Raw Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart

One of my aims in life is to create recipes that taste amazing and help you feel amazing! Believe me, this chocolate tart does exactly that. It is raw, dairy-free and oh-so delicious. The only sweetness comes from fresh dates and honey. The base tastes similar to ferrero rocher, whilst the filling tastes like chocolate pudding! In my earlier post, I talked about why cacao powder was so amazing – it works really well in this recipe as it provides the rich chocolatey flavour in both the filling and the crust.

You can leave the pudding plain, or decorate with fruit. I topped my tart with fresh raspberries and it looked so pretty. The key ingredients in this dish are fresh dates, coconut oil and cacao powder. If you can’t get hold of fresh dates then I would highly recommend Medjool Dates. Normal smaller dates wouldn’t work as well. You need lovely, large, squashy dates to help bind the mixture together.

I don’t follow a raw food diet, but if all the dishes tasted as good as this – I would definitely be a convert! It is so easy to make! I am sure you are going to love this as much as I do!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 150g ground hazelnuts
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder
• 4 fresh dates (pitted)
• 2 heaped tablespoons of softened coconut oil
• 1 pinch of pink Himalayan salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
• 1 tablespoon of runny honey

For the filling:

• 150g Coconut butter
• 220ml Coconut milk
• 8 fresh and pitted dates
• 1 generous tablespoon runny honey
• 150g raw cacao powder
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla powder
• Fresh fruit to serve!

Method:

1. Blend the crust ingredients in a food mixer. Pulse for a few seconds each time. The mixture should resemble wet sand and should stick together if pinched. Be careful not to over-pulse as the hazelnuts as they will turn from flour into butter. Key tip – make sure the coconut oil needs to be very soft to ensure that it doesn’t clump.
2. Press the mixture into a flan tin, ensuring that the mixture is pressed evenly up the side and on the base. Place the tin into the fridge and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Add all the ingredients into your food processor bowl and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the crust, smoothing the top with a palette knife. Chill overnight, or for at least 3 hours.
4. Once the filling has set, top with fresh fruit and serve!

~ Enjoy! ~