Vegan chocolate tart recipe

A dollop of cream, a glug of custard or a boule of ice cream – most dessert accompaniments are the furthest things from plant-based you can imagine. Fortunately, finding vegan alternatives isn’t as impossible as you might think.

For example, there are some great recipes for vegan custard (take a look at this one) and ready-made soya-based custard alternatives are widely available. There are also numerous dairy-free and egg-free ice-creams you can try. Or have you considered experimenting with sorbets?

But for this vegan chocolate tart, we’ll be trying a whipped cream recipe using coconut cream.

Now, the main attraction of most regular, non-vegan desserts is the taste. Think sticky toffee pudding, apple crumble and your favourite cheesecake. Your mouth is probably watering and this is largely down to the rich texture and sweet flavour created by the high butter and refined sugar content of these sweets. Consequently, most traditional desserts have minimal nutritional value. However, by baking a vegan tart like the one in this post, you can treat your tastebuds but at the same time get a good dose of some important nutrients.

By removing butter and eggs from the ingredients list, you take away two dense sources of fat and cholesterol. In addition, vegan baking is also usually free from processed ingredients. You’ll typically find recipes rely on whole foods like fruit and nuts for adding flavour. And refined sugar alternatives, such as maple syrup and honey are often used to add sweetness.

Nevertheless, a dessert is a treat, and even vegan ones can be high in calories. So, although plant-based baking may be healthier than your standard sticky toffee pud, willpower is still recommended.