Fruit Tart with Tahini Cream

Impress your family and guests with this fabulous fresh fruit tart with tahini cream. It's easier to make than you think. You just need a little skill and patience. Vegan and Gluten-Free Dessert.

We love to challenge ourselves in the kitchen. And if you've been following us for a while, you know that of all things we try, Ruth likes to challenge herself most with baking projects. When she’s in a baking mood, watch out! She’s like a mad scientist in the kitchen!

She can honestly create practically anything, especially if it involves baking in some way, so there was little doubt that she, once again, would succeed. What was shocking was just how pretty this recipe turned out in addition to tasting absolutely amazing. The taste of this Fruit Tart with sweet tahini cream, in addition to its presentation, makes this the perfect dessert to serve skeptics who think that gluten-free and vegan recipes are boring or lack the same level of flavor that they can find in their gluten and dairy recipe counterparts. Just look at that mouth­watering fruit! Even the most die­hard skeptic should be impressed.

Of course, we have to admit, creating a great vegan and gluten ­free dessert has become a lot easier thanks to the wide variety of high-quality products available in the market. Vegan alternatives to milk, dairy, and egg products are a huge asset in the kitchen, as are the various gluten­ free flours and other baking aids that we have come across.

How to Make a Fruit Tart

Making the Crust

For this fruit tart recipe, in order to make it gluten-free, we used One to One gluten-free flour, almond flour, coconut oil as well as tahini, and plant-based milk. Using a one-to-one blend for gluten-free baking simplifies the baking process since it can be used to replace all-purpose flour. 

Making the Pastry Cream

Our pastry cream is made with cashew milk, cornstarch, sugar, and tahini. It's a smooth, rich, creamy, vegan alternative to the regular pastry cream filling in fruit tarts. Cashew milk strongly resembles dairy milk and it's excellent for cooking or baking, but if you don't have it on hand, use your favorite plant-based milk.

Assembling the Fruit Tart

The fruits used to top the tart can vary widely. We decided to utilize a variety of fruit and berries, but you could easily change up the selection based on what is in season or your own personal flavor preferences. The pictured blend was a perfect mixture of sweetness and tartness, and the color is simply stunning! You need some patience and be creative in assembling the fruit on top of the tart. The shine on the fruit is a glaze made with apricot preserves or jam.

Enjoy!

Other Fruit Tart Recipes

• Raspberry Tart
• Stone Fruit Galette
• Keylime Tart
• Chocolate Tart with Hazelnuts
• Peanut Butter Pretzel Tart

Fruit Tart

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• Author: Vicky and Ruth
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
• Yield: 1 tart ( 8 slices) 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Impress your family and guests with this fabulous fresh fruit tart with tahini cream. It's easier to make than you think. You just need a little skill and patience. A Vegan and Gluten-Free Dessert.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• For the crust:
• 1 cup 1 to 1 gluten-free flour, you may use all-purpose unbleached flour if you prefer
• ½ cup almond flour
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp unsweetened vanilla cashew milk or any other plant-based milk
• For the  cream:
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened cashew milk
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp natural vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp tahini
• Optional:
• ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• Fresh fruit (here we used green and golden kiwi, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries)

Glaze

• 2 tbsp apricot preserves
• A little warm water ( see instructions below)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Combine the flour, almond flour, coconut oil, tahini, maple syrup and salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times until well combined
3. Add the cashew milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, and keep pulsing until it forms a dough. (Note: if the crumbs don't come together in the food processor, but they do when you pinch them with your fingers, place them on a floured surface and knead with your hands until it forms a soft dough)
4. Press the dough evenly on a non-stick 11"x1.5" with removable bottom tart pan, so the dough comes up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes
5. Carefully prick the bottom and sides with a fork several times to avoid air bubbles while baking (you can also use pie weights if you have them)
6. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool
7. In the meantime, prepare the  cream. In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup of cashew milk and sugar just until small bubbles start to appear on the sides
8. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ½ cup cashew milk, corn starch and vanilla extract until well incorporated
9. Off the heat, add corn starch mixture to warm milk. Bring saucepan back to the stove and cook the cream over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens (this will happen quickly, in 30 to 45 seconds). Turn off heat and add the tahini, mixing well until it's completely incorporated. Set aside to cool, but do not refrigerate. Cover the surface with plastic wrap (so it touches the cream)
10. Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil (you can do this in the microwave, in 20 second increments stirring well each time). Pour melted chocolate over the cooled tart shell and refrigerate for a few minutes until the chocolate hardens (SEE NOTE)
11. To assemble the tart, spread cooled cashew cream over the chocolate-covered tart bottom. Arrange fruit on top and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until the cream has set.
12. Whisk the apricot preserves with enough warm water to be able to brush the mixture on the fruit.
13. Using a pastry brush, carefully brush the thin apricot mixture to achieve shine on the fruit.

Notes

1. Adding a layer of melted chocolate to the bottom of the tart shell will keep it from getting soggy from the moisture of the cream. This step can be skipped, but keep in mind it might soften the tart shell.
2. Cashew milk and tahini can be substituted for almond milk or plant-based milk and almond butter or any other seed or nut butter. 
3. Change the fruit depending on the season.  Here are some suggestions:
   • clementines
   • oranges
   • pomegranates
   • persimmons
   • apricots
   • plums
   • grapes
   • peaches
   • nestarines
   • passion fruit
   • dragon fruit
   • star fruit
   • Mango
   • etc.
4. This post was originally published on June 23, 2015.  It has been updated and modified. 

• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins
• Category: Dessert
• Method: baking
• Cuisine: vegan

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 339
• Sugar: 13.4
• Sodium: 334
• Fat: 17.5
• Saturated Fat: 8.4
• Unsaturated Fat: 5
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 37.3
• Fiber: 2.6
• Protein: 5.1
• Cholesterol: 0

Keywords: gluten-free, kosher, dairy free