Thursday 12 July 2012

If at first you don't succeed: Guilt-free Oreo Chocolate Mousse Tart



Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm ~ Winston Churchill

Recently my in-laws decided to go vegan.

Whereas I am very happily non-vegan.

I unabashedly love all things creamy and cheesy and can't help but be skeptical of vegan recipes that say they are just as good as the full cream versions.  Cream, cream cheese and butter, makes all things luscious and delicious.  I always find myself poo-pooing vegan recipes, I mean how could a soy/nut alternative be anywhere near as good?  And how reliable are the tastebuds of someone used to vegan fare when comparing to decadently delicious dairy equivalents?

But to accommodate my in-laws' new diet, I've ventured into the weird and wacky world of vegan dessert making.  Unfortunately, I didn't hit the ground running.  In fact, it was a big fat vegan FAIL.  I made a vegan lemon cheesecake that stubbornly wouldn't set and tasted like a lemony cashew nut milkshake.  Not quite the "tastes just like cream cheese" decadent dessert the recipe promised.

{lemon cheesecake FAIL}
But instead of being put off, it made me more determined to try out more recipes to get that elusive vegan victory.

And sweet sweet victory came in the form of this Guilt-free Oreo Chocolate Mousse Tart - a chocolate cream pie with a secret ingredient.



I was expecting this recipe to flop.  I was anticipating a schmaverage overly runny mess.

I was wrong.  

This creamy chocolatey tart was a revelation.  It's rich deep chocolate flavour and a silky creamy texture that really makes nigh impossible to tell there is no cream in it.  And coming from a die-hard non-vegan that's saying something! 

In fact, my taste-testers didn't believe me when I told them it as dairy-free.


The secret ingredient is silken tofu.  It's a type of tofu that has the highest moisture content left in it, making it silky smooth and delicate with a texture akin to custard.

Those of you worried about tasting soy, fear not!  Silken tofu has only a mild soy flavour and that gets completely masked by the dark semi-sweet chocolate used in the mousse. So what you get is a light deceptively creamy mousse that has all of the flavour, none of the lactose, and a fraction of the calories.  Having said that, there is a little bit of graininess to the mousse but it's so chocolately and rich you really don't notice it unless you are looking for it.


I was really blown away by this recipe.  It waaaay surpassed my expectations and I can't wait to make it again.  I mean a sinfully decadent velvety chocolate mousse pie recipe that is guilt-free but satisfying in every way that counts? Ahhh yes please!




Guilt-free Oreo Chocolate Mousse Tart

recipe adapted from the Chocolate Cream Pie recipe from Rumbly In My Tummy.

makes one 22cm diameter tart


Oreo Crust
28 oreo cookies (2 packets) (vegan: oreos in NZ seem to be vegan but check the packet)
60 g unsalted butter, softened (vegan: margarines like canola and olive oil based spreads)
NB: if you want this tart to be completely vegan, use vegan oreos and margarine or use a vegan crust.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse
300g - 400g semi sweet dark chocolate (start off with 300g and more to your taste, I found 400g of 72% whittakers dark chocolate gives it a really deep chocolatey flavour) (***EDIT: Please check your chocolate contain no milk products if you are lactose intolerant*** You can also use half milk chocolate and half semi sweet chocolate which makes it super chocolately but remember milk choc is delicious but isn't vegan)

1 tsp instant coffee granules

600 g silken tofu

2 Tbsp maple syrup (or more to your taste)
1 Tbsp vanilla essence
optional: 1-2 Tbsp Kahlua (coffee liqueur) or Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) or other liqueur of your choice

1. Melt chocolate and coffee granules in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water or in the microwave (on high for 1 minute, stir, then heat in 30 second bursts stirring until melted).  Allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Line the bottom of a 22cm diameter round springform pan with baking paper and lightly grease the sides with baking spray.

3. In a food processor or blender, process the oreo cookies into coarse crumbs. Or you can just put the cookies in a large ziplock bag, cover with a tea towel and bash it with a rolling pin until they are crumbs.  Great way to vent your anger!   Set aside 3 Tablespoons of the oreo crumbs.  Add the softened butter to the remaining crumbs and process until it comes together to form a dough.

