Rose and Strawberry Tart

Name: Rose and Strawberry Tart
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 135 min
Ingredients: ½ c roasted hazelnuts; ½ c rolled oats; 1 c dates; 1 tsp vanilla extract; pinch sea salt; 1 tbsp cacao butter (melted); 1 tbsp water; ½ c shredded coconut; 1 ½ c cashews (soaked 2 hrs); 1 c strawberries; ⅓ c plant milk (e.g. oat or soy); ⅓ c brown rice syrup; 1 tbsp rose water ((optional)); 1 tsp vanilla extract; ¼ c coconut oil (melted); ¼ c cacao butter (melted); freeze-dried strawberries ((optional)); dried rose petals ((optional))

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Rose lovers, I’m calling your name. If you’re looking for a special occasion dessert flavoured with your favourite bloom, read on! This stunning Rose and Strawberry Tart is light, delicate, perfectly sweet – try a slice with your evening cuppa for the perfect end to your day.

by Buffy Ellen Gill · updated 10/09/23 · Leave a Comment

Prep Time 15

Set Time 2

Total Time 2 15

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Rose and strawberry tart with bowl of strawberries, and cup of berry tea

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Rose and strawberry tart sliced up with bowl of strawberries, dried rose petals, and cup of berry tea

Rose lover? I’m calling your name. If you’re looking for a special dessert flavoured with your favourite bloom, read on. This stunning Rose and Strawberry Tart is light, delicate, perfectly sweet. Pair a slice with your evening cuppa, for the ultimate relaxing end to your day.

I had dreams of these two flavours – rose and strawberry – dancing together. Let’s just say, the magic turned out even better than I expected. Imagine this…

An earthy roasted hazelnut crust, spiked with coconut and vanilla
A creamy delicate strawberry filling, with a floral hint of rose
Topped with cruncy light-as-air freeze dried strawbs, and fragrant rose petals

My friend, I think I’m ripening with age. My face is getting a little older and wrinklier, but my recipes are getting better and better! This one is outstanding, a pure 10. And all you need is 15 minutes, a blender/food processor, and a cake tin. Dive in with me now.

Also – join me this coming Thursday at 9pm NZT (7pm AEST) as I talk all things sleep and nutrition with Pukka Herbs Australia’s Herbal expert Sonya Byron over on the Pukka Herbs Australia’s Instagram page or my Instagram here.

How to make this Rose and Strawberry Tart

What are sweet tarts normally made from?

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know my tarts are rather different to the standard. Here’s an ingredients list for a classic strawberry tart:

Butter, icing sugar, egg, white flour, strawberry jam, strawberries, dairy milk, double cream, vanilla, egg yolks, caster sugar, cornflour, more butter.

We’re going to keep the strawbs and the vanilla, and ditch the rest.

Ingredients for this rose and strawberry tart

Here’s what you’ll need instead to make this tart. Most of this should by now be part of your pantry staple get up. Then main “special” ingredients you’ll need to pick up will be the hazelnuts, strawberries, and optional rose water, rose petals, and freeze-dried strawbs (which really are totally optional, but how gorgeous do they look?).

Hazelnuts
Rolled oats
Dates
Vanilla
Sea salt
Cacao butter
Shredded coconut
Cashews
Strawberries (frozen or fresh)
Plant milk (eg oat / soy)
Brown rice syrup (or coco nectar)
Coconut oil
Rose water (optional)
Freeze-dried strawberries & dried rose petals (optional)

This plus a food processor and/or blender, and a tart or cake tin. Note – I made mine in my oblong tart tin, just to mix things up, but it works perfectly in a regular round cake tin too.

The best foods to help you sleep

I’ve created this tart in collaboration with Pukka Tea, an international brand who make the most beautiful organic herbal teas. They specifically asked me to create something to pair with their Night Time sleep teas, one of which is flavoured with berries. The packaging alone got me inspired to devise this rose and strawberry creation, but I’ve also crafted this tart to specifically support a good night’s sleep. How so?

Caffeine free – I’ve chosen strawberry and rose as the key flavours, with no cacao, coffee, or chocolate content. Caffeine can have a half-life in the body of up to 10 hours, meaning if you consume something chocolate flavoured at 8pm, half of the caffeine could still be in your blood, keeping you from having a restful sleep until 6am. The mean half-life of caffeine is around 5 hours, so even for the average person, tiramisu and chocolate at 8pm is still going to be in your system until 1am. Fruits, nuts, and whole grains in contrast contain no caffeine.
Rich in magnesium – nuts and oats are rich sources of magnesium, a mineral which helps with the relaxation of our muscles and nervous system. Eating foods which are high in magnesium is therefore a good idea in your last meal of the day. 100 grams of hazelnuts contains 163mg of magnesium, 100g of rolled oats contain 270mg, while 100 grams of cashews contain an impressive 292 mg. The recommended daily intakes for men and women are 420 mg and 320 mg respectively. So you can see how a 50-100g slice of this tart can get you a long way there.
Source of melatonin – oats, nuts, and strawberries are known sources of melatonin, a natural hormone which can help you feel tired and fall asleep. Our bodies produce their own melatonin as the lights go down and it gets dark, but our ability to produce melatonin slows down as we age. In addition, lots of us stay glued to bright screens into the late hours, or at the very least, have our houses lit with artificial lightning. As a result, many of us produce less melatonin in the evening than we did historically.
Rose relaxing for the nervous system – rose oil (Rosa damascena) has been shown in numerous studies to have physiological and psychological relaxation and anti-anxiety effects. One study showed that the inhalation of rose caused significant decreases in breathing rate, blood pressure, as well as subjects rating themselves as more clam, relaxed, and less alert. Rose oil, rose-infused foods such as this tart, or evening just smelling a bunch of fresh roses can therefore give relief to depression, stress, and insomnia.

