Chocolate Cherry Pizza Tart

Hannah Sunderani
Jun 16, 2017
3 min read

It's my birthday today! And I'll be celebrating with this Chocolate Cherry Pizza Tart! Because Chocolate and Cherries, in pizza form, are my guidelines as a celebratory treat!

Today I turned 28! And if you don't know I am a BIG fan of my birthday!! But, not a big fan of getting older! It's such a dichotamy. Here I am floating on Cloud 9 on this celebratory day, and all I'm hoping for is a giften time traveller so I can stay this age forever! Since when did birthday's become so bitter sweet!?

I know i'm being a tad dramatic, but hey, it's my birthday and I can cry if I want to! And if I want to eat three slices of decadent chocolate cherry pizza tart I reckon there's no better timing than on my birthday. You might be thinking, "but why not eat cake?", and I'll let you in on a big secret of mine - I've never been a huge fan of cake! I know it's crazy. As a kid I'd ask for ice cream cake on my birthday because I much preferred to take the ice cream, and hold the cake at parties. Then, as I grew older it was fruit filled cakes on request (i.e. thin vanilla cake packed with fresh strawberries), then in university it was fruit pavlovas - a complete forgo of cake form altogether.

So this year I continue the trend of sans cake for my birthday, but thought I'd switch it up with this Chocolate Cherry Pizza Tart. Partly because my chocolate addiction has spun out of control and I'll take any opportunity to eat it guilt-free. Is chocolate addiction a side-effect of approaching your late 20s? Regardless, my birthday seems the perfect excuse to stuff my face with it. Cue the cherries because they are too good to resist at the moment, and chocolate and cherries are the perfect duo. This delicious medley is a chocolate almond oaty-base, the same as what I use for my Chocolate Almond Thyme Tarts, then smothered in a chocolate hazelnut spread, and topped with fresh cherries, coconut flakes, and dark chocolate shavings. Ooooh my I'm drooling just thinking of it! Do you think the birthday girl can get away with snagging a slice before dessert? Might have to blame it on the dog.

That's all I've got to say for this deliciously decadent chocolate dessert. Because it's time to put on my party dress and open a bottle of champagne. But first, a slice of this Chocolate Cherry Pizza tart while nobody's watching!

Chocolate Cherry Pizza Tart

Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 20 mins| Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

1 cup (100g) gluten-free large flake oats
1 cup (140g) almond pulp* (leftover from making homemade almond milk), or 1 cup (100g) almond meal
1/3 cup (60g) coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
splash almond milk, if needed
3 tbsp chocolate hazelnut spread, plus more if needed
12-15 fresh cherries, plus more if desired
coconut flakes, for topping
dark chocolate, chopped, for topping

*Almond pulp is the leftovers from making homemade almond milk. Instead of tossing the pulp, use it as almond meal in this recipe. It can be damp when using; there's no need to dry it out, or pre-bake it. Just try to get out as much of the milk as possible when making nut milk, as I'm sure you will because who wants to miss even an ounce!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Toss almond pulp and oats into a food processor and blend to combine.
In a saucepan melt coconut oil on medium-high heat, add maple syrup, cocoa powder, salt, and cinnamon, and stir to combine. Add liquid mixture to the food processor and blend pie crust ingredients it becomes a dough-like texture (approx. 3-5 minutes). And a splash almond if needed for blending.
Form chocolate dough into a ball and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Flatten dough with hands to make a round crust approx. 1-inch thick. Place in the oven to bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Then remove from oven and let cool
When cooled smoother tart in chocolate hazelnut spread leaving approx 1/2 inch for the crust. Top with fresh cherries, coconut flakes, and dark chocolate shavings. Cut into slices and serve.

Approvals: