The Plant-Based Dessert Turning Heads

While conversations are swirling about the sameness of dessert menus across Melbourne (see Broadsheet’s article here ), our team has been working on something that breaks the mould entirely. 

The latest creation to hit the menu is a reimagining of a classic. The Pressed Sablé has been completely reinvented by Sous Pastry Chef Renae Hooper. Now entirely plant-based, it’s bursting with flavour, texture and unexpected twists. 

“We wanted to take a dish we already loved and evolve it,” says Executive Pastry Chef Alessandro Bartesaghi. “Make it feel more current, more refined and completely plant-based. The challenge was to remove dairy and animal products without losing that sense of indulgence.” The result is light and layered. A pressed sablé base topped with whipped ganache, seasonal passionfruit and raspberry, and compressed fruit for brightness and bite. It’s still rich and satisfying but cleaner and more modern. The dish is served as a plated single-serve dessert but can easily be adapted into a bite-sized canapé for gala and cocktail events.

“We can scale it down and serve it as a roaming option,” says Bartesaghi. “It holds its shape beautifully and looks elegant either way.” It also happens to pair perfectly with a lightly sparkling Moscato or a crisp, dry Riesling. 

But for Bartesaghi and the team, it’s about more than plating something pretty. It’s about rethinking what a great event dessert can be. “Melbourne diners are open-minded. They want variety and they want the plant-based option to be just as exciting as anything else. That’s the expectation now.”

At MCEC, catering for hundreds or even thousands means balancing scale with surprise. That’s where innovation matters most. “Creating something like this at volume proves we care about detail,” says Bartesaghi. “It shows how our team collaborates, tests and pushes ideas until the dish feels right. That’s what makes it memorable.”

Dessert should never feel like an afterthought. 

Want to try it for yourself?

Now you can. Whether you're hosting a dinner party, catering for a plant-based guest, or just want to impress with something that looks as good as it tastes, this is the dessert that delivers. 

It does take a few steps to bring together, but each one is simple and absolutely worth it. Here’s how to make it at home. 

Recipe: Pressed Sablé, Raspberry and Passionfruit 

Makes 10 portions

Coconut Streusel 

• 41 g vegan butter 

• 1 g salt 

• 27 g icing sugar 

• 13 g fine desiccated coconut 

• 68 g gluten-free plain flour 

• 5 g raw sugar 

 Method: 

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until a chunky crumble forms. 

2. Press through a cake rack to create coarse crumbs. 

3. Spread evenly on a baking tray. 

4. Bake at 150°C for 15 minutes. 

5. Stir every 5 minutes for the next 10 minutes (total baking time: 25 minutes).

Raspberry Inspiration Pressed Sablé Base 

• 33 g Valrhona Raspberry Inspiration couverture  

• 11 g cocoa butter 

• 112 g crushed coconut sablé (from streusel above) 

Method: 

1. Gently melt couverture and cocoa butter over a bain-marie or in short microwave bursts. Stir until smooth. 

2. Combine with crushed sablé and mix until evenly coated. 

3. Spoon into 6 cm tart rings and press gently to form a firm base. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Raspberry Whipping Ganache 

• 18 g raspberry purée 

• 2 g glucose 

• 2 g trimoline 

• 41 g Raspberry Inspiration chocolate  

• 59 g plant-based cream 

Method: 

1. Heat purée, glucose and trimoline together. 

2. Pour over chocolate and emulsify with a stick blender until smooth. 

3. Add cold plant-based cream and emulsify again. 

4. Refrigerate overnight to crystallise before whipping. 

Passionfruit Whipping Ganache 

• 61 g passionfruit purée 

• 7 g glucose 

• 7 g trimoline 

• 175 g Passionfruit Inspiration chocolate  

• 6 g cocoa butter 

• 204 g plant-based cream 

Method: 

1. Heat purée, glucose and trimoline together. 

2. Pour over chocolate and cocoa butter and emulsify until smooth. 

3. Add cold cream and emulsify again. 

4. Refrigerate overnight to crystallise before whipping. 

Raspberry Crémeux 

• 409 g raspberry purée 

• 137 g water 

• 45 g glucose powder 

• 17 g cold Sosa inulin  

• 45 g caster sugar 

• 6 g pectin NH  

• 6 g Natur Emul Sosa  

• 151 g Raspberry Inspiration chocolate 

• 21 g coconut oil 

• 5 g lemon juice 

Method: 

1. Heat raspberry purée, water, glucose powder and inulin to 30°C. 

2. In a separate bowl, mix caster sugar, pectin NH and Natur Emul. 

3. Whisk dry mix into the heated liquid. 

4. Bring to a boil while whisking. 

5. Pour over chocolate and coconut oil and emulsify until smooth. 

6. Add lemon juice and blend gently, avoiding air bubbles. 

Raspberry Sauce 

• 403 g raspberry purée 

• 50 g water 

• 50 g sugar 

Method: 

1. Warm the water and dissolve the sugar. 

2. Add raspberry purée and mix until fully combined. 

Assembly 

1. Fill tart rings (6 cm) with pressed sablé mixture and chill for 30 minutes. 

2. Whip both ganache's to soft peaks. Transfer each to a piping bag fitted with an 8 mm tip. 

3. Pipe three dots of ganache (3 g each) on each tart. 

4. Place a strip of acetate over the top and gently press down with a tray to create a petal-like shape. 

5. Freeze for 6 hours. 

6. Once frozen, remove acetate and unmould. 

7. Pipe 3 to 8 g of raspberry crémeux in the centre, depending on the cavity size. 

8. Spoon raspberry sauce onto a serving plate. Add the tart and garnish with fresh berries. 

Not up for the multi-step method? Book your next gala or cocktail event at MCEC and let our pastry chefs do the hard work (and the cooking).