If it doesn’t, add another tablespoon of water. Alternatively, squeeze the cold butter and flour between your fingers until it is all broken up and the dough is looking a little like cornflakes mixed with bread crumbs. Add the water, sugar and salt and work in briefly but do not overwork, otherwise the butter will melt and the gluten will start to activate.
3. Wrap in baking paper and set in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Gently roll the dough out between 2 pieces of baking paper to 2 mm thickness. Using a 22cm tart tin, place your tart tin upside down over the dough, gently cut around; don't cut too close to the tin, you can always remove any excess pastry.
5. Turn the tart tin back over and slide the rolled and cut dough into the tin, gently pushing it down to cover all the available space. For best results, place the tart tin with the pastry in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
6. Take the baking paper and scrunch it in your hands. Place the paper on the dough and pour rice or grains over it to cover and make sure it is hitting all sides. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until it is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool.
7. To make the filling, set a bowl over a pot with water and place on the stove on high heat. Chop up the chocolate into small chunks and put in the bowl along with the sugar, a pinch of salt and the milk.
8. As the chocolate melts keep stirring until it all is melted and the sugar is pretty much dissolved. Place the tofu and the choc mixture into a blender or a bowl with a stick blender attachment and blitz until smooth. Pour into your pre-baked tart tin and place in the fridge to set.
9. For the figs, slice a cross in the top that goes halfway down the fig. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and place on medium heat. Reduce the liquid by three-quarters but always be gentle when stirring as you don’t want to break up the figs. The syrup should be sweet and sticky. Remove the figs and set aside to drain slightly.
10. Top the set tart with the spiced figs, a few spoonfuls of the fig syrup and a scattering of rose petals.

 

Note

You could also use purchased spiced figs, or re-hydrate dried figs.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.