Raw Chocolate Tartufo

 

By Audrey, Unconventional Baker 

 

I never really quite understood the expression “death by chocolate” (nor did I know it’s apparently trademarked until I recently looked it up! :o ). Not sure why, but that phrase always sounded funny to me. Almost dangerous. What could possibly go wrong with chocolate anyways?

Having too much of a decadent, velvety smooth, beautifully deep cocoa flavored little treat? Creating a can’t-put-that-fork-down chocolate dessert? Those sound like good things to me ;)

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Maybe we should rephrase that saying to “life by chocolate”, because the satisfied and mildly euphoric feeling of a good Italian chocolate dessert is certainly a life experience to be had…

• Prep time:  20 mins
• Cook/Chill Time:  5 hours
• Ready In:  5 hours 20 mins
• Makes: 3 large servings (I cut mine in half and get 6)

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Ingredients

Ice Cream:

• ½ cup raw cashews, pre-soaked and strained*
• 4 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 4 tbsp maple syrup (or raw agave for raw version)
• 4 tbsp melted cacao butter
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder (I recommend using alkalized**)

Optional:

• additional cocoa powder for dusting and cacao nibs. Melted chocolate for drizzling would be great too.

Instructions

• Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before starting***. Blend all ice cream ingredients, EXCEPT cocoa powder, in a high power blender until completely smooth. Pour just under half of this mixture into a little pitcher or small bowl and set aside.
• Add cocoa powder to the remaining mixture in the blender and blend to combine.

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• Set the silicone pan (I used this one; see notes above recipe for alternatives) on a small flat tray or cutting board. Divide the chocolate mixture evenly between three of the mold cavities (if using the same mold). Then carefully pour or spoon in the white mixture (which was set aside in step 1) into the center of each chocolate mixture-filled cavity.
• Place the pan into the freezer for 5-6 hours or overnight to set. When ready to serve / eat, remove from mold and plate, dust with some cocoa powder. Let the tartufo thaw out 5-10 minutes and enjoy!

Notes

*To pre-soak nuts: place in a glass bowl, cover with water, and leave to soak for 4 hours (or overnight in the fridge). Then strain and discard the water.

For a quick pre-soak, cover with boiled water and soak for 15 mins, then strain and discard water. (Note: this technique doesn't preserve the nutrition of the recipe as well as the traditional soaking technique above).

Note: the purpose of soaking the nuts is to re-hydrate them and plump them up for blending into a smooth, cheesecake-like consistency. Proper soaking techniques also maximize nutrition and digestibility. If you're interested in learning more about nut soaking and other dessert prep tips and tricks, I delve into these subjects in detail in my book Unconventional Treats.
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**note: I recommend going with alkalized cocoa powder over raw cacao powder for raw cakes, as sometimes raw cacao powder can react with other ingredients and spoil the cake. That said, this can still be made with raw cacao if you prefer to keep the recipe fully raw.

***If you have cold items, they'll make the mixture firm up too quickly in the blender / if your items are extremely hot, like the cocoa butter, they'll cook the sugar in the blender and make the mixture clump up. Room temp or very slightly warm is idea.