Description
This Vegan Mint Chocolate Tart is a luscious, dairy-free dessert combining rich, smooth chocolate ganache with a fresh mint-infused white chocolate layer on a crisp gluten-free cocoa pastry crust. Perfect for special occasions or a decadent treat, this tart is both vegan and gluten-free, featuring layers of creamy coconut-based ganache with refreshing mint. It requires some chilling and baking steps but yields an elegant, impressive dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Tart Crust
- 150 g gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 30 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 100 g vegan butter (chilled)
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
For the White Chocolate Mint Ganache
- 180 g vegan white chocolate
- 240 g coconut cream (or chilled full-fat coconut milk)
- 20 fresh mint leaves
For the Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 150 g vegan dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa)
- 240 g coconut cream (or chilled full-fat coconut milk)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Garnish
- 30 g vegan white chocolate (melted)
- 30 g vegan dark chocolate (melted)
- Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and tart tin: Preheat your oven to fan-forced 160°C (320°F) or conventional 180°C (356°F). Lightly grease the base and sides of a 9-inch round tart tin with oil or vegan butter and dust with cocoa powder to prevent sticking.
- Mix and chill the dough: Combine gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, chilled vegan butter, maple syrup, and sea salt in a food processor. Blitz briefly until the mixture forms a loose dough. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap in clingfilm or place in an airtight container, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Roll and fit the dough: Roll the chilled dough to about an inch larger than the tart tin’s circumference. Carefully lift and place it into the prepared tin, easing it gently into the edges. Trim excess dough to allow slight rise above the pan edges. Pierce the base several times with a fork to prevent bubbling.
- Blind bake the shell: Cut a parchment paper circle slightly larger than the tart shell and place it on top. Fill with dried beans, rice, lentils, or baking beads to weigh it down, and bake for 12 minutes.
- Finish baking the shell: Remove the weights and parchment paper carefully, then bake the shell for an additional 10–12 minutes until crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Prepare white chocolate mint ganache (bain-marie): Place vegan white chocolate and coconut cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan with simmering water (bain-marie). Gently melt and stir frequently until smooth.
- Blend and strain mint ganache: Pour the melted white chocolate mixture into a blender with fresh mint leaves. Blend until smooth, then strain the ganache through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any mint leaf bits.
- Set the mint layer: Pour the strained mint ganache into the tart shell. Freeze the tart for 2 hours until the layer is firm and set.
- Prepare dark chocolate ganache (bain-marie): Melt vegan dark chocolate and coconut cream together over a water bath. Stir in maple syrup and vanilla extract. Cool slightly for 15 minutes, then stir until completely smooth.
- Add dark chocolate layer: Pour the dark chocolate ganache over the set mint ganache layer in the tart. Gently tap the tin on a work surface to release air bubbles. Let it cool for about 10 minutes before refrigerating.
- Chill and set tart: Place the tart in the refrigerator and chill for 4 hours or overnight until fully set.
- Garnish and serve: Decorate the edges by swirling melted white and dark chocolate. Top with shaved chocolate and fresh mint leaves for a beautiful, fresh finish. Slice and serve chilled.
Notes
- Use gluten-free all-purpose flour to ensure the crust is suitable for gluten intolerances.
- If you don’t have coconut cream, full-fat coconut milk chilled in the fridge works as a great substitute.
- The blind baking weights (beans, rice, or baking beads) prevent the pastry from puffing up during parbaking.
- For best flavor, use vegan white and dark chocolates with a good cocoa content (70%+ for dark chocolate).
- This tart requires chilling/setting time; plan ahead for at least 6 hours including freezing and refrigeration.
