Vegan Gingerbread Chocolate Tart Recipe
This Vegan Gingerbread Chocolate Tart is a luscious and festive dessert combining a crisp gingerbread-spiced crust with a rich dark chocolate ganache filling made creamy with coconut cream. Topped with vegan gingerbread cookies and pomegranate seeds, it offers a delightful blend of spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors that are perfect for holiday celebrations or any special occasion.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 44 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Vegan, Western
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Crust
- 150 g (1 ¼ cups) plain flour (use gluten-free all-purpose flour if required)
- 100 g (3.5 oz) vegan butter, block style (use nut-free if necessary, e.g. Violife)
- 60 g (3 tablespoons) molasses (can be swapped partially or fully with maple syrup for a milder flavor)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon orange zest (optional)
Filling
- 250 g (8.8 oz) dark chocolate (170 g for softer, mousse-like filling)
- 350 g (12.4 oz) coconut cream (can use chilled full-fat coconut milk’s thick cream)
- 60 g (3 tablespoons) pure maple syrup
- 20 g (1 tablespoon) molasses
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch of sea salt
Toppings
- ¼ batch vegan gingerbread cookies
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to fan-forced 160°C (320°F) or conventional 180°C (356°F). Lightly grease a 9-inch round tart tin with oil or vegan butter and dust lightly with flour. Optionally, line the base with parchment paper.
- Mix and chill the dough: In a food processor, combine flour, vegan butter, molasses, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and orange zest if using. Blitz until a loose dough forms. Shape into a ball, flatten into a disc, wrap in clingfilm or place in an airtight container, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough: Roll chilled dough into a circle about an inch larger than your tart tin. Carefully lift and ease the dough into the tin, gently pressing it to fit. Trim excess dough leaving a slight rise above tin edges. Pierce the base with a fork several times to prevent puffing.
- Parbake the crust: Cut a parchment circle larger than the tart and place on top of the dough. Fill with dried beans, rice, lentils, or baking beads to weigh it down. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights carefully.
- Bake the crust: Return the tart shell to the oven and bake for another 10-12 minutes until the crust is crisp and golden.
- Prepare the filling: Finely chop the dark chocolate and place in a heat-resistant bowl. Heat coconut cream in a saucepan until simmering (do not boil). Pour the hot coconut cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth and glossy.
- Flavor the filling: Stir in maple syrup, molasses, ground ginger, and a pinch of sea salt until fully combined and smooth.
- Assemble and chill: Pour the chocolate ganache into the baked tart crust. Tap the tin gently on your work surface to release air bubbles. Let cool about 10 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to fully set.
- Garnish: Remove the tart from the tin and place on a serving plate. Decorate the top with pieces of vegan gingerbread cookies and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and fresh rosemary if desired.
Notes
- Use a nut-free vegan butter brand if allergies require, such as Violife.
- Molasses can be replaced fully or partially with maple syrup to soften the flavor profile.
- For a firmer filling, use 250 g dark chocolate; for a softer, mousse-like texture, reduce to 170 g.
- Coconut cream can be substituted with chilled, thick cream from full-fat coconut milk cans for similar richness.
- Quick crust method: Skip rolling by pressing dough evenly and firmly into tart tin using fingers, prick base with fork, bake 12-16 minutes until edges brown, then cool.
