A deliciously healthy Chocolate Orange Tart filled with coconut cream based caramel sauce to impress any guests or indulge in yourself. A gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan tart that looks absolutely stunning.
What this Orange Tart has to offer:
- it is vegan, refined-sugar-free, flourless and thus grain and gluten-free. It is pretty much suitable for anybody with any dietary restriction. If you are allergic to almonds or nuts, in general, you may want to replace the almond crust with this 2-Ingredient Quinoa Crust. I’m sure that would taste great, too.
- it has dark CHOCOLATE in it! Anything with chocolate tastes out of this world, right?
- it’s filled with a “healthy” CARAMEL SAUCE!!!
- oranges are in season right now and sweeter than ever. I can imagine this tart would look even prettier than it does already if you used different kinds of oranges to create a super colorful tart. Use one Navel, one Cara Cara and one blood orange, upload a photo to Instagram or Facebook and tag me to show that you are the best orange tart decorator in the world ;)
How to Make Vegan Caramel Sauce
The chocolate orange tart is filled with a vegan caramel sauce that tastes similar to “dulce de leche”. Let that just sink in for a minute. *drool*
It takes a little to make, but it’s easy and toooootally worth the time. It was hard not to spoon it right out of the pot and eat it all by itself.
All you have to do is bring coconut cream and coconut sugar to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reaches dulce-de-leche consistency.
If the mix starts to look like it’ll boil over the pot just blow on it. Coconut cream is the creamy heavy part of the full-fat canned coconut milk, use only that discarding the coconut water below.
For easier separation stick a can into the fridge overnight, then open and scoop out the cream only. You can also use a whole can of coconut milk – water and cream together if you prefer – but cooking time will increase by about 20 more minutes because all the coconut water has to evaporate.
How to Make an Almond Crust for this Chocolate Orange Tart
The crust is vegan and easy peasy to assemble. Add almond flour, ground chia or flax seeds egg, and coconut oil into your food processor and process until it forms a dough.
Form a big ball out of the dough and place in an air-tight container and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Then use two pieces of parchment paper to roll out the dough into a circle between the two pieces of parchment paper. You HAVE to use parchment paper or it’ll stick right onto your rolling pin.
Carefully peel off the parchment paper from the top and slide your hand under the dough to flip over and into the tart pan. Press the dough into the edges, cut off excess from the sides with a knife or press into missing parts with your fingers.
The Chocolate Layer of the Chocolate Orange Tart
You have two options here. You can either use store-bought dark chocolate (that’s what I did). Or, you can prep your own dark chocolate. It’s easier than you think.
Just add either 80g cacao butter or 80g coconut oil to a double boiler and melt over low heat and then add dutch-processed or raw cacao and whisk until well combined. That’s the unsweetened kind of chocolate.
Now go ahead and sweeten with your favorite sweetener if you like. Maple syrup and honey work but you have to whisk vigorously while adding and use little or you’ll risk the chocolate curdling. Another option is to add coconut sugar.
The chocolate layer helps the almond crust stay together so if your almond crust feels crumbly, don’t worry.
How to cut into Chocolate Orange Tart
Use a knife with a serrated blade to easily cut through the oranges and the hardened chocolate layer.
If you are making this orange tart for 2 only you may as well just dig in with your forks and destroy it. We cut it into pieces and then ate them with our hands because it was soooo goood.
Drooling yet? Yes? Go ahead, make this baby. Do you love me for this orange tart recipe? You are very welcome. I love you, too?
If you want to make two different tarts because you’re expecting guests, you may want to consider making a Simple Pear Tart on top of this one because it’s quick and easy to prepare. If you need a different tart for your guests because theye don’t like oranges (ummm, you sure you wanna invite someone who doesn’t like oranges? Just kidding) make this Valentine’s Apple Rose Tart instead.
Chocolate Orange Tart
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1.5 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp boiling water
- 1.5 tbsp chia or flax seeds (preferably white chia / golden flax)
- 100 g dark chocolate (preferably orange + spices mixed in)
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 3 large oranges (sweet)
Instructions
- Prepare the caramel by adding coconut cream and coconut sugar to a pot or saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling reduce heat to low and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced to half the amount and dulce-de-leche consistency. Set aside and let cool down completely.
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180°C).
- Grind chia seeds or flax seeds in a small coffee grinder or with mortar and pestle.
- Combine coconut oil and boiling water in a small bowl and whisk until oil is completely melted, then add ground chia or flax and mix well.
- Add almond flour and chia/water/oil mix to a food processor and process until dough-like consistency. Then place in an airtight container or wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.
- Roll out almond-flour dough in between two large pieces of parchment paper (important!) into a 10-inch circle, peel off the top part of parchment paper and flip dough over into a separable 9-inch tart pan and press into the edges and cut off excess dough from the sides.
- Place tart pan in the oven for 10 minutes, then take out and let cool completely (stick in the freezer for faster cooling).
- Melt dark chocolate over very low heat.
- Once almond crust is cool, pour all the liquid chocolate into the middle of the crust and then move the tart pan around until all bottom and sides are covered with chocolate. Keep turning around until the chocolate doesn't run anymore.
- Stick in freezer to cool and harden quickly.
- Fill cold almond-chocolate crust with cold caramel sauce and smooth out with a spoon.
- Peel and slice oranges into about 1/4 inch (0.5cm) rounds and place on top of the caramel.
Nutrition
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Bethany @ Athletic Avocado says
WOW!! Im loving all the flavors in this beautiful tart! Chocolate and orange is so good together!
Lorena says
Thank you Bethany, it really was a flavor bomb!!!
Jacky says
I’m definitely going to try making your caramel! Maybe in some Twix bars… mmm
Lorena says
Uhhhh, sounds amazing!
Raquel @ My California Roots says
This looks amazing, Lorena! I’m seriously drooling.
Lorena says
Thank you Raquel! A comment from YOU means the world :D