Chocolate Tart (dairy-free)

Chocolate tart 

serves 10-12

Ingredients:

Base:

300g bourbon biscuits

60g spread or coconut oil, melted

Filling:

400g can thick coconut milk (or cream)

400g dark dairy-free chocolate

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Crush the biscuits, either in a food processor or with a rolling pin after putting them in a large ziplock bag. They need to be quite well crushed. Stir in the melted fat, then press into a greased round pie dish or tart pan, around 25-28 cm in diameter. Refrigerate for an hour or two.

Chocolate sorbet

Chocolate sorbet
makes about 900ml

Ingredients:
560ml water
160g sugar
40g cocoa powder
pinch of salt
180-200g dark chocolate
1/2 tsp vanilla extract/essence

Method:
Break the chocolate into individual squares or smaller pieces, for easy melting. 

In a large pan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, salt and about 375ml of the water. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then allow it to boil while whisking for about 45 seconds.

Chocolate fudge cake

Chocolate fudge cake
Makes one 18cm square or 20cm round cake

Ingredients

100g wholemeal flour

70g white flour

10g (2 tsp) baking powder

5g (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
25g cocoa powder
125g sugar
pinch of salt
75g softened butter or spread
150ml milk (dairy or otherwise)
2 eggs
1 tbsp molasses or treacle

Dairy-free chocolate cheesecake

Dairy-free chocolate cheesecake
Makes 4 portions

Ingredients
base: 
130g digestive biscuits
60g dairy-free spread

topping:
90g raw cashews, soaked for 48 hours in the fridge
20-25ml lemon juice
2 tblsp liquid coconut oil
150ml full fat coconut milk
100g dairy-free dark chocolate, melted
2 tblsp soft brown sugar

Method
Crush the biscuits with the end of a rolling pin in a bowl, or place in a strong zip-lock bag and using the rolling pin to squash them. They should be fairly finely crumbed.  Meanwhile heat the spread in the microwave or a small pan, until just melted.  Stir together with the biscuits until well mixed, then press down into four small individual greased dishes.  Put in the fridge.

Uncooked chocolate coconut 'cake'

Chocolate coconut 'cake' with raw ingredients
Serves 2

Ingredients
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or mixed with other seeds)
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
2 tblsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 dried dates, with stones removed
1 apple

a few strawberries and a teaspoon extra coconut to decorate

Method
Grind the seeds in a food processor or blender.  Add the coconut, cinnamon, cocoa and dates, and process briefly until mixed. Cut the apple into quarters and remove the core and stalk, but don't peel. Cut each piece in half, and add to the food processor or blender, and process until fairly homogenous.

You may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor, depending on its size.  With a large one, it may be easier to double all the quantities. However if there are still pieces of recognisable apple or date, it's not a problem.

When it's mixed well, place in a serving dish or tin, and press down firmly.  Sprinkle a little coconut on the top, and some halved strawberries, then put in the fridge for an hour or two.

This doesn't cut like a cake, but makes a fairly firm dessert.

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
20g cocoa powder
40g dark chocolate (dairy-free if required)
2 tblsp soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
about 50ml nut or coconut milk

Method:
Melt the chocolate gently over a pan of hot water or in the microwave, stirring until it's just melted, then cool slightly.

Carefully cut open the avocados lengthways and remove the stones. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and place it in a food processor or blender. Add the cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla and salt, and about half of the milk. Process until smooth. Don't be too concerned if it looks rather a vile colour at this stage.

Now use a metal spoon to fold the chocolate gently into the avocado mixture, with a little more milk if it feels a bit too stiff. When it's well combined, place in a suitable sized bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour or two.

We find that it goes very well with seasonal fruit such as strawberries or sliced peaches.


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With a dairy-free husband and son, I have been trying various dairy-free mousse recipes. And I came across a recipe for chocolate avocado mousse on the Chocolate Covered Katie blog and elsewhere. I have to admit that it didn't really appeal, but then avocados were in season, on sale ridiculously cheap, squashy enough that they had to be used within a few days.

So I tried it. Comments on a different recipe for this, using only cocoa powder, said that it was a bit dry and too strongly cocoa-flavoured. So the first time I used only dark chocolate - twice as much as in this recipe - and it was good, but a bit too sweet.

I don't use agave syrup so I substituted soft brown sugar and used a bit more nut milk. Doubtless very high fat, too. The picture shows the colour before I folded in the chocolate... and it's worse if, as above, you use cocoa powder in the first part as well.

The second time I made this, I used honey, as we're not vegans, and slightly less milk. I also tried using cocoa powder AND dark chocolate, as in the recipe above. And doubled the quantities, as there were five of us. We made it stretch over two meals. We thought it worked very well, particularly served with fresh strawberries.

My favourite home-made dairy-free milk for cooking is cashew milk, but this could be equally good with almond milk or coconut milk. Canned coconut milk would add some extra creaminess if you like a faint coconut flavour in chocolate desserts. If you're not vegan, you could probably use regular milk.

The great thing about this kind of recipe is that you can adapt it to your tastes. Avocados come in different sizes, so if, when you taste it, it's not chocolatey enough, just add a bit more cocoa powder. If it's too thick, add some more milk. If it's not sweet enough, add a little extra sugar.  If you don't like the appearance in a dish, drizzle over some melted chocolate, or scatter chocolate chips, or desiccated coconut, or slice strawberries.

And it's fun to challenge your guests to guess what the ingredients are...

Microwave chocolate cake in a mug

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:
4 tblsp flour (plain or part wholewheat)
4 tblsp sugar
1 tblsp cocoa powder
3 tblsp milk (any kind - we use almond or coconut)
3 tblsp oil (any kind - we use olive)
3 tblsp dark chocolate chips
few drops vanilla essence or extract

Method:
Use a 15ml measuring tablespoon, with each ingredient flat rather than heaped.

Place the dry ingredients in a mug, which should be a good sized one, holding about 240-250mls (a little over an American cup). Stir in the oil and milk carefully, then gently mix in the chocolate chips and the vanilla essence.

Put the mug in the microwave, and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts, or four minutes at 700 watts.

This doesn't rise much, but it should have grown a little. It will be very hot. You can wait till it cools down a little and eat it directly from the mug, if you don't want to serve it in a bowl (or two) but BEWARE of the molten chocolate chips.

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The first time we tried this recipe, we were rather cynical. What, we wondered, would make it rise? Wouldn't it just be a solid lump, kind of like clay, with these ingredients?

I wondered if I had made a mistake when jotting down the recipe, but then we realised that if it was a disaster, we hadn't lost much. My son followed the recipe exactly - using levelled tablespoon measures. And it came out perfectly.

Yes, these are all the ingredients necessary. No baking powder, no baking soda, no egg. I've found variations of this online which do use egg, or self-raising flour, but they all give warnings about the cake rising higher than the top of the mug. That sounds messy. The version we made rose perhaps a centimetre (we have NO idea how) and was of a delicious fudge cake consistency. We made two of them (one at a time) and shared them between three of us, with some leftover raspberry sauce.

Unbelievably delicious.

A week or so later I decided to try it myself.

So I started putting everything in the cup in order, wondering how on earth it would mix itself in the microwave. I then realised I should have mixed the milk and oil before adding the chocolate chips and vanilla.

Oops.




So I did what I could to mix it all together in rather a limited space,
using a large teaspoon.

It looked like this - and despite our previous experience, I felt dubious as to whether it would work.

Happily, all was well - and this final photo shows that it did indeed rise slightly and gave a good consistency.

This is not as good as real home-made cake, but if you have a desperate urge for chocolate cake and don't want to wait half an hour or more (quite apart from messy mixing bowls) this is ideal.

Note that the chocolate chips are very important - if you don't have any, small chopped up pieces of chocolate may work as an alternative. Don't be tempted to leave them out; they are what give this cake-in-a-mug its fudgy, gooey consistency. You can, however, use orange or peppermint essence rather than vanilla if you prefer a different kind of flavour.

Please remember that the cake - and particularly the chocolate chips - are VERY hot when they come out of the microwave. This is why we prefer to spoon it into a couple of plates to share, as shown at the top.

I don't think this can be made gluten-free, but if you use vegan chocolate chips, and almond or coconut milk, it's certainly dairy-free and vegetarian/vegan. If you serve it with fruit (fresh or lightly stewed) and use part wholemeal flour, it almost becomes a health food...

Dairy-free Chocolate Fudge

½ cup soya milk
1¼ cups sugar
60g dairy-free margarine
½ cup plain chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract

Put the soya milk and sugar in a large pan over a medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 7 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan at all times and stir frequently.

Remove from the heat; immediately add the margarine, chocolate, and vanilla. Stir until the margarine and chocolate chips have melted, then beat for a couple of minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour into an oiled 20cm x 20cm dish (or a a smaller dish for thicker pieces). Refrigerate overnight, then cut into squares.

