This gluten free coconut mousse tart with elderflower lime jelly is a delicious, tropical-inspired dessert that is creamy, sweet and tangy at the same time. The flavors are rich and complex, yet fruity and refreshing. The chocolate crust complements the creamy coconut mousse, while the lime jelly adds a burst of freshness.
Like all tarts, you need to set a side a couple of hours to make this dessert. It is time consuming, but very much worth it.
To make the crust gluten free I used oat flour. I like baking with oat flour whenever I can because it is more nutrient-rich than regular flour, and it tastes just as good. I recommend you also use oat flour to make this recipe even if you don’t have a gluten sensitivity. Trust me, you won’t be able to taste the difference.
Note: Oats are naturally gluten free, however, sometimes they can get contaminated during processing or packaging. If you cannot tolerate gluten, I recommend you buy oats and oat flour that are certified gluten free.
The process of making this tart shell is the same as regular (non gluten free) tart shells. You have to make the dough and refrigerate it. Then you need to roll it out, place it in a tart shell. You bake it once with rice/ beans on the bottom to prevent it from rising, then you bake it again without the rice/ beans so it can develop a crispy texture.
Please remember to keep the tart in the pan until you finish all steps. Doing so will make it easier to work with and it will prevent the shell from breaking. Additionally, pouring the liquid mousse and jelly into the shell could hydrate the tart to the point where it could leak.
Once your tart shell is finished and cooled to room temperature, you need to make the coconut mousse. For this step you mix coconut milk with whipped cream and gelatine. Then you patiently wait for it to sit in the fridge until it sets. This process takes at least 2 hours.
For the next step you make an elderflower lime jelly. I got my elderflower juice from Ikea. Please note this is not the same as elderflower syrup, which is a lot sweeter and more concentrated. If you can only find syrup, mix it with water as per instructions on the bottle.
Once you have your elderflower juice, mix it with the lime juice, zest, and gelatine. Then pour it over the tart and refrigerate it again until it sets. This can take 1-2 hours.
If you do not eat gelatine, you can replace it with agar agar or vegan gelling powder.
I made this tart using a tart shell of 25 cm (10 inch) diameter.
See more tart recipes here.
And finally, here you have the recipe for the gluten free coconut mousse tart with elderflower lime jelly:
Gluten Free Coconut Mousse Tart with Elderflower Lime Jelly
Ingredients
For the pastry shell:
- 2 ½ cups (250 g/ 8 ¾ oz.) oat flour
- 1 stick (115 g/ 4 oz.) unsalted butter, cold and finely diced
- ½ cup (60 g/ 2 oz.) icing sugar
- ¼ cup (25 g/ 1 oz.) Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 2 egg yolks from large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup (60 ml/ 2 fl. oz.) water, ice-cold
- 2-3 tbsp. oat flour for dusting the work surface
For the coconut mousse:
- 1 can (400 ml/ 14 fl. oz.) coconut milk
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml/ 12 ½ fl.oz.) whipping cream (35% fat content)
- ¼ cup (60 ml/ 2 fl. oz.) water, cold
- 2 tbsp. vanillated sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp. powdered gelatine
For the elderflower lime jelly:
- 200 ml (7 fl. oz.) elderflower juice
- ¼ cup (60 ml/ 2 fl. oz.) freshly squeezed lime juice
- zest from one lime
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. powdered gelatine
- 3 tbsp. water, cold
Instructions
For the pastry shell:
- In a large bowl sift the oat flour and cocoa powder. Add the icing sugar, salt and whisk them well. Add the cold butter to the flour mix and rub them together, to a fine crumb consistency. This can be done with a stand mixer, or by hand. Do not rub too much to avoid melting the butter. Add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and mix them into the dough. Slowly add ice-cold water, one tbsp. at a time, mixing after each addition. Stop adding water once the dough comes together. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for one hour.
- After one hour, take the dough out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough on a lightly floured work surface into a circle about 31 cm (12 inches) in diameter, and place it into a tart baking pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough lightly with your fingertips against the bottom and sides. Roll the rolling pin across the top edge of the pan to cut off excess dough. Prick the bottom of the tart with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
- Place plastic wrap over the dough and fill the shell with rice or beans (to keep the bottom flat). Bake for 12 minutes, then remove the rice and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove the shell from the oven and let it cool completely in the baking pan. Keep the shell in the baking pan.
For the coconut mousse:
- Pour the cold water into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine over the cold water. Allow the gelatine to hydrate for 5 minutes. Place the coconut milk into a small pot, and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Place it aside and add the gelatine to the hot pot and stir until the gelatine is completely dissolved. Let it cool to room temperature.
- In a medium sized bowl, whip the cream with the vanillated sugar to a soft peak. Gently add the cooled coconut mixture to the whipped cream and stir until combined. Pour the coconut mousse in the tart shell, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until the mousse is set. Make sure the mouse has set before moving on to the next step.
For the elderflower lime jelly:
- In a cup place the cold water, then add the gelatine to it. Allow 5 minutes for the gelatine to hydrate. In a small pot over low-medium heat, add the elderflower juice, lime juice, lime zest, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, then set aside. Add the gelatine and mix until completely dissolved. Let it cool to room temperature. Pour over the surface of the tart and refrigerate until set.
