A silky smooth Chocolate Tart with a delicate chocolate crust. Paired with cream and berries, this tart is a show stopper.
Hey I'm Grace! I'm one of Vanya's sisters and I love baking. She's asked me to contribute some of my favourite recipes to the website which is so exciting.
I'm a qualified chef and have worked in kitchens in New Zealand and overseas. I have even had my own dessert caravan which was super fun, I hope you enjoy my recipes!
This Chocolate Tart has a beautiful rich and silky dark chocolate filling that goes perfectly with the delicate chocolate crust. Not only does it taste delicious, but it also leaves the house smelling like a chocolate heaven!
I would advise choosing a quality dark chocolate. In many recipes you can get away with budget chocolate chips and buttons but not this one. Chocolate is the main star so pick one you love the flavour of. I recommend Whittaker's chocolate here in New Zealand as it's super yummy and not too pricey.
Serve the tart at room temperature with freshly whipped cream and fresh berries to cut through the sweetness. It also tastes great with a dollop of berry coulis on the side if berries aren’t in season.
How to make Chocolate Tart:
Begin by making the pastry. Cream the butter and icing sugar then add the egg and whisk well. Sift in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until you form a dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Using a rolling pin and extra flour, roll out the dough into a circle. Line a greased tart tin with the pastry then prick with a fork before freezing for 20 minutes. Bake at 180°C fanbake for 15 minutes, then set aside to cool.
To make the filling, dissolve the instant coffee with the hot water. In a saucepan gently melt together the cream, coffee mix, sugar, vanilla essence and salt. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl then pour over the hot cream mixture and whisk together. Add the chopped butter and combine, then whisk in the eggs.
Pour the chocolate filling into the cooled tart case, then return to the oven for a further 20-25 minutes. Cool in the case then pop in the fridge to fully set before slicing. Let it warm to room temperature and serve with cream and berries.
For more inspiring desserts, check out these recipes for Ambrosia, Apple and Blackberry Pie as well as Chocolate Brownie Trifle.
Common questions about Chocolate Tart:
What size tin should I use? I used a basic tart tin for this recipe. They are approximately 10 inches or 25cm in diameter.
Can I use different type of chocolate? Go for it! In this recipe I used 62% cocoa which has a nice bitterness but still sweet enough for me. However you can use milk or super dark chocolate, whatever you prefer. Just bear in mind changing it up will change the sweetness of your final tart.
Can you taste the coffee? If you didn't know it was in there you wouldn't pick it out. The coffee just adds a bit more bitterness and depth to the flavour of the chocolate. It can be left out if you like but still add the water into the filling.
Why chill the dough? Chilling the dough helps the butter to set and relaxes the flour so it will become easier to roll out. This is a soft dough so use lots of flour when rolling and be gentle. If it breaks no problem, just piece it together in the tin and join the dough back together using your fingers. Freezing the case before baking will reduce the sides sagging down and making your tart too shallow.
How do I get perfect looking slices? Let the tart cool fully in the fridge, this may take a few hours or you can chill overnight. Dip your knife into hot water then cut and wipe the knife off before making your next cut.
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Baked Chocolate Tart
A baked chocolate tart with a silky smooth centre and delicate chocolate crust.
Ingredients
- 125g butter (soft)
- 100g icing sugar
- 1 egg
- 225g plain flour
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder (20g)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Filling
- 1 tsp instant coffee
- ¼ cup hot water (65mls)
- 1 cup cream (250mls)
- 75g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 tsp salt
- 250g dark chocolate
- 70g butter (room temp)
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- To make the tart pastry, cream the butter and icing sugar in a bowl or mixer then add egg and whisk well.
- Sift in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until you form a nice dough. Wrap in clingfilm and pop into the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes.
- Using a rolling pin and some extra flour, roll out dough into a circle. Line a greased tart tin with the pastry. Prick with a fork and freeze for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180°C fanbake. Then bake the tart pastry for 15 minutes, remove and set aside to cool.
- To make the filling, dissolve the instant coffee with hot water. In a saucepan gently melt together the cream, coffee mix, sugar, vanilla and salt. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Chop chocolate and put into a bowl, pour over the hot cream mixture and whisk together, add the butter chopped into smaller pieces and mix till smooth.
- Whisk in the eggs, pour the mix into your baked tart case and return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes at 180°C. When it is done baking the tart will be set but still have a bit of a jiggle in the centre.
- Cool in the case and then pop in the fridge to fully set up before slicing. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream and fresh berries if they are in season.
Notes
- Quality chocolate is key for this recipe.
- To save time, the pastry case can be made ahead of time and frozen. This also helps to stop the sides from sagging down.
- To make a quick berry coulis with frozen berries check out the details in my recipe for mini pavlovas.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 550Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 158mgSodium: 869mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 3gSugar: 38gProtein: 8g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Anna Turner
Can this be made gf?
VJ cooks
I haven't tried that but I think it should work with a straight swap for gluten free flour. Let me know how you get on.
Katelyn
Can this tart be frozen?
VJ cooks
Yes you could, just bear in mind the pastry has the potential to take on water in the freezer and could become soggy.To prevent this, wrap the tart tightly in tin foil before placing in the freezer.
Alana
When you say make the tart case ahead of time and freeze it, do you mean freeze raw or baked?
VJ cooks
Hi Alana, I would freeze it raw. Freezing the base before cooking is part of the process already, you can just leave it in there for a few days/weeks if you like!
Jaime
Hi there I have 3 questions for you
1. If I use salted butter do I still put 2 tsp of salt in?
2. If I use a milk Chocolate instead of dark chocolate do I still include salt? If so how much
3. If I use salted butter and milk Chocolate how much salt do I put in?
Thank you love your recipes!
VJ cooks
Hi there, you can just taste the recipe as you go and amend it to your preference.