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I would never have believed that fudge could be dairy free - I thought it had to use real butter in order to set properly. I also thought that all the ingredients had to be taken to very high temperature in order for the chemistry to work. In this, it's only the soya milk and sugar which are boiled to high temperature - but of course it's the sugar which is significant, as its structure changes when heated in this way.

My (adult) son is mostly dairy-free, since he gets glue ear if he has any cow's milk products, and he loves fudge. So I tried this recipe, not expecting very much. I was impressed that it did set to give the consistency of fudge, and it's delicious! Next time we will add the grated rind of an orange, to make chocolate-orange dairy-free fudge.

Note: as someone mentioned in the comments, it's important to check ingredients in anything you buy. If you are allergic to dairy products (as opposed to simply cutting down) then obviously it's important to make sure there is no trace of dairy in the margarine and the chocolate chips. Using plain (semi-sweet) chips should be all right, but apparently some brands do contain some milk products. If so, perhaps carob chips would work instead; I haven't tried them but many people use them regularly as substitutes for chocolate.

Incidentally, the measurements in the ingredients are a slightly odd mixture. The cups are American cups (8 fluid ounces). But I can't measure margarine in cups; it's too messy. So I translated the original - which was probably 2 ounces, or half a stick - to 60g, as that's what my kitchen scales measure. However I left everything else in cups as it's simple to do and I have a full set of American measuring cups.

(I found this recipe online, when searching for dairy-free recipes. I made a note of it so I could try it - but, alas, have lost the reference. If it's your recipe, please let me know in the comments, and I'll link to the site where I found it)

Chocolate Crumb Cake

(serves 4)

125g spread or softened butter
400-500g canned or frozen apricots or peaches
50g soft brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
100g dark chocolate
75g self-raising flour
75g breadcrumbs
4 tbsp milk (dairy or otherwise)

Method:
Heat the oven to 180C.

Grease a 1-litre ovenproof dish well with butter or coconut oil. 

Using a wooden spoon, beat the spread with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in half the egg, then the rest. Melt the chocolate gently, either over a pan of hot water or in the microwave (being very careful not to let it overcook), then add to the mixture with the flour, breadcrumbs and milk. Fold it all together with a metal spoon until well-mixed.

Roughly chop the drained fruit, and put in the dish. Then spoon the cake mixture of the top and smooth it down. Put in the oven, and bake for about 40-45 minutes until it feels firm to the touch (up to an hour, if you use a deep dish).

After about ten minutes cooling, you can turn the cake out onto a serving dish, or simply serve it straight from the cooking pan.

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Chocolate crumb cake is a fairly frugal recipe that goes extremely well with home-made ice cream. Use any breadcrumbs - we use the blender to turn leftover crusts or bread that's getting stale into crumbs, and then keep in the freezer for stuffings or other recipes such as this one. Of course, you may get a slightly odd taste if your crumbs are from bread made with chili or cheese!

Since we can get crates of soft fruit inexpensively in the summer, I lightly stew pans of these, then freeze in 450-500g portions and thaw them as needed for recipes like this. If they taste too tart you can add a little honey or golden syrup to the fruit, but we like the contrast with the rich, chocolatey topping. 

If you can't easily find good quality self-raising flour, substitute 70g flour and 5g baking powder. The flour can be plain or wholewheat; I usually use about half of each. 

To make this vegan, use dairy-free spread and milk, and a chia egg in place of the egg. 

Chocolate chip oat cookies

(makes about 30-40)

1/2 cup margarine [125g]
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tblsp milk or soya milk
7/8 cup wholewheat or spelt flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (US: baking soda)
1 1/4 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Beat margarine and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and milk, and beat well. Add flour and bicarb; mix in. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips gently, then drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 180C (approx 350F). Cool for about a minute, then move the cookies to wire rack using a spatula.

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Chocolate chip oat cookies are an easy and delicious variation of the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe which is a little healthier than some as it uses wholewheat flour and oats. You can use whatever margarine you like, so long as it's suitable for baking: avoid hydrogenated fats if you can. You could even substitute carob chips for chocolate if you wish.

Pre-heat the oven to the correct temperature; then ten minutes should be the correct cooking time. The cookies may look rather soft, but don't leave them in the oven for longer or they will over-cook. Take them out, but don't try to transfer to a wire rack until they have hardened for a minute, or they will collapse.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

(serves 4-6)

200/7oz dark/plain chocolate
1 tblsp golden syrup
50g/2oz butter or spread
2 tblsp milk or thin cream
200g/7oz digestive biscuits
50g/2oz sultanas or raisins
50g/2oz chopped glacé cherries or dried apricots

Lightly grease and line a 22.5cm/10 inch round flan tin, or equivalent sized rectangle tin. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on medium heat, or over hot water in a large bowl, then add the syrup and milk. Stir until smooth. Break up the biscuits into small pieces but don’t fully crumble them; mix into the chocolate with the rest of ingredients and stir gently until well coated.