4. Pour the crust mixture into the prepared pan and press on the bottom and up the sides to form a crust (I made mine about 8 cm tall).  Place in the fridge to set.

5. In your food processor or blender, process the tofu, melted coffee/chocolate mixture, maple syrup, liqueur and vanilla until smooth.  Taste and add more maple syrup to your taste.

6. Pour into the oreo crust and chill in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours to set up nice and firm.  Just before serving, sprinkle the 3 Tablespoons of oreo crumbs you set aside.

Variations
For a black forest mousse tart: fold in 1 cup stoneless sweet cherries or fresh raspberries before pouring into the crust.
Chocolate strawberry mousse tart: fold in 1 cup chopped strawberries.
Chocolate orange mousse tart: add 1-2 Tbsp Grand Marnier liqueur.



47 comments:

  1. Wow! dairy free! Awesome...It looks so yumyum...thanks for sharing! :)

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  2. On my TO MAKE list. But semi-sweet chocolate contains dairy...Good thing I'm not vegan! :)

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    1. Thanks heaps for your comment! Have updated recipe to remind people to check their chocolate is vegan :)

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    2. Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate doesn't contain any dairy or animal products in the recipe, it is vegan. Required by law It has a disclaimer that it may contain milk because it is made in the same factory as the rest of their chocolates. I suppose it depends on how strict you are about it.

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  3. This looks like heaven! Wow.

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    1. Thanks so much Ane! It's a light chocolatey heaven :)

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  4. this is incredible :D need to make this!

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    1. Thanks heaps Marnelli! I couldn't get over how easy it was and that it was healthy too. Having said that chocolate is like an essential food group in itself in my books :)

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  5. Is there anything, you all might know about, that I can not use in place of the coffee!~?? I a deathly allergic to coffee! But, this looks sooooo good! Thanks!

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    1. Hiya Helen, you can just completely leave the coffee out! Thanks heaps for your question! :)

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  6. I knew it! I was like... Tofu tofu I bet it's tofu! It would seem soo strange to make this for non vegans (we are pretty staunchly non vegan too) but I also don't want to miss out on something that, I trust you, is freakin delicious. Perhaps I will seek out some of this odd silken stuff and give it a go. PS I can't believe you can get vegan oreos...

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    1. I usually poo poo vegan recipes so really didn't believe it would turn out as good as it did either!! Such a treat to have a "healthy" dessert that tastes just as sinful as a creamy one! I didn't realize oreos are vegan either! Apparently it depends where you are though. Thanks so much for your comment Christina!

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  7. This post inspired me to rush out and get all the ingredients immediately. I was worried about where I would find vegan oreos, but it turns out oreos (at least the ones in NZ/Aus) ARE vegan anyway! I only used one block (250g) of Whittaker's Dark Ghana, which I figured would be chocolatey enough, since it has 72% cocoa. The only margarine I found with no milk solids was Olivano, which didn't seem to adversely affect the flavour. I have to say that the filling tasted like tofu after I followed the recipe. But after adding quite a bit more maple syrup as the recipe suggested might be necessary (probably more than double, though I didn't measure it after the initial 2 Tbsp), it started tasting more chocolatey. Beautiful texture too! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Ahhh yay!! Really really stoked you liked it! I used the whole 400g of the 72% in my pie and it was super chocolatey - but good to know you can use less choc and more maple and it's still good! I read somewhere that most canola margarines are dairy free too but always good to check the labels. Thanks SOOOOO much for coming back and letting me know how it went - you're a sweetie!!! :)

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  8. Oh I'm not even vegan/vegetarian and I'm quite intrigued by this! Looks amazing =)

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    1. I know ay Peggy! I usually turn my nose up at vegan recipes but a chocolate cream pie that you don't have to feel guilty about?! Yes please! :)

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  9. Ditto Peggy G, this looks good!

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  10. Ooo I wonder how many Weight Watchers points this would be!
    It looks pretty awesome, able to trick even the biggest sweet lover like me
    - Ididtellyou.blogspot.com

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    1. Ooooh if you find out please let me know!! It was so awesome to see people's faces when I told them there was no cream in the recipe! :)

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  11. Wow that really does not look dairy free.. I too am staunch non-vegan but I have a couple of dairy free friends and this would be perfect! I'm still surprised oreos are dairy-free too! Looks lovely Nessie!

