World-renowned chocolatier and pastry chef Kirsten Tibballs will unveil a new vegan chocolate with a show-stopper dessert demo at Fine Food Australia next month. 

Callebaut NXT will be the key ingredient in Kirsten’s vegan chocolate tart (pictured), a multi-layered creation that’s 100 per cent dairy-free. 

With a chocolate shortbread casing and a layer of date cake, Kirsten’s tart is topped with a smooth chocolate mousse and aquafaba meringue dipped in marbled milk chocolate. 

“There’s a huge increase in demand for vegan and plant-based chocolate,” says the star of The Chocolate Queen, a TV show watched in 45 countries with a cult following in the US. 

“I’m also seeing more people out there who are dairy intolerant. This new chocolate opens a whole new world for them. They’ll love it.” 

As a Callebaut ambassador, Kirsten has been granted early access to the NXT dark and milk chocolate to create recipes before its release in Australia at Fine Food in September. 

“NXT is very different to other vegan chocolate on the market,” Kirsten says. “I’ve tried a lot of them, and I think there are often dominant flavours that don’t necessarily taste like chocolate. 

“I think people will be surprised how similar it is to regular chocolate.” 

Kirsten has noticed more interest in dairy-free desserts among students at her Savour Chocolate and Patisseries School, which celebrated 20 years in July. 

She has her own video studio at the school’s Brunswick headquarters, filming a new recipe every week for her students around the globe. 

Season three of The Chocolate Queen screens on SBS from next month. 

Kirsten Tibballs will create her exquisite dairy-free chocolate tart at Fine Food Australia’s Innovation in Patisserie Stage on 6 and 7 September from 12.15pm to 1.15pm. Register free to see Kirsten in action here.