Gluten-Free/Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

Another Gluten-Free Adventure

Yesterday it felt like the universe was against my baking.  Let me explain.  Yesterday was my sister-in-law’s birthday and, as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, she is gluten-free/dairy-free.  Now, I’m not super proficient with GF baking in general, especially when you add the DF or vegan component to it.  However, I am always up for the adventure, especially when it’s for someone I love.

I had initially intended on making a chocolate-cherry tart with pretty edible flowers.  I was going to make the tart the night before, however, I could not find cherries or edible flowers at the grocery store I went to, and since I didn’t have time to go to another store, decided just to make the crust and the ganache and decorate it the next day.

However, that night, I realized that I had failed to buy enough chocolate for the ganache filling.  So I ended up making the crust instead, saving the filling for the next day.

The next day I got off work and went straight to the grocery store.  I was a woman on a mission with a hard and fast deadline.  However, when I got to the store, they too did not have cherries or edible flowers.

At this point, it was three hours until the party and I had absolutely no idea what to make.  So in desperation, I bought just about everything I could think of that went well with chocolate:  mint, peanut butter, almonds, raspberries, etc. , hoping that one of these combos would work.

On the way home, I prayed for divine inspiration.  I looked in the fridge, and attempted to take my tart crust out of the pan, because it had to come out sometime right?  The bottom of the crust completely broke off, leaving me with no tart shell, now 2.5 hours before the event.

Again, praying for divine inspiration, I quickly began to think of what to make.  Since my almond flour crust didn’t work, I decided to try a blend of oat flour and hazelnut meal.  I was pretty confident I had both.  Well, I didn’t.  But by some miracle, I had a bag of hazelnuts in the freezer from the hazelnut cake in September, and a bag of GF oats.  Grabbing my blender, I quickly went to work.

I’m pretty sure I was praying the whole time the tart crust was in the oven.  Because at that point, it was do or die.  I was out of ideas and running out of time. 

Blessedly though, the crust turned out and held its shape beautifully.  Now it was time to decide what flavor combination to use.  I decided to decorate the top of my chocolate ganache with raspberries and salted hazelnut praline.

The tart turned out beautifully and delicious.  My only regret is that I accidentally smudged the ganache as I was taking it out of the fridge, but by that point, I was just grateful I had a dessert for my sister-in-law.

GF/Vegan Baking

In case you’re skeptical about GF/Vegan baking, let me tell you, no one is more skeptical than I am.  However, that skepticism only makes me determined to make my GF/Vegan desserts taste top-notch.

This tart is technically not just DF, it’s vegan.  The GF crust is made of hazelnut meal, oat flour, sugar and melted vegan margarine.  The filling is made of DF chocolate chips and coconut creamer.  If you want to try it with dairy, just substitute equal amounts of butter for the margarine and use heavy whipping cream in the ganache instead of the coconut creamer.

If you don’t want to pay for the high cost of oat flour or hazelnut meal, just buy some oats and hazelnuts and grind them in a food processor or a blender until fine.

Blessings on your home and table,                                                                             ~Natalie

Recipe adapted from Frosting and Fettuccini

For more pies, tarts, and crisps, check out my cinnamon caramel apple crisp!

For more gluten-free, dairy free treats, check out my chocolate espresso cupcakes!