This decadent chocolate cherry ‘Black Forest’ tart is not only 100% Vegan but also refined sugar free and a deliciously decadent summer dessert recipe!
For me, personally, Cherries are one of those fruits that are just so ‘sexy’. The rich deep red colour coupled with it’s strong, juicy flavour is more than enough to keep me reaching for them time and time again. But when paired with chocolate this Vegan Chocolate Cherry ‘Black Forest’ tart is sinfully decadent!
Not to mention that this Black Forest chocolate tart is 100% Vegan, refined sugar free, gluten-free, dairy free and takes less than half an hour to whip up ( before leaving to chill!).
The chocolate cherry combo has always been a favourite of mine and a perfect way to convince your brain that the dish is healthy ( I mean, it has fruit in it! ). Plus the hazelnut tart crust is one of my favourites for that almost nutella-esque taste when combined with a chocolate filling.
Honestly, I’m surprised I haven’t put this recipe up here before now- hopefully, you all enjoy it as much as I do!
As vegan chocolate desserts go, I think this chocolate tart recipe is also a wonderful option for Valentines day or a special occasion. You can customise the toppings as you please, meaning you can make this tart as fancy, romantic or decadent looking as you wish.
If you’re feeling particularly indulgent then I suggest serving this chocolate tart along with some coconut whipped cream and/or dairy-free chocolate ice-cream. You could also top with some chocolate shavings from your favourite vegan milk chocolate or dark chocolate bars.
Also, if you’re wanting any more tart inspiration then feel free to check out my recipes for a Vegan pistachio & Lemon tart , Vegan strawberry rose tart , Vegan Earl grey & Blueberry tart, or even some Mini Vegan Raspberry-rose OR Mint tarts !
Vegan Chocolate Cherry ‘Black Forest’ Tart Recipe
Tart Base:
- Hazelnuts, desiccated coconut, dates
- Coconut oil, pinch of salt
The Chocolate Cherry Filling:
- Full-fat coconut milk, dark chocolate, pitted cherries
- Agar agar, corn flour (cornstarch), maple syrup
- Vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract), sea salt (great for bringing out the chocolate flavour, as it does in hot chocolate)
Decoration:
- a handful of cherries
- a handful of dragon fruit balls
- crushed hazelnuts
- edible flowers (optional)
- or any of your favourite fruit or toppings
The How-to
The first step is to prepare the hazelnut tart crust. Do this by blending the hazelnuts and the desiccated coconut (you can use store-bought or make your own) in a food processor/blender till a fine crumb.
Add the rest of the crust ingredients and mix well until you obtain a uniform sticky mixture.
Note* if your dates feel a little dry then soak them in not water for a few minutes before blending. This should help them be more’juicy’ and stop you having to add any extra dates.
Add the crust dough to a tart tin (8″/20cm) and spread it evenly across the whole surface*. I usually use something with a large, flat round base to help press the crust down evenly. Something like a marge glass base will work well.
Note* You can also use a rectangle tart pan for a tray-bake style tart that you can cut into chocolate bar individual-portion sizes.
Bake at 160ºC (fan assisted) for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure that the sides don’t burn – you can cover them up with some aluminium foil after 5-7 minutes if they are browning quickly to allow the rest of the crust to bake.
To prepare the filling, first, remove the pits from the cherries and mash or blend them to obtain a purée like consistency. I used a glass straw to remove the pits – however, you cna just chop them in half and remove the pits if preferred. If you want a more pronounced cherry flavour, add more than just 1 cup ( around 1 1/2 cups).
Melt the chocolate. It’s best to do it over a double-boiler, but you can also melt it in the microwave. Just make sure to keep an eye on it so you don’t burn the chocolate as that will affect the taste of the entire tart.
Add all the chocolate cherry filling ingredients to a saucepan and cook over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir well, bringing to a slow boil and cook for a few minutes until the mix thickens, stirring continuously.
Note: if you like the filling to be thicker, add a little more corn flour ( 1 tsp at a time). I’ve included pictures below to show the difference in inner texture
When the mixture has become thicker, remove from the heat and pour through a sieve to remove any remaining lumps form the cherries.
Pour the filling over the crust and set aside for it to cool completely to room temperature (or set in the refrigerator)
Once cooled down, proceed with decorating. You will notice, that depending on how much corn flour (and agar agar) you’ve used, the filling sets at different levels.
Decorate your black forest tart with cherries, dragon fruit balls, shredded coconut and edible flowers or with your favourite toppings. This can include coconut whipped cream, dairy-free chocolate shavings etc.
Other Vegan Dessert Recipes You May Like
I already mentioned a few of my other vegan tart recipes above. However, those aren’t the only vegan dessert I have on my blog that you might like. For instance, how about this Vegan no-bake layered Cherry Cheesecake (gluten-free). I also have a recipe for Almond Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies or, alternatively Healthy Cacao & Almond Protein Balls.
