I got really inspired last week by a recipe I had seen on Real Food Forager for a paleo Decadent Black Cherry Chocolate Tart. Since black cherry season started I've been ever so tempted to make something with them, and that recipe pushed me over the edge.
I just knew I had to make a black cherry chocolate tart. Jill's original recipe calls for gelatine though, and so I knew I'd have to improvise with the crust, so I couldn't follow the recipe. But the concept of it seemed heavenly. And as always, I got ahead of myself while making this dessert and ended up making up a different tart altogether, but I still think you can easily follow her directions for the tart filling, combined with the crust from my recipe for a delicious gluten-free, vegan, and paleo alternative version.
I opted to make a more chocolatey tart after all and ended up with an incredibly easy to make delicious and decadent gluten-free vegan chocolate black cherry tart as a result {also paleo, of course}.
Chocolate Black Cherry Tart
An incredibly easy-to-make, delicious and decadent gluten-free vegan chocolate black cherry tart. Creamy and rich. Paleo friendly too.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 7" tart
- Category: Tart
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Crust
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted or very soft
- ⅓ cup liquid sweetener of your choice (I used maple syrup)
- ½ tbsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup apple butter (apple sauce would work too)
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
Filling
- 1 ½ cups black cherries, pitted and halved
- 1 cup coconut oil
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 6 tbsp liquid sweetener of your choice (I used maple syrup)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Topping:
- Cacao nibs + extra cherries for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a 7" tart pan and set aside.
- Place all crust ingredients into a large mixing bowl, except for coconut flour, tapioca starch, and cocoa powder. Use an immersion blender to mix all the ingredients together until smooth. Note: if you don’t have an immersion blender, you can do this in a food processor or by hand too. Add in remaining crust ingredients and mix the mixture by hand, kneading it lightly until a sticky soft dough forms. Transfer this dough into your tart dish and press it down and spread it evenly throughout the pan (base and edges) using your hands until it’s shaped and molded to the tart pan shape. Use a fork to pierce some holes along the base of the crust to prevent bubbling while baking. Place in the oven and bake for 22 minutes. Remove from oven and cool a on a rack.
- Once the crust is cooled, spread the chopped cherries in an even layer over the base of the tart. Set aside.
- To prepare the chocolate filling, follow the directions outlined in this DIY Gluten-Free Vegan Magic Shell recipe. Pour the chocolate filling into the tart over the cherries. Place the tart in the fridge and allow the chocolate filling to set for about an hour. Sprinkle with cacao nibs once the chocolate sets and decorate with extra cherries (or as you feel inspired). Afterwards, remove from the fridge and serve or keep covered at room temperature for a creamy and mousse-like consistency. If you prefer, you can keep the tart in the fridge. The chocolate filling will be harder that way and will taste more like a decadent and creamy cherry chocolate bar. I like it better at room temp, personally though.
Notes
Makes a mini tart (7″ pan), but you can easily double this recipe for a full size tart pan.
Connie says
Is your “vegan magic shell” 1 and 3/4 cup enough for this 7” tart? I want to make a 9” tart, do I increase everything (including the magic shell choco) by 1.5 or 2 times? Can I use butter instead of coconut oil in the magic shell? If I keep the cake in a cooler bag with ice packs, would it last for 2-3 hours? I live in tropical country, average temp is about 83F and above.
Audrey says
Hi Connie. For the magic shell, use the ingredient measurements outlined in this tart recipe, but the directions on how to combine it all from the magic shell page.
If you use butter, the tart filling might not be as solid or maybe just won't hold its solidity as long. But otherwise it should work.
I think if you keep it well packed with ice packs in a cooler bag (and out of the sun) it should hold fine. You can also use cacao butter instead of the coconut oil, which holds its shape much firmer longer as an alternative.
Joy Jafroudi says
This sounds wonderful! Is there any way you could make this work with frozen cherries when they’re not in season?
Audrey says
Hi Joy, I think that shouldn't be a problem. Fresh cherries are firmer, of course, so it will be slightly different in terms of texture, but should still totally work. What I'd do is thaw out the cherries first and drain off any liquid from them, then proceed to use them like fresh cherries.
Leanne says
If I wanted to make a non chocolate crust (I need a paleo but free crust for an apple pie), how would I modify the recipe when removing the cacao?
Audrey says
Hi Leanne,
If you're just looking for a grain-free (paleo) pie crust, here are a few options from other recipes:
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/gluten-free-vegan-and-paleo-raspberry-almond-tarts/ -- this one is the simplest and works well for pies and tarts
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/raw-orange-caramel-tart-gluten-free-vegan/ -- this one is no-bake, so wouldn't work for a baked apple pie, but might work for you for other purposes later on as it's really easy to work with
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/gluten-free-vegan-and-paleo-chocolate-pumpkin-tart-some-halloween-fun/ -- a pumpkin version
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/gluten-free-vegan-nutella-cream-pie/ -- a banana crust version
Also, if you're looking exclusively for paleo-friendly recipes, you can check out the recipes page and select the tags appropriate for your needs, including "grain-free" and "soy-free" -- lots of options in there :)
Leann says
Thank you so much for your comment. I guess I should have made myself more clear - it is a no bake “raw” apple pie I am making. My standard recipe uses a lot of mulberries but I need a cheaper option for a large crowd.
How would I alter the other ingredients (if at all) if I were to remove the cocoa.
And thank you for the crust options - the raspberry almond one looks awesome and got some good reviews.
