Chocolate Orange Tart

This rich, zesty recipe makes use of fresh orange juice and zest, mixed with intense dark chocolate to give it that classic amalgamation. A cross between a tart and a cheesecake, it has a creamy taste and texture that is as undeniable as it is rich. 

Serves: 6-8 | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 40 minutes, plus a couple of hours chilling time

Ingredients

For the Pastry:

• Vegan margarine for greasing
• 1 x 320g sheet of ready rolled shortcrust pastry (I used Jus Roll), at room temperature

For the Filling:

• 1 x 200g block of vegan cream cheese (I used Violife)
• 150ml vegan cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• The juice and zest of one large orange
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 200g dark, dairy-free chocolate, melted

For the Topping:

• 100g dark, dairy-free chocolate, melted
• 25g vegan margarine, melted
• 100ml vegan cream
• The zest of one orange (removed with a zester) to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas 4/180C/350F and grease a loose-bottomed tart tin with the margarine.
2. Unroll the pastry and lay it into the greased tart tin. It won’t cover the whole tin, but just cut off the excess and press it into the tin to cover the whole area, including up the sides. Prick a couple of times with a fork and set aside.
3. Put all of the filling ingredients, apart from the chocolate into a good quality blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour the batter into a mixing bowl then, making sure the melted chocolate has cooled slightly, whisk the chocolate in with the batter until fully incorporated. This will cause it to thicken a little.
4. Pour the chocolate filling into the pastry casing and bake at the bottom of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is cooked, and the tart is set. Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar for 30 minutes to allow the tart to set further.
5. Once you have removed the tart from the oven you can make the topping. In a small bowl, whisk the melted margarine in with the melted chocolate until fully combined. Pour in the cream and then whisk again until you have a silky-smooth chocolate sauce. Pour this over the top of your tart and use a large spoon to spread it out to the edges. Allow this to cool for another 30 minutes before putting in the fridge to fully set, which will take up to two hours.
6. Once set, remove from the fridge and top with the orange zest, then cut into 6-8 slices and serve.