Dark chocolate ganache

This chocolate ganache is so adaptable: here, I've served it as a dinner-party dessert with sliced oranges and a hazelnut-sesame crumb. It can be served in individual pots, or left to chill in a large bowl and spooned onto a plate for serving.

By using flavoured chocolate – or by adding flavours to the chocolate – you can transform this ganache into a different dish. One of my favourite combinations is lime and sea salt, which is absolutely delicious served after a Mexican meal.

There are so many wonderful brands of chocolate that include various flavour combinations to try – give some different types a go, and see which one you love the most!

This is a similar recipe to my Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Pots, except this ganache is thicker and spoonable, as it uses just the cream of the coconut milk, rather than the whole tin.

SERVES:
06-08

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

For the chocolate ganache

400g coconut cream (or the cream scooped from two tins of full-fat coconut milk)

2 tbsp maple syrup

150g 70% cocoa chocolate (plain, or the flavour of your choice), finely chopped

Zest of 1 orange

¼ tsp cinnamon

For the hazelnut crumb

50g toasted hazelnuts

1½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds

Good pinch of cinnamon

6 biscuits of choice, such as almond or orange thins

To serve

3-4 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced

Instructions

Warm the coconut cream and maple syrup in a saucepan over a low heat. Heat gently until steaming, but not boiling, then remove from the heat.
Add the chopped chocolate to the pan, whisking continually until you have a smooth, thick chocolate sauce.
Add the orange zest and cinnamon, stir to combine, and set aside to cool to room temperature. You could add in other flavourings at this point if you like, such as lime zest, lemon zest, ground cardamom, or ginger.
Once cooled, pour the mixture into a serving bowl, or divide between 6-8 individual pots. Cover and place in the fridge to chill for a minimum of four hours, or overnight.
When you're ready to serve, add the crumb ingredients and a good pinch of salt to a food processor, and blitz to a rough crumb. You can also do this by hand, by placing the ingredients in a bag and bashing with a rolling pin. Add the toasted sesame seeds, and stir to combine.
To serve, place some sliced oranges on a plate and, using two spoons that have been warmed in a cup of boiling water, take a scoop of chilled chocolate ganache and place it on top of the sliced oranges. Finish with a good sprinkling of the hazelnut crumb.
If serving in individual pots, top each with a slice of orange, then sprinkle over some crumb.