Audrey says
Hmmm... well this original crust here in the cherry tart is baked. So if a baked non-chocolatey and nut-free option works, I'd go with the banana pie crust above.
For a raw version, what about cutting down some of the mulberries with shredded coconut? Another option is to use skinned tigernuts, like I've done in this recipe, though it's not exactly a cost-effective option either. Another alternative is to use seeds, if that's ok -- pumpkin seeds can work well for crusts (example). For the cheapest option, I'd go with a mix of things -- like mulberries and coconut or skinned tigernuts and coconut, or just pumpkin seeds on their own. The baked crust from the banana cream pie above would probably be the most economic. You can bake the crust, but keep the filling raw.
Leanne says
Yikes! Typo’s galore - should be a question about removing the cocoa powder in the crust for a nut free non cocoa crust.
Aline says
Hi Audrey,
I can't wait to make your recipe. However I have a question. Is it possible that I can use corns starch instead of tapioca? Thanks so much.
Audrey says
Hi Aline, in most of my recipes yes, you can swap them out one-for-one.
Organic Chocolate and creams says
An absolutely perfect combination of flavors. And it looks fantastic as well.
Audrey says
Thanks so much! Cherries and chocolate are definitely made for one another :)
james says
I am confused I followed the crust recipento the T and its more of a brownie mixture. Is the amounts on this recipe correct?
Audrey says
Hi James,
That's odd! I double checked and the amounts are correct, and the crust is quite brownie mix-like in taste but should have more of a firm cookie-dough consistency -- firm enough to scoop it into the tart dish and mold it with your hands. I'm not sure what might have gone wrong, but adding a bit more coconut flour or cocoa powder to it (a little bit at a time until the texture is firmer) might help to fix it at this stage as it sounds like there's a bit too much liquid in your mixture. Hope that helps and sorry it didn't quite work out for you the first time around!
Audrey says
Hi again, James.
So to be triple quadruple sure, I just made this tart crust again and confirmed that the ingredients listed are correct. I'm not sure if something went amiss when you were making it, or if you're just questioning whether the consistency you got is correct. In either event, just confirming that the crust dough should be brownie-like and sticky, not also a bit loose. You then scoop it into the tart pan and use your hands to press it in and shape it into the tart mold. Hope that helps you get a sense of the consistency it should be.
All the best!
Laura@Baking in Pyjamas says
Audrey, once again you've left me staring in awe that tart looks divine! This has been featured as one of my favourites over at Sweet and Savoury Sunday. Stop by, grab a button and link up again with us this week. Have a great day!
Audrey says
Thanks so much Laura! I'll see you over yonder at Sweet and Savoury Sunday;)
Vicky says
This looks so delicious!
Audrey says
Thank you, Vicky! :)
Deb says
Looks amazing! I am confused however as to where to find the directions for the base of the pie. The blog states 4. To prepare the chocolate filling, follow the directions outlined in this DIY Gluten-Free Vegan Magic Shell recipe. I don't know how to get to that recipe. Thanks
Audrey says
Hi Deb,
Sorry about that. I'm still fixing up some things on my site, so the links show up as the same color as the text. If you hover over the words "DIY Gluten-Free Vegan Magic Shell" in step 4, it'll take you to the recipe. Here's the link again just in case: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/vegan-gluten-free-recipes/diy-gluten-free-vegan-magic-shell/. {Should have those links show up properly shortly though, as I realize it's a nuisance... Sorry about that!}
Enjoy the recipe! :)
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
Absolutely gorgeous, Audrey! Per usual, I might add. We can always count on you for these decadent, stunning, and healthy recipes! Sharing later. Thanks so much for sharing this one on Gluten-Free Wednesdays with us all!
xo,
Shirley
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Shirley! :)
Joan says
I don't see the link to the magic shell recipe, is it on the site? Otherwise, this looks amazing!! Any idea of Carb Count? MIL is low carb now and vegan to boot.
Audrey says
Hi Joan,
The magic shell recipe is from this site: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/vegan-gluten-free-recipes/diy-gluten-free-vegan-magic-shell/. Sorry, I'm still making some maintenance changes to the site, so the links don't show up clearly...
I just put the recipe through a quick recipe calculator, and based on 8 portions it's 32gr of carbs per slice, and based on 10 portions it's 26gr per slice. (I used Calorie Count to calculate the carbs: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php). It's pretty decadent, so you can easily eat smaller portions at a time ;)
Hope you like it! :)
Deborah Davis says
Hi Audrey,
When I saw your post at Natural Family Friday I had to hop by. You had me at black cherries and chocolate! Oh my, what a healthy and delicious vegan dessert. I have been experimenting with more vegan chocolate recipes lately (who can blame me) so I can't wait to try this. Your photos are so delectable! I subscribed to stay in touch. All the best, Deborah
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Deborah! Cherries + chocolate = what's not to like, right? ;) Enjoy it!
Christina @ Juggling Real Food and Real Life says
This looks truly decadent Audrey! Gluten-free doesn't have to be boring. Chocolate and cherries are a winning combination. Thanks again for sharing this with our Let's Get Real readers.
Audrey says
Thank you, Christina! And thanks for the party too :)
Cassidy @ Cassidy's Craveable Creations says
This looks so yummy! I've pinned a few of your recipes and just signed up to follow you by e-mail! I can't wait to try some your recipes :)
-Cassidy
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Cassidy! I hope you enjoy them :)