Chocolate Tart

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and I’ve got a perfect dessert for the holiday – a chocolate tart. It looks elegant and a little tricky, but it’s actually easy to make if you take it one step at a time.

The first step is making the crust, which uses a chocolate dough. I love this because it adds another layer of chocolate flavor besides just being in the filling.

Next, make a chocolate ganache (did you know ganache only takes two ingredients to make?) and put a thin layer over the blind-baked crust.

The next step, Swiss meringue buttercream, is the most complicated part of the recipe, but even this really isn’t too bad if you follow the instructions step by step. After making the buttercream, divide it and add chocolate to 2/3 of it for a light and smooth chocolate filling. Then top off the whole tart with a layer of vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. I chose to pipe mine in a spiral shape (I used a 1M piping tip!) but you could also spread the icing with an offset spatula and that would look pretty too. If you really want to add a nice finishing touch, you can shave chocolate over the top of the finished dessert.

I hope you’ll try making this recipe for Valentine’s Day or any day you feel like celebrating with something special!

Chocolate Tart Recipe

Chocolate Tart Shell

Ingredients:

80 grams powdered sugar

3 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 pound plain flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed

3 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also use a hand mixer.

Beat the mixture on medium speed for 2 minutes until it forms a paste. Scrape down the bowl after 1 minute.

Add in the egg yolks and mix until fully incorporated.

Add in the flour, and mix on low speed until it is just combined. You want the mixture to have JUST come together.

Transfer the dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Add a second piece of parchment paper dusted with flour on top. Press down and then roll out to 1/8 an inch or 3mm.

Place the tart shell into the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 320 degrees. Place your tart shell in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until the shell is almost lightly golden.

Remove tart shells from the oven and allow time to cool before piping so the filling does not melt.

Ganache

Ingredients:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream, heated

Directions:

Heat cream in microwave for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and add the chocolate chips. Whisk together and set aside.

Once you’re ready to assemble your tart, transfer the ganache to a piping bag and snip off the tip.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients:

5 egg whites at room temperature

2 cups unsalted butter softened at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 pinch kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Add egg whites, sugar and salt in a bowl.

Give the mixture a brief whisk.

Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the water in the pot does not touch the bowl.

Whisk the egg whites occasionally while the water in the pot warms up. When the mixture has warmed, whisk it constantly.

Heat the mixture until it’s not grainy between your fingers.

Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk until there are glossy peaks.

Switch to a paddle attachment. While the mixture is mixing on low, add tablespoon-sized slices of room temperature softened butter. Mix well before you add the next piece of butter.

Once all the butter is incorporated, add the vanilla extract.

Set aside one half of the white Swiss meringue buttercream into piping bags.

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate and allow it to cool to room temp. Add it into the rest of the Swiss meringue buttercream that’s left in the mixer. Mix well.

Transfer the chocolate buttercream to a piping bag and snip off the tip.

Assembling the Tart:

In the cooled tart shell, pipe a layer of ganache. Use an offset spatula to smooth the ganache if needed.

Pipe the chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream on top of the ganache, again smoothing it if needed.

For the vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream, use a piping tip (I like the 1M Wilton tip) to pipe a pretty design on top of your tart. I started in the middle and worked outward, creating a spiral on top of my tart.

Once you finish piping, use a sifter to put a light dusting of cocoa powder on top of the tart. Enjoy!

By Elsie Stark