Chocolate Strawberry Bar Recipe

Chocolate and strawberry are one of the most loved pairings. I love to pair dark chocolate and tangy strawberries as a baker.

 Today, I bring you a unique and elegant chocolate bar flavoured with fresh strawberries.

The bar has a biscuit base made with oats flour and hazelnut flour. It has a unique flavour of Nutella combined with coconut oil. The base is then layered with strawberry-flavoured dark chocolate ganache.

Sounds tempting, no?

Eggless chocolate Strawberry Bar Recipe Video Tutorial

Taste and texture of the dessert

The base of the chocolate bar is crumbly due to the multiple types of flour used. Since it has all-purpose flour, oats flour and hazelnut flour, it makes for less gluten level and a more crumbly biscuit. Along with nutty flavour, it contains Nutella and coconut oil, enhancing the overall tasting experience.

The ganache is silky and smooth, made using dark couverture chocolate and fresh cream in a 2:1 ratio and has fresh strawberries for the flavour.

Key ingredients used for the recipe and their relevance

Oats flour– oats flour is a gluten-free flour. It adds a crumbly texture to the base and a unique flavour as well.

Hazelnut flour-this one is again a gluten-free flour. Using these flours helps in reducing the overall gluten level in the dough. When the gluten level is low, the gluten network (which is responsible for chewy texture) is down. Hence this makes the baseless chewy and more crumbly.

Coconut oil-unlike regular fat butter, I have used coconut oil in this recipe. Using this oil will help add coconut flavour and the fat needed for it to be crumbly. Also, it makes for a vegan option.

Nutella and cocoa powder-adding chocolate and hazelnut flavour in the best form is by using Nutella and natural cocoa powder.

Fresh strawberries – what better way to add strawberry flavour than using fresh strawberries?! Skipping the strawberry essence, it’s best to incorporate fresh strawberries whenever in season.

All Ingredient List for Making Chocolate Strawberry Bar

Ingredients for dessert base

Ingredients for base Quantity
All-purpose Flour
15 g
Oats Flour
75 g
Hazelnut Flour
75 g
Nutella
85 g
Coconut Oil
25 g
Natural Cocoa Powder
17 g
Salt
1/8 tsp

Ingredients for chocolate strawberry ganache

Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache Quantity
Dark Coverture Chocolate
250 g
Fresh Cream
125 g
Fresh Strawberries

Ingredients for garnish

Ingredients for garnish Quantity
Melted Dark Chocolate
50 g
Half-sliced strawberries
9 pieces

All equipment needed for the recipe

  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Digital kitchen weighing scale
  • Bowls and spoons
  • Spatula
  • Sieve 
  • 6-inch square ring
  • Cling Warp
  • Butter paper
  • Baking tray
  • Oven/OTG
  • Microwave 
  • Piping bag
  • Knife
  • Heat gun

Steps to prepare chocolate strawberry bar

Method for base 

  1. Preheat the oven at 180C ( otg mode: Upper rod+lower rod+ fan ). Take a 6-inch square ring and double cling wrap it from the bottom. Grease the bottom and sides of the ring with oil and then put butter paper into the bottom of the ring.
  2. In a bowl, take cocoa powder, hazelnut flour, oats flour, all-purpose flour, and salt and sieve it.
  3. Now, Mix Nutella and coconut oil together in a different bowl. Add this to the dry ingredients.
  4. Combine this well to form a dough.
  5. Now, transfer the dough mixture into the ring and bake it for 10 – 15 mins at 180C (otg mode: upper rod+ Lower rod + fan.
  6. Once baked, remove the ring from the oven and let it cool down for a few minutes. Now, refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.

Method for ganache

  1. Chop the dark couverture chocolate and melt it in the microwave.
  2. Warm the fresh cream and mix it with the melted chocolate.
  3. Lastly, add chopped strawberries to it. Mix everything well.

Assembly

  1. Spread the chocolate strawberry ganache on top of the cooled base.
  2. Refrigerate this overnight or freeze it for 30-40 minutes until the ganache sets.
  3. Once set, de-mould the dessert and cut the bar into nine equal portions.
  4. Decorate each with half-sliced strawberries and drizzle some melted chocolate.

Chef's Tip And Key Points

  1. Spread the dough into the ring nicely and evenly. This will ensure it doesn’t have an uneven surface or bottom.
  2. You can use Dutch cocoa powder instead of natural cocoa powder if you want a more intense chocolate flavour.
  3. You can replace couverture chocolate with compound chocolate in the same quantity.
  4. In case fresh strawberries are not available, you can use frozen strawberries.
  5. Use a warm knife to cut even pieces with sharp edges.
  6. Refrigerate the chocolate bar when unconsumed. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What other fruit can I add to the ganache? 

Ans. You can use any berry or fruit that goes well with chocolate. for e.g. blueberries, raspberries, mangoes.

Q2. What is the shelf-life of the dessert?

Ans. It can be stored in fridge for 3-4 days.

Q3. Can I replace hazelnut flour with almond flour?

Ans. Yes, if you want o use almond flour in the base recipe, then you can do so using the same quantity.