Press into the greased dish, smooth with the back of a large spoon, and chill for at least an hour.

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This is a really easy dessert that uses store-cupboard ingredients, and is quick to prepare - ideal for unexpected guests, or when your planned dessert doesn't work. It's fairly soft, so doesn't work in a loaf pan and sliced like some other variations on this recipe, but is nonetheless delicious. We use Bournville chocolate and coconut milk, and the results are excellent. Using dried apricots rather than glacé cherries is a recent addition and one which we think improves it significantly.

Other biscuits can be used instead of digestives: American 'graham crackers' would probably work, or any bits of leftover biscuit mixed with digestives. Chopped nuts can be added, or substituted for either the cherries or the sultanas if you like them. The nearest American equivalent to golden syrup is corn syrup, but honey could probably be used instead to make it slightly more nutritious.

Excellent served with home-made ice cream, or yogurt, or pouring cream or evaporated milk.

Chocolate Chip Applesauce Cake

Chocolate chip applesauce cake

Makes about 24 squares, serves 6-8 as dessert

Ingredients:
125ml (½ cup) oil
2 eggs
250g (1 1/4 cups) sugar
250g (2 cups) flour (plain, or half wholewheat)
500ml (2 cups) applesauce
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp baking soda
3 tblsp unsweetened cocoa

Topping:
150g (1 cup) chocolate chips
2 tblsp sugar

Method:
Mix the oil, sugar and eggs with a wooden spoon in a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients except those for the topping, and mix until blended. Pour into a greased ovenproof dish, approx 22x32 cm (9x13 inch). Sprinkle on the topping, then bake at about 180C (350F) for 35-40 mins. When ready, the cake will be firm but not burned and the topping will make a light sugary crust. When cool, cut into squares.

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This is a simple dessert or cake which can be mixed in a few minutes. Although the quantities are given in grams, this is very easy to make using American cups. If you don't have a set of measuring cups, you can approximate with any mug or glass that holds 250ml liquid. We use olive oil and dairy-free chocolate chips, which makes this suitable for those on a dairy-free diet.

I was given the US version of this recipe by a friend in Chicago, many years ago, and have used it frequently in the USA, UK and now Cyprus. It's fairly low in fat, other than the chocolate chips. The original had one and a half cups of sugar in the main cake, but we found that a bit too sweet so I reduced it little. You might find just 200g (one cup) is sufficient - but don't reduce it too much as the sugar is needed to make the consistency right. The sweetness partly depends on the sweetness of the apple sauce. I make my own from raw apples, which can vary in sweetness. If you use cooked apple purée, and don't sweeten it, you may find that you need more sugar in the cake.

Chocolate chip applesauce cake can be eaten alone as cake, or with thick yogurt or ice cream as a dessert. It freezes well.

Pineapple Chocolate Fudge Pie

(serves 3-4)

Base:
100g digestive biscuits (US: graham crackers), crumbled
25g coconut (optional)
75g butter or margarine, melted

Filling:
100g butter or margarine
75g soft brown sugar
150g plain flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
25g cocoa powder
225g can pineapple slices or chunks
50ml milk, approx


Method:
Make the base by mixing crumbs (and coconut if used) into melted butter, and pressing into a greased 20cm/8 inch flan dish or pie plate. Cook at 190C/Gas 5 for 5 minutes, and remove from oven.

Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar, then stir in all the dry ingredients alternatively with milk and the juice from the pineapple. Arrange the pineapple pieces in the crumb base, then spoon the topping over them. Cook for about 30 minutes at 170C/Gas 4, until the top is firm to touch. The inside should still be slightly gooey but not sufficiently that it will collapse.

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Here's a close-up showing how it looks after a few pieces have been cut, showing the softer inside:

We sometimes make this dessert for a special occasion, and serve with thick yogurt or ice cream. It works well if you double all quantities, to serve six to eight people; use a 28-30cm round flan dish if you do so.

To convert to imperial measurements, treat 25g as approximately 1 ounce (or a little under). To make it suitable for dairy-free eating, use soya milk instead of ordinary milk, and dairy-free spreads such as Pure soya or Flora dairy-free instead of butter.