Chocolate Mousse Tart

After our last post 6 Ways to Self Care in Isolation what could be more fitting than a beautifully grounding, delicious tart that is ALSO full of goodness?

 

We've taken the delicious raw cacao blend "Grounding" from Little Alchemy and turned it into a fluffy, light mousse tart with very little effort. Although it did take a couple of times to get it right. 

First we tried it with a baked base. It was okay, the mousse needed a slight tweak but the base was just not right. Then I remembered the same exact thing happened when I made the Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart in Nourishing Treats. That too started with a baked base and it just didn't work. So, you know, just stick with what works right? So here you get a sneak peek at the part of the recipe from the book. The raw base makes ALL the difference! 

As we spoke about last time, both Lou from Little Alchemy and I are big fans of medicinal mushrooms. There are so many benefits of these little powerhouses, and they are used a lot in Chinese medicine. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, mushrooms have been used for thousands of years, both as a food and as a tea. The benefits are long winded, high in antioxidants, antibiotic, anti-parasitic, great for stress, the immune system, anti viral/fungal and bacterial, balancing (hormones & digestion) the list goes one. If it's your thing, you should google it to read more about the benefits. I chose to add in some Ashwaghanda because of its benefits on stress, balancing the mind and helping to cope with mental exhaustion. To me that was quite appropriate given all that is going on. 

You could most definitely make this tart without the ashwaghanda. I didn't buy it specifically for this dessert, it's something I always keep in the house. It's lovely as a latte, with hot almond milk. You can sprinkle it over cereal, add it to bliss balls, or any of your desserts. It doesn't taste of "mushroom" rather more llike a weak hot chocolate. So it is perfect to go alongside the Grounding Cacao Blend. And as mushrooms are grown in the ground, they are also considered a grounding food. If you don't want to use these suggestions, use regular cacao, replacing the 2 tbsp ashwaghanda with cacao. 

I hope you enjoy this, it's really rather comforting - it's one of those recipes that makes you smile and hum while you eat, lifting your shoulders to your ears in a little self cuddle! I think you'll be a little surprised by the ingredients too! And the bonus is, the entire tart is made in the food processor, wipe it out after making the base to make the mousse, the only other thing you need to do is melt some chocolate. So very little washing up to do! 

 

Chocolate Mousse Tart

Makes one 20cm tart

Ingredients

Base (taken from Nourishing Treats Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart Recipe):

2 cups almond meal

1/4 cup cacao podwer (use organic where possible)

5 dates

3 tbsp cacao nibs

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp water

1 tsp flaxmeal 

Pinch of salt

  

Mousse:

1 x 270ml tin of coconut cream, refrigerated overnight

120g dark chocolate (I've used Loving Earth)

300g pack silken tofu

1/4 cup Grounding Cacao from Little Alchemy

1/3 cup cacao powder

3 tbsp maple syrup (or more - adjust to suit your tastes)

2 tbsp Ashwaghanda powder

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

 

Topping:

 

Anything you desire! I sieved some Grounding Blend over the tart once set, then scattered toasted and crushed hazelnuts, before drizzling the nuts with more melted chocolate. It's also delicious with fresh thyme scattered over the tart, orange zest, chilli flakes...anything at all that goes with chocolate! 

 

Method

Base:

1. Before you start the base, pop the chocolate with the coconut oil for the mousse into a bowl over a saucepan of water on the stove so it melts while your base is getting ready
2. Blend all ingredients in a food processor except the water and cacao nibs 
   
3. With the motor still running, add the water a tablespoon at a time - you want the mixture to hold together when pinched. You may need a little extra water. 
4. Pulse the nibs through the mix so that they keep their crunch
5. Press into the base and up the sides of a tart tin with removable base, and place in the freezer while you make the mousse. 

Mousse

1. Take the chocolate off the stove and put aside to cool down
2. Wipe out the food processor from the base (you don't need to wash it)
3. Drain the water from the tofu and add to the food processor
4.  Scoop all the firm coconut milk from the tin, leaving behind the water (I use this in smoothies, satay sauce or curries) You don't want any water at all in this mix or it will be too wet and soak through the base
5. Turn the food processor on and allow the milk and tofu to start blending together and whipping up to become fluffy. Let the food processor continue to run while you add the rest of the ingredients, slowly scraping the melted chocolate down the chute and getting whipped up into the mousse
6. Allow the blender to run for 4-5 minutes in total. It won't become thick like whipped cream but when you stop the motor, you will see it is fluffy and has air bubbles
7. Give it a final taste for sweetness and salt. It might seem like a lot of salt but the tofu is bland so will absorb a lot of flavour, plus salt allows your tongue to taste sweetness so it is a vital component to desserts, especially chocolate! 
8. Pour the mousse over the base and allow to set in the fridge for four hours before slicing and devouring

Unlike other raw cakes like a cheesecake, this tart won't melt if left out of the fridge for too long (on a cooler day, I haven't tried it in the heighth of summer!) but it is best kept in the fridge. 

Any product I mention in my recipes are a personal choice, they are not sponsored nor do I support or suggest a product I don't like. In this instance, The Grove Life is a personal favourite, I have tried other brands and don't enjoy them. 

 

Enjoy! 

 

Here are some other chocolate recipes you may want to make for easter:  

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake

Raw Nutella Cheesecake

Chocolate Lovers Mousse with Salted Caramel

Easter Celebration Tart

Wattleseed Chocolate Chai

 

Eating well is a form of self respect