Pecan, salted caramel and vanilla tart
This no-bake cake immediately jumped to the top of my favourite desserts list. It is a perfect winter dessert - sweet, rich, and nutty with a delicate hint of cinnamon. Combining my beloved pecan pie recipe with a light cashew-free vanilla mousse hit the bull's eye. Instead of using nuts, I used silken tofu to make the vanilla layer light and creamy. If you don't use soya products in your kitchen you can replace the silken tofu with soaked cashew or macadamia nuts.
Prep time: 1 hour 30 min
Chilling time: 5 hours
Total time: 6 hours 30 minutes
10 Portions
Ingredients
For the crust:
90g toasted pecan nuts
110g blanched almond flour
130g Jumbo oats
50g maple syrup
20g odourless coconut oil
2-3 tsp water
15g coconut sugar
a good pinch of Himalayan salt
1 and ½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon
For the salted date caramel:
80g soft dates
30g coconut sugar
20g maple syrup
35g vegan cream or thick milk (I use Oatly single cream)
45g odourless coconut oil
1 tsp tamari or good quality soya sauce
1/2 tsp mesquite powder (optional)
For the silken tofu vanilla mousse:
150g organic silken tofu
20g xylitol
40g odourless coconut oil
10g cacao butter
1 tsp psyllium husk powder (optional but recommended)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder
For the chocolate glaze:
30g dark chocolater (80-85% cacao)
20g vegan milk or cream
To sprinkle between the layers:
a handful of sprouted buckwheat (optional)
2 handfuls of lightly toasted pecan nuts
Method
You will need a 20cm round tart tin and a 6-7cm metal ring, a food processor, and a high-speed blender
Start by making the pecan nut crust. Toast the pecans in the oven at 170C for 7-8 minutes. Let them chill for a few minutes. Place the oats in a food processor bowl and ground to a coarse flour. Add the almond flour, toasted pecans, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Blend until all ingredients are well combined. Add water, coconut oil, and maple syrup and blend until it forms a dough.
Take the dough out of the food processor and form it into a ball. Place the ball between two dehydrator sheets and roll it out to 5-7mm thickness.
Place the sheet of cling film on the top of the rolled out dough and flip the dehydrator sheet. Peel off the dehydrator sheet and move the dough together with cling film into the loose-bottomed tart tin.
Press the dough gently into the tin (leave the cling film between the dough and the tart tin to remove it easier when it’s ready). Using a sharp knife trim off the excess of the dough around the rim.
Using a metal ring or round cookie cutter cut and remove the circle in the middle of the cake crust bottom. Re-roll the leftover dough into a long strip. Make sure it is long enough to wrap it around the metal ring. Trim off the edges of the rolled strip of dough to form a long rectangle. Wrap the metal ring with cling film or use the acetate cake collar instead, and wrap the dough stripe around the outside of the ring. Place the ring with dough into the hole in the cake crust and seal the dough using your fingers. Put the cake in the freezer for 20-30 minutes or until the next layer is ready.
To make the salted caramel layer blend all the ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender for a few minutes or until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Sprinkle the bottom of the tart with sprouted buckwheat and pour the caramel mixture on the top. Spread evenly and press two handfuls of pecan nuts into the caramel. Set in the freezer for a while.
To make the vanilla mousse layer blend all the ingredients except the psyllium husk powder. When the mixture is smooth add psyllium powder and blend for a little bit longer. Pour the vanilla mousse on the caramel layer and smooth the surface with a palette knife. Set in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until firm.
When the vanilla layer is firm make the chocolate glaze. Place the dark chocolate pieces in a bowl and melt it over the saucepan with hot water. Add milk or cream and stir well until smooth and shiny.
Pour the small portion of the chocolate glaze on the top of the cake and spread it evenly using the palette knife. Don't pour the whole batch of chocolate on the frozen cake because it will set before you manage to spread it evenly. It is best to do it bit by bit. Don't worry if there are any imperfections. You will hide them under the festive decorations.
Set the cake for 2-3 hours in the freezer, then remove the cake from the tin. Try to twist the metal ring inside the cake to remove it. If you are having a problem with removing the ring you can heat the inside of the metal ring with a blow torch or lighter. After removing the ring, peel off the cling film or acetate cake collar. Place the cake on a large plate and decorate it with toasted pecan nuts, pomegranate seeds, fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme), and other festive decorations (I cut some tiny stars from a slice of persimmon fruit).
The cake will last for 7 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.
You can also make a simple version of this cake without cutting the hole in the middle. Use a 16-17 cm tart tin for a regular tart or double the recipe for a 22cm tart tin.
Nutrition
Even though it’s not a super healthy cake it is still full of vitamins and minerals. It is very rich in vitamins B1, B2, and E, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese and zinc.
It contains a significant amount of vitamins B3, B5, B6 and folate, calcium, selenium and potassium.
