chocolate coconut tart

 

holy snow day!!! my neck of the woods is getting hit with snow all week long which means i am staying in the kitchen where it is warm. today is part two of valentine's week & of course it involves chocolate. when it comes to valentine's day, i am quite traditional in the sense that there has to be chocolate. flowers i can do without, but give me ALL the chocolate desserts i can handle! this chocolate coconut tart is so decadent, it will satisfy every chocolate lovers craving. it is a no bake tart with a ganache style filling. to give it a coconut flavour twist, i incorporated flaked coconut in the graham cracker crust & used lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion in the chocolate filling! it adds the perfect punch of coconut flavour without over powering the richness from the dark chocolate & cream. because the tarts main ingredient is dark chocolate, i reccomend using the highest quality chocolate you can get your hands on!

ingredients

for the crust

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion

for the filling

  • 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold & cubed
  • 200 grams high quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • coconut chips, for topping

directions

for the crust

  • in a large mixing bowl toss together the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, sugar and sea salt.
  • add the butter, vanilla extract & coconut emulsion. stir well.
  • pour mixture into one large or two small tart pans. shape into a firm crust & refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

for the filling

  • in a saucepan over medium heat add the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, coconut emulsion & salt. stir occasionally & bring to a boil.
  • immediately remove pan from heat & add the butter cubes + chopped chocolate. stir vigorously until the mixture is silky & smooth.
  • pour into the pre-baked crust & place in fridge.
  • chill tart for two hours to set. sprinkle with coconut chips before serving.

spiced sweet potato cake

 

happy labour day! i hope everyone enjoyed the last long weekend of summer 2016. i spent it back in the city, roaming around all my old stompin grounds. window shopping, ice coffees, burritos.. all the good stuff! i think we walked a total of 25 miles in the past two days, so i am POOCHED. i treated myself to the perfect coat for fall that i cannot wait to wear! it is soft & grey & just so beautiful.

now let's get to the reason we are all here..cake!!! i know our love of pumpkin spice everything is now labeled as being a "basic bitch" so i did something a little different. i used sweet potatoes! hah! take that pumpkin. of course i didn't get too crazy.. i used this amazing pumpkin spice emulsion by lorann oils (similar to an extract). it smells & taste like everything fall. the flavour comes through even stronger in the pumpkin spice glaze. so give pumpkin a little break this fall & bust out a sweet potato!

xo

ingredients

for the sweet potato pound cake

for the spiced glaze

directions

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a large mixing bowl add the vegetable oil, raw sugar, mashed sweet potatoes, vanilla extract & pumpkin pie spice emulsion & stir.
  • add the eggs one at a time followed by the heavy cream. mix until well blended.
  • sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
  • fill greased bundt pan with batter & bake for 35-40 minutes.
  • let cool while you prepare the glaze.
  • for the glaze, add ingredients into a bowl & stir until smooth. if glaze is too thick, add more cream. if glaze is too runny, add more powdered sugar.
  • pour over cake & serve.

this post was created in partnership with LorAnn Oils. they make the best extracts & emulsions available like pumpkin spice!!!!! find the featured two-fold madagascar vanilla extract here & the pumpkin spice emulsion here. thank you for supporting the brands that keep hey modest marce up & running! xo