If you give this chocolate cherry tart recipe a go then please let me know in the comments below. Feel free to ask me any questions you have and I’d super appreciate a recipe rating. Also, feel free to tag me in your re-creations @AlphaFoodie .
Vegan Chocolate Cherry 'Black Forest' Tart
Ingredients
Tart Base:
- 1.5 cup hazelnuts
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
- 1.5 tBsp coconut oil
- 2 dates
- pinch salt
The Chocolate Cherry Filling:
- 1.75 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 6 oz dark chocolate unsweetened
- 1 cup pitted cherries add more for more pronounced taste
- 1 tBsp agar-agar
- 1.5 tBsp corn flour
- 2 tBsp Maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- pinch salt optional - to bring out the chocolate flavour more
Decoration:
- a handful of cherries
- a handful of dragon fruit balls
- crushed hazelnuts
- edible flowers optional
- or any of your favourite fruit or toppings
Instructions
- Prepare the hazelnut tart crust. Do this by blending the hazelnuts and the desiccated coconut (you can use store-bought or make your own) in a food processor/blender till a fine crumb.
- Add the rest of the crust ingredients * and mix well until you obtain a uniform sticky mixture.
- Add the crust dough to a tart tin (8"/20cm) and spread it evenly across the whole surface*. I usually use something with a large, flat round base to help press the crust down evenly. Something like a marge glass base will work well.**
- Bake at 160ºC (fan assisted) for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure that the sides don't burn - you can cover them up with some aluminium foil after 5-7 minutes if they are browning quickly to allow the rest of the crust to bake.
- To prepare the filling, first, remove the pits from the cherries and mash or blend them to obtain a purée like consistency. I used a glass straw to remove the pits - however, you can just chop them in half and remove the pits if preferred. If you want a more pronounced cherry flavour, add more than just 1 cup ( around 1 1/2 cups).
- Melt the chocolate. It's best to do it over a double-boiler, but you can also melt it in the microwave. Just make sure to keep an eye on it so you don't burn the chocolate as that will affect the taste of the entire tart.
- Add all the chocolate cherry filling ingredients to a saucepan and cook over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir well, bringing to a slow boil and cook for a few minutes until the mix thickens, stirring continuously. ***
- When the mixture has become thicker, remove from the heat and pour through a sieve to remove any remaining lumps from the cherries.
- Pour the filling over the crust and set aside for it to cool completely to room temperature (or set in the refrigerator). Once cooled down, proceed with decorating. You will notice, that depending on how much corn flour (and agar agar) you've used, the filling sets at different levels.
- Decorate your black forest tart with cherries, dragon fruit balls, shredded coconut and edible flowers or with your favourite toppings. This can include coconut whipped cream, dairy-free chocolate shavings etc.
Fabiana
Hello, should I keep it in the fridge one is ready or no?
Support @ Alphafoodie
Hi Fabiana,
Yes, it’s best to keep the tart in the fridge once ready (for up to 5 days). Before serving, you can take it out 10-15 minutes in advance.
Hazel
Hi! Can frozen cherries be used?
AlphaFoodie
yes, that shouldn’t be an issue. I’d still blend the berries before adding them to the pan and then the mixture is sieved anyway so I’d imagine the results are fairly similar 🙂
Judi
Those tarts look very pretty. Like the use of Dragon fruit balls.
Why do you bake some tart shells (chocolate/cherry) and leave others raw (strawberry, lemon) ??
AlphaFoodie Support
Thank you – I think it’s just personal taste, lots of the time the tart shells can be eaten raw or cooked (if baked it will become crispier rather than ‘chewy’).
Aleksandra
Hello!
Nice recepies! And love your desserts decoration! I just wandered what kind of a food processor you used, looks small and very effective!
Thanks
Support @ Alphafoodie
Hi Aleksandra,
Thank you for your comment.
The food processor used in this recipe is from NutraMilk. It’s linked on the Shop page.
Liz
I made this for my sons girlfriend on her birthday. Definitely needs more maple syrup. I will use arrowroot instead of corn flour next time. The crust too needs more sweetener to bring out the hazelnuts.
Support @ Alphafoodie
Thank you for your comment Liz. I am glad you’ve been able to adapt the recipe to your taste.
Tatyana Maag
Hi there! Thank you for sharing your work, your pies and tarts look so artistic and beautiful! A question, did you use agar agar flakes or powder? Thank you in advance!
AlphaFoodie
Thank you so much for your kind words. I use powder 🙂
Golsa
Hi, thanks for the recipes you share, what ingredients in this tart can be used instead of agar agar? For example gelatin?
Alpha Foodie
I’ve only experimented with using agar agar for these tarts personally, as I wanted the mix to be Vegan. However, the agar agar is to use instead of gelatine so it should work. I’ve used ‘ veggie gel’ ( a vegetarian gelatine) in some previous recipes before and that has worked quite well. If you give it a go then let me know how it turns out 🙂