Gluten Free Chocolate Orange Ricotta Tart

Despite the fact that those chocolate oranges have been a holiday staple for decades, it took me a while to get on the chocolate and orange bandwagon. Maybe cheap chocolate isn’t the way to my heart, because while I have never liked them, once I started combining these flavors in my baking, I fell in love!

There’s something about the pairing that feels a little fancy. And in this Orange Chocolate Tart, the creamy and citrusy ricotta filling atop a nutty almond crust and topped with a chocolate shell just looks so refined and elegant too.

Why You’ll Love This Orange Chocolate Tart

• Simple elegance. While it may look and taste like a high-end dessert, it’s actually easy to make with simple and familiar ingredients and no special techniques.
• Incredible flavors. Since it is made with fresh ingredients and nothing artificial, the flavors really shine. It has rich ricotta lightened up with citrusy orange, and the intense, subtle bitterness of cocoa balanced by a robust but not overpowering sweetness from honey.
• Naturally gluten free. And that crust? It’s made with almond flour or ground almonds. So it’s gluten free without fussing with gluten free flours.
• Special occasion-worthy. It would be a lovely final course for a dinner party, and would look gorgeous out on a dessert table for a cocktail party or open house gathering. But the festive flavors make it perfect for a place on the Christmas menu or after a fancy New Year’s Eve meal.

Recipe Ingredients

For the Honey Almond Crust

• Almond flour. You don’t want an ultra-fine one. In fact, sometimes I like to use raw almonds and pulse them into a coarse meal in a food processor for a little extra texture.
• Salt.
• Coconut oil. I usually use this since I already have it out for the shell topping, but unsalted butter can be substituted.
• Honey. You can also try maple syrup, but the thickness of the honey does help bind the crust.

For the Orange Ricotta Filling

• Ricotta cheese. Whole milk ricotta adds the richness you want for the filling,
• Cream cheese. Let it soften to room temperature so it blends more smoothly. Regular is preferred, but light will work. Do not use fat free cream cheese.
• Honey. Again, maple syrup will probably be fine, but honey complements the citrus so well.
• Salt.
• Egg yolks.
• Orange. You want both the fresh grated zest and juice, plus you can peel off some thin strips of the zest to garnish the tart.

For the Chocolate Shell

• Unsweetened cocoa powder. You can use dark cocoa powder if you want a deeper chocolate flavor in the shell.
• Coconut oil. Don’t swap for butter here.
• Honey.
• Vanilla extract.
• Salt.

Proper Storage

Because of the ricotta and cream cheese in the filling, this Orange Chocolate Tart must be kept refrigerated. Wrap leftovers tightly with plastic wrap or place slices in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.