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    1. Thanks heaps Jem! Yay a fellow meat lover!!! :) I couldn't believe it when I read oreos were dairy free too, makes life so much easier when making desserts for dairy free people huh?!

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  12. I'm not vegan or vegetarian but I eat a lot of tofu... I was curious so I made this over the weekend - it was amazing :) I used about 350g dark chocolate (mix of Old Gold 72% and Whittakers 40%). I noticed the slight grainy texture to the tofu too, but it was nothing major. I loved that it was very chocolatey without actually being overly sweet - I even had my grandma, who doesn't eat sweet things, try some and she loved it too :) Everyone who tried it was amazed. Thanks for the recipe.

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    1. That is such a lovely comment! Thank you so so much for coming back and letting me know how it went. Absolutely stoked that you liked it!! Yay! :)

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  13. Oooh, I am with you - and not at all a vegan. Though, I have found the more I enjoy cooking, the more I am willing to try things I would have never before. I think its great that you are trying new recipes for the in-laws. This one certainly looks like a winner. I could feed it to the BF and he would never even know. ;D

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    1. Naw thanks kita! The element of surprise is awesome! Bet BF would never know.....:P

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  14. Mhummmmmmmm tiene que estar exquisita.

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  15. this looks so good! I'm going to have to try baking it - i also am a little sceptical about these healthy or diet-related recipes (have you tried the frozen banana mash ice-cream? gross!!!), but this one sounds too good to pass by!

    Katie x

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    1. Hehe thanks for the heads up on the banana ice cream, I have actually seen recipes for that before! Ice cream is one of those things you just don't mess with huh?!

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  16. This can also be gluten free if you use the gluten free oreos. I have a friend who is lactose and gluten intolerant and have made a pie for he that was similar to this. SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD. It had been a long time since she had had a cream pie that she was head over heels.

    The other plus to vegan cooking and baking is that it's cholesterol free. Perfect for heart patients.

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    1. Thanks heaps for your comment Rachel - super helpful!! It's so awesome to be able to make gluten free and lactose free things that are still delish huh?! :)

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  17. I made this cake for a friend's birthday dinner yesterday. I decorated it with red fruit - it looked stunning and tasted amazing! I cannot wait to experiment with tofu deserts. Have you ever tried combining the tofu with anything other than chocolate? Pureed fruit for example? Thank you soooo much for sharing this recipe!

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  18. Oh my goodness this looks amazing! So light and healthy compared to a normal cheesecake I can't believe it would taste good. Must give it a try :)

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  19. Yummo! I love the sound of this... and I'm not a vegan either! Thanks :-)

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  20. What could i use as a substitute for the maple syrup?
    This looks so delicious, i can't wait to try it! :D

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    1. You could use honey (but then it would not be vegan), or any other sweet syrup like agave nectar or even other invert sugars such as treacle, corn syrup, golden syrup -although each of the different types will add their own distinctive flavour. Thanks for your question!

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  21. can you just use normal tofu?

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    1. With normal tofu the end result will not be as silky and may be a bit grainy. If you do use normal tofu the "soft" variety may work better than the firmer kind. Thanks for your question :)

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  22. Made this last night with much fear, but it turned out beautifully! Thanks so much :)

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    1. Am so glad you liked it! It's such a magical dessert! Thanks heaps for your comment :)

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  23. Do you know if this can be put in freezer and thawed later ... or should I just refrigerate if I make it day before an event?

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    1. I've never actually tried to freeze it but would worry about it changing the texture as tofu tends to get spongey when frozen - Maybe just making it a day or two before the event and keeping in the refrigerator may be a safer bet :)

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  24. I made this to bring to some friends who just had a baby. They had to reschedule and my boyfriend convinced me we should taste the pie. Needless to say we ended up showing up the following night with a half eaten chocolate mousse pie... But neither of us felt the least bi bad about it. Delicious!! Thank you for sharing the recipe.

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