A stunning dessert without too much effort, this chocolate tart with cashew butter and blood orange is the perfect balance of sweet, nutty, and creamy! Rich dark chocolate and nutty cashew butter create the perfect blend of flavors while blood orange lends a subtle citrus note. Add blood orange slices and edible flowers to make this vegan tart that feel even more luxurious and special.
This tart started as an idea to recreate a gigantic peanut butter cup in tart form. On its own, it sounded like a pretty darn good idea! But then I started to tweak and refine it, as I often do with recipe ideas. I knew I wanted it to have a toasty graham-cracker crust. I really love cashew butter so it took the place of peanut butter. And I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use my favorite winter citrus: blood oranges! The resulting chocolate tart is luxurious, delicious, and easy to make with minimal baking. I hope you enjoy it!
Grab These Ingredients
- Graham Cracker Crumbs — if you can’t find the crumbs, toss some graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. You can use regular graham crackers or gluten free ones depending on your needs.
- Vegan Butter — we’ll use a little to help hold the crust together. Feel free to use regular unsalted butter if you don’t need this tart to be vegan.
- Granulated Sugar — sweetens the crust and helps it brown. I do not recommend substituting a liquid sweetener here.
- Virgin Coconut Oil — lends flavor and setting power to both the cashew butter filling and the chocolate topping. Since coconut oil firms up when cold, it is the best oil for this recipe. I prefer the unrefined virgin coconut oil here rather than the refined version.
- Powdered Sugar — sweetens the filling and helps thicken and stabilize it.
- Blood Oranges — lend flavor to the filling and can also be used for decoration. You’ll need both the zest and the juice.
- Cashew Butter — creates the bulk of the filling. Opt for an unsweetened cashew butter here.
- Salt — balances all of the flavors.
- Vanilla Extract — lends flavor to the filling.
- Vegan Dark Chocolate — I recommend using a dark chocolate bar since it will have better flavor than baking chocolate. Make sure the one you use is vegan friendly if that’s a concern. I’ve linked my favorite one down in the recipe card.
- Edible Flowers — these are completely optional but a fun way to decorate the chocolate tart and make it feel extra special.
Why You Should Make This Chocolate Tart
- There’s minimal baking involved! All you have to do is bake the graham cracker crust for 12-14 minutes and that’s it! The rest of the tart comes together without any baking or cooking.
- It’s essentially a gigantic and more refined version of a peanut butter cup…except we’re using cashew butter and blood oranges.
- It’s completely vegan and really dang delicious. Plus, you can easily make it gluten free by using gluten free graham crackers!
- Two words: BLOOD ORANGE. Their unique sweet and tangy flavor makes anything delicious.
The Recipe Components
There are 3 components: a graham cracker crust, a sweetened cashew butter filling with blood orange zest and juice, and a chocolate topping.
CRUST: The graham cracker crust is made from a mixture of graham crackers crumbs (I made my own by blitzing graham crackers in a blender), melted vegan butter, and sugar. Everything in mixed together then pressed into a buttered 9-inch tart pan (or pie pan). The crust is baked for just 12-14 minutes until it begins to turn golden brown. (tip: if you’d like to make the tart gluten free, simply use a gluten free graham cracker!)
FILLING: While the crust is baking, you can easily mix the filling components: room temperature coconut oil, cashew butter, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, blood orange zest, blood orange juice, and vanilla extract. I used my stand mixer for this but you can also do it with a hand mixer or with a whisk and a bit of arm strength! Once it’s smooth, you’ll put it into the crust (it’s completely fine if the crust is still warm!) and smooth out the top.
TOPPING: The last component is the chocolate topping. You’ll melt your chocolate and coconut oil in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Once it’s fully melted and smooth, you’ll pour it over the cashew butter filling. It should spread out and cover the filling mostly on it’s own but you can help it as needed with a spoon or a spatula. All that’s left is to chill the tart for 6 hours in the fridge!
Tips for Recipe Success
- Make sure to press the crust into the tart pan really well so that it holds together and isn’t super crumbly. You can do this with a spatula, a measuring cup like you see in the photos, or your hands.
- Use your favorite vegan chocolate for the topping. Since the topping is just chocolate and coconut oil, you want to use a chocolate bar that is delicious enough to be eaten and savored on its own rather than a standard boring baking chocolate.
- Chill the tart for at least 6 hours before enjoying it. This allows time for all of the flavors to mingle and for crust and filling to set and solidify.
- When you remove the tart from the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before slicing it. You’ll get a smoother slice without the chocolate topping fracturing!
Looking For Other Blood Orange Recipes?
Try these vegan and gluten free rosemary scones with a tangy blood orange glaze. Or for something savory, try this celery salad with blood oranges, dates, and walnuts.
Chocolate Tart with Cashew Butter and Blood Orange
- Total Time: 6 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A stunning dessert without too much effort, this chocolate tart with cashew butter and blood orange is the perfect balance of sweet, nutty, and creamy! Rich dark chocolate and nutty cashew butter create the perfect blend of flavors while blood orange lends a subtle citrus note. Add blood orange slices and edible flowers to make this vegan tart that feel even more luxurious and special.
Ingredients
for the crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup melted vegan butter, plus a little extra for greasing the pan
for the filling
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons blood orange zest, from 2 blood oranges
- 3 tablespoons blood orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 heaped cup cashew butter
- pinch of sea salt
for the topping:
- 6 ounces vegan dark chocolate (I used this one)
- 3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
- blood orange slices, optional for decoration
- edible flowers, optional for decoration
Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with vegan butter. You can simply use your fingers to spread it around or use a pastry brush. If you don’t have this pan, you can easily use a 9-inch pie pan. Set your greased pan aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted vegan butter. Mix until it looks like wet sand and begins to clump together. Dump this mixture into your prepared pan and press it into an even layer across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Make sure to press tightly as this will ensure your crust is less crumbly. You can do this with a measuring cup, spatula, or your hands. Bake the crust in your preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until it is just turning golden around the edges. Allow the crust to cool slightly while you make the filling.
Add the room temperature coconut oil and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Alternately, you can do this with a large bowl and a whisk. Blend this mixture until very smooth, then add the blood orange zest and juice along with the vanilla. Mix these in, then add the cashew butter and sea salt. Blend until very smooth and creamy. Pour the filling mixture into the baked crust (it’s okay if the crust is still warm!) and smooth out the top. Set the filled tart aside while you make the topping.
Add an inch or two of water to a small pot and set it on the stove over medium-high heat. Once it comes to a simmer, set a bowl on top of the pot. You want to make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Roughly chop or break up your chocolate and add it to the bowl along with the remaining coconut oil. Stir regularly until the chocolate has completely melted and is smooth. Pour the chocolate over the filling, making sure it covers the filling in a relatively even layer.
Chill the tart for 6 hours to allow everything to set and the flavors to develop. When you’re ready to serve the tart, allow it to sit out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before slicing it. If you want, you can decorate the top of the tart with edible flowers, blood orange slices, and blood orange rind.
Store leftovers in the fridge and enjoy within 4-5 days. Allow to come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes before slicing and enjoying for the best texture.
Notes
- You can easily make your own graham cracker crumbs. Put your preferred graham crackers into a blender and pulse until broken down into crumbs.
- You can make this recipe gluten free by using a gluten free graham cracker.
- Make sure to choose a dark chocolate that you like to eat on its own rather than a boring baking chocolate.
- Don’t skip out on the chilling time! It ensures everything sets properly and lets the flavors develop. Plus, it makes the tart easier to cut.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Chilling Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 12-14 minutes
- Category: dessert