All in all, the perfect thing to have for dessert, along with a cup of Pukka’s herbal sleep tea, to support a restful night’s sleep.

Rose and strawberry tart sliced up with bowl of strawberries and cup of Pukka Night Time berry tea

Substitution ideas for this rose and strawberry tart

I don’t want to go the supermarket Buff! Alright. Let’s chat subs:

Hazelnuts – swap for almonds or walnuts. Both of these are also a great source of melatonin and magnesium, and the flavour will still be A+.
Oats – if you’re gluten free or coeliac, you can swap these for buckwheat groats, or more hazelnuts or shredded coconut.
Dates – you can swap for raisins or sultanas.
Cacao butter – I highly recommend getting a bag of this, because it adds a delicious white chocolate flavour to this tart and also helps it to set firm. But, if you don’t have it, you can swap with coconut oil in both the base and filling if you need.
Brown rice syrup – swap with any other neutral liquid sweetener – coconut nectar, agave syrup, yacon syrup, or even maple. Note – the maple will give a stronger flavour, so if possible, I’d opt for one of the more neutral sweeteners.
Rose water – instead add 2-3 drops of pure rose essential oil, one that’s been made as food grade or above (check the label, or use this brand here that I do for food). Or you can omit it. It’s totally optional, and this tart is still gorgeous without it, but it does add an extra layer of glam for sure.
Freeze-dried strawbs and rose petals – honestly, I went and specifically bought these for this tart, I didn’t have them on hand before. But with how gorgeous it turned out, I’m glad I did, and will certainly be using them again! You could otherwise though decorate it with fresh strawberries, shredded coconut, chopped roasted hazelnuts, or even a fresh rose from your garden.

Buffy ellen woman holding rose and strawberry tart sliced up with jar of hazelnuts

Tips for making the best raw tarts

You’re going to be a tart genius is no time. Here’s where to start:

Line your tin with compostable clear wrap – make sure it’s compostable otherwise we won’t be able to be friends anymore. Add a splash of water to your tin, and then lay the wrap over – this will make it stick to the tin so it doesn’t wiggle around.
Food processor for your crust – I don’t want to increase your cleaning burden, BUT, the best tarts are always made with two machines. Food processor for your crust, blender for your filling. Suck it up, use both, I’ll join you in the double dishes crew after. A food processor creates the perfect textured base for your cheesecake-like crust.
Blender for your filling – in contrast, a blender will get you that silky smooth cream for your filling, which makes you think its cream, and never guess it was made of nuts. Scrape your blender down half way, then blend again – normally at least 1-minute total.
Soak your cashews before blending – this makes it easier on your blender, but also, will give you a creamier silkier finish.
Use a combo of both coco oil and cacao butter for your filling – it means you don’t get a strong flavour of either, but instead achieve a silky-smooth white chocolate-esque flavour which is just stunning. Try it and let me know if you agree!
Freeze for 2 hours, or refrigerate overnight – both options work for setting your tart. Typically, I’m desperate to taste mine (always the way), so I always go the 2-hour freezer option.

Rose and strawberry tart topped with freeze-dried strawberries, dried rose petals, and a box of Pukka Night Time Berry tea and bowl of strawberries

How to store your tart

This tart can go either way – it’s firmer than others thanks to the cacao butter content (which goes rock hard at room temp). So, it can store happily in the fridge. I though still prefer to keep it in the freezer, it makes it firmer, and almost like more of a ice cream style dessert. Once you’ve finished making yours, pop a few slices in both spots to see what you like best.

In the fridge this tart will last a week, in the freezer up to 2 months. After this time, all things start to attract little icicles and a bit of freezer burn, so I typically always say 2 months as your max. My tarts never last 2 months, ever. If you can do that, all kudos to you!

Addicted to tarts like me? Bookmark these next:

If you make this Rose and Strawberry Tart, I’d love to hear what you think. Leave me a rating and comment below (it helps others find the recipe too), and tag me on Instagram @begoodorganics! I can’t wait to hear how you go. If you have any questions as well, feel free to ask me below.

This post was gratefully made possible with the support of Pukka Tea. Thank you for supporting the brands that help me keep Be Good Organics a live and thriving recipe resource for you. I’m so lucky to be able to work with the best!

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