This post is sponsored by Gem Avocados

Making Vegan recipes is something I have been experimenting with a lot recently so when GEM® Avocados (exclusively available from Tesco) challenged me to use the fruit in a dessert I was totally game and got straight to baking. The first ever dessert I tried that included avocado was a chocolate mousse so I wanted to do a spin on that. The GEM Avocados are particularly buttery and creamy so I thought they would make for a silky smooth mousse and I was right, this ended up incredibly light, almost like a French Silk Chocolate Tart, very velvety. Vegan chocolate mousse is often made with Avocado, sweetener and cocoa powder and that makes more of a thick creamy mousse and I wanted to more accurately replicate the texture of the non-vegan version. To get that aerated texture I also folded through a little whipped aquafaba (the juice found in cans of beans, chickpeas being the most popular version) which replicates the traditional whipped eggs folded into a chocolate mousse.

For flavourings I went with a perennial favourite of mine, chocolate and passion fruit and paired those flavours with a speculoos crust, the warm toasty notes being a great match for the bright flavour of passion fruit and the rich flavour of chocolate. 

If you have never tried a dessert with Avocado before its worth trying, this is incredibly quick and easy to put together, the GEM Avocados are rich and buttery with a smoother texture than other varieties so it is a great choice for dessert.

Crust
250g speculoos biscuits
50g melted coconut oil
Large pinch fine sea salt

Chocolate Mousse Filling
100g dark chocolate, melted
4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
5 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/5 GEM Avocados (about 250g of avocado)
1 tin chickpeas
2 tbsp caster sugar

Passion Fruit Topping
4 passion fruit
2 tbsp caster sugar
50ml water
Toasted coconut and cocoa nibs, to serve

To make the crust place the biscuits into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Pour in the coconut oil and salt and pulse until evenly combined. Pour the biscuit mixture into a 9 inch, loose bottomed, tart tin and press into the sides and base of the tin, compacting well. Refrigerate until needed. Clean the food processor bowl.

For the chocolate mousse, melt the chocolate and set aside to cool. Cut the GEM Avocados ion half, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh (you should have about 250g) and add to the food processor with the maple syrup, vanilla, cocoa powder and chocolate and process until smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile drain half of the liquid from the tin of chickpeas into a large bowl and using an electric mixer whisk until the aquafaba holds soft peaks. Add in the sugar and whisk for a couple minutes or until dissolved. Add about a third of the meringue mixture to the chocolate mixture and beat to combine. Add the remaining meringue in two additions, folding as lightly as you can to preserve the light texture. Scoop the finished mousse into the tart base and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving. 

For the passion fruit topping scoop the pulp from the passion fruit into a small saucepan and add the sugar and water. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until reduced and slightly syrupy. Refrigerate until needed. 

To serve, drizzle the syrup over the tart and top with a sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes and a few cocoa nibs.