As we begin settling into warmer weather in the northern hemisphere, summer is just around the corner and fresh berries will soon be making their way into season! There are few things I love in summer more than lazy Sunday afternoons with fresh fruit tarts and vegan pastries over a cup of rooibos tea, so today I’m going to show you how to make strawberry almond tartlets filled with lemon cashew cream. Easy and simple, these tarts are gluten free, deliciously vegan and require no baking at all.
Gluten-Free and Vegan Sweet Berry Tarts
(makes 12 mini tartlets)
Ingredients for Tart Shell
- 1 1/2 cup raw almonds or almond meal
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 Tbsp. melted coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp. almond milk (any nut milk is fine)
- Dustings of shredded coconut flakes or almond meal
- Tart baking pan
Ingredients for Cashew Cream
- 1 cup soaked raw cashews
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 Tbsp. of lemon zest
- 5 Tbsp. almond milk (any nut milk is fine)
- 2 tsp. coconut sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla essence
- Toppings
- Fresh sliced strawberries
- Fresh blueberries
- Coconut flakes
Directions for Cashew Cream
Before you begin, soak one cup of raw cashews in cold water for 1-2 hours.
Once soaked, combine cashews, lemon, almond milk, coconut sugar and vanilla essence in a blender or food processor. Blend together until you achieve a creamy and smooth consistency.
Keep the cashew cream mixture cool in the refrigerator while you begin prepping the tart shells in the following step.
Directions for Tart Shells
Combine raw almonds (or almond meal), dates, coconut oil and almond milk in a blender or food processor. Add almond milk to achieve the consistency desired.
Take a heaping Tbsp. of mixture and roll into ball.
Place into a mini tart pans and using the tamper, gently but firmly press the balls into the well so that the sides of the tart shell come just about the pan. If you don’t have a tamper, you can also use the end of a wooden spoon to press the mixture in shape. Repeat until pan is full and chill for 15 minutes.
To complete
Remove chilled tart shells from the fridge and transfer them onto a plate.
Fill each tartlet with cashew cream.
Top with fresh strawberries layered in the shape of a rose with a blueberry in the center and garnish with a light dusting of shredded coconut flakes. The tartlets are best eaten immediately but will keep in the fridge for one day. Enjoy!