I had been craving a chocolate tart for the longest time before I actually made one for myself. I didn’t want something that was simply filled with a soft ganache, but something a little more wicked: something with lots of cream and butter and eggs.
To fulfill this long standing hankering, I found the perfect tart filling recipe on Traveler’s Lunchbox and used the tart base recipe from the Ottolenghi cookbook (a cookbook so colourful, and so refreshing, I wish I used it more often.). The filling turned out to be soft, silky, and intensely chocolate-y; I don’t think I’m going to need another recipe for a chocolate tart. The key to is blind bake the tart, cool it, and then add the filling and bake until the sides look puffed up and the centre is still mushy. I refrigerated mine because I wanted the centre to set, but if you’d like a soft centre, you can eat it while it’s still warm.
This basic recipe can be spruced up depending on what you feel like on a particular day, or what’s in season on your side of the world. I can imagine them tasting so good with fresh raspberries or strawberries and a dollop of softly whipped cream. Another option would be to use your favourite liqueur in the chocolate batter. I used some hazelnut extract I made which was fantastic.
But you know the best part about making this chocolate tart? Watching my petite grandmum (who has an apetite of a bird) polish off two slices of the tart after her dinner! She loved it so much that when I shared it with a few friends the next day, she made me bake some more.
Rich Chocolate Tart
Yield: 1 8-9 inch tart
Tart shell
Adapted from: The Ottolenghi Cookbook (USA | UK | India)
In case you’re looking for tips on making the perfect tart dough, head over to Pie Dough 101.
Ingredients:
12 0z (330g) plain flour
3.5oz (100g) icing sugar
6 oz (180g) butter
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp cold water
Chocolate Filling
Adapted from: The Traveler’s Lunchbox
Ingredients:
8 oz (225g) dark chocolate
6 tablespoons (90g) butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1 teaspoon hazelnut extract
cocoa powder for dusting
Equipment:
a 9 inch (20-cm) tart pan
Pastry blender (optional)
Method:
- Put the flour and icing sugar into a bowl and rub the butter either with your finger with gentle, quick movements or with a pastry cutter until you achieve breadcrumb like texture. Add the egg yolks and cold water until the mixture comes together.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and knead gently. Flatten to form a thick disk and wrap it in cling film and chill it for at least an hour.
- Roll out the dough to 3-4 mm (1/8th inch) thickness and line the tart pan, making sure you press it well into the pan. Prick the dough with a fork and fill it up with dried beans and bake in a preheated oven at 170C/340F for about 17-20 minutes until it looks slightly golden and firm. Let it cool.
- For the filling: Melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth, then remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. Whisk together the eggs, cream, sugar, and hazelnut extract in a bowl. Whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until combined.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Bake until the filling 1 inch from edges is set and slightly puffed but center wobbles when pan is gently shaken, 20 to 25 minutes. (The center will continue to set as it cools.)
- Dust with cocoa powder when cool. Eat!
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi, I'm first time here. Nonetheless to say..your blog is simply beautiful with variety of recipes. I can almost smell this tart here. I'm sure it does taste very beautiful. Pics are so good and neat. :)
That looks positively sinful…..n sooo tempting!
Very decadent chocolate tart!
yummy!
Looks wonderful!
What a lovely tart… It looks beautiful!
Wow, this looks sinfully good!
Wow, that looks absolutely delicious! Even though it’s rich, the texture looks quite light and fluffy, so I think it might be easy to accidentally eat the whole lot!
Ooohhh, that looks heavenly. That second picture is to die for.
What a very tempting tart! Delicious this is for sure!
It looks delicious.Your blog is dangerous to me as I make diet :P
But I will cook it now:P
My chocolate loving sitter would love this! Her B-day is coming up…I’m going to run this by her.
This is so decadent, and so addictive … I need to make this soon!
This tart looks like chocolate heaven. Wicked. Definitely.
So rich and luscious :)
Shaheen,
This is such a gorgeous-GORGEOUS-gorgeous post. The tart looks amazing and the recipe is so well written.
I noticed you gave metrics and the ounces/cups measurements on the filling, but only metrics on the dough. Any chance you could add in the ounces/cups on the pastry dough, too? I want to make sure I get the measurements perfect.
Thanks!
Hey Marti! I’ve just edited the post to include ounce measures. Hope this helps. :)
Hey Shaheen,
I baked the chocolate tart today…and it turned out delicious!!….I was abit nervous when the filling was getting baked but it turned out just perfect – crisp towards the edge and soft towards the centre of the tart : ) : )
Very interesting topic, thank you for putting up.
Great recipe. I made this with some adaptations for the lazy (pastry dough in food processor, free from rustic tart so I wouldn’t have to scrub tart pan) and subbed raspberry extract for the hazelnut and topped with a sprinkling of sea salt flakes. It is wonderful and really easy. Thanks!
Hey, instead of dried beans what else can i put in the pie dish while the crust is baking? and why are the beans necessary exactly? if i bake it without the beans will it make a very big difference?
The beans are placed so that the pastry dough doesn’t fluff up, and then later crack when it falls back down.
it looks scrumpty and try it dont look at it my mum is going to make and serve with terrys choclate orange
hi Shaheen…..this looks really good…so im gonna go get the ingredients and start asap….but just wanted to know…i’ve got both MORDE’s just Dark Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Compound from Arife…..what do i use? what is the difference between the 2…can u educate me?..Also where can i get hazelnut extract?….can i use powdered hazelnut instead?….and how much?….thank u…..looking fwd to more dessert recepies
wow, this was wondeful.
I tried this recipe and baked it another 3 times. It was sooo decadent. Do you mind if i post it on my blog?
I was about to make a corn and spinach quiche…my first try…and was heading to the market to get myself a pie mould (exactly!! my very FIRST attempt!)…but looking at this recipe….um gonna change the idea to a chocolate tart…coz its looking so pretty!!!!…and my whole family has not one but all 32 sweet teeth…so they’ll appreciate this more! wish me luck! will post about how it turned out!
Shaheen,
Your blog has been my go-to site for all kinds of recipes….after experimenting with a few more (just for fairness!), I made this tart (with a choc pastry shell) for a fancy dinner for paying customers.
Paired it with some strawberry coulis (since Bombay has fresh strawberries right now) and a pistachio praline.
It went down such a treat and I thanked you silently so many times!
I have made it now for over 50 guests at a luncheon and everyone just raved…your recipe is just spot on!
And here’s the best for last…a friend who lives in Paris ordered an extra one just for herself and her Mum! Said it compared to the ones she gets back home!! Now I might have to re-consider doing this in addition to being a dentist!! hmm….doesn’t quite go well together, does it?
Thanks a ton!
V
Thanks, Vidya! Great to know. All the best!
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