Chocolate Tart
intro
Silky dark chocolate ganache set in a buttery crumbly shortcrust shell, delivering deep, luxurious cocoa flavor in every indulgent bite.
Ingredients
Steps
Make the tart dough
In a food processor, combine 175g all-purpose flour, 50g powdered sugar, and 1g fine sea salt. Add 100g cold cubed butter, pulse 8-10 times until the mixture resembles coarse sand with pea-sized butter lumps. Add 1 large egg yolk, pulse 3-4 more times until the dough just clumps together. Turn out onto plastic wrap, shape into a 2.5cm (1-inch) thick disc, wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Line the tart pan
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly flour a clean work surface, roll the chilled dough out to a 3mm (1/8-inch) thick circle, 5cm (2 inches) wider than a 23cm (9-inch) fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Carefully lift the dough over the pan, press it firmly into the bottom and up the fluted sides, trim any excess dough hanging over the edge with a paring knife. Prick the base of the dough all over with a fork 15 times to prevent bubbling during baking.
Blind bake the crust
Line the pastry-lined pan with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans up to the top of the pan edges. Bake on the middle oven rack for 15 minutes at 180°C (350°F), then carefully lift out the parchment and weights, bake for another 5-7 minutes until the crust is pale golden and fully set with no raw dough patches. Set aside to cool completely to room temperature (about 20 minutes) before adding filling.
Make chocolate ganache
Place 300g finely chopped 70% dark chocolate and 30g softened butter in a heatproof bowl. Heat 240ml heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it just reaches a gentle simmer (small bubbles around the pan edges, 85°C/185°F, about 3-4 minutes) – do not bring to a rolling boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter, let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes to fully melt the chocolate.
Fill the tart shell
Stir the warm cream and chocolate mixture slowly with a silicone spatula in smooth, circular motions starting from the center of the bowl, until it forms a glossy, completely smooth ganache with no remaining lumps. Pour the ganache immediately into the fully cooled tart shell, tilting the pan gently to spread the ganache evenly across the entire base and create a smooth top surface.
Chill and serve
Transfer the filled tart to the refrigerator, chill uncovered for 1.5 hours until the ganache is fully set (firm to the touch with a slight give when pressed gently). If desired, dust the top lightly with 5g unsweetened cocoa powder just before serving. Slice into 8 even wedges with a warm, sharp knife for clean, smooth cuts.
Tips
2.Let the hot cream sit on the chopped chocolate for a full 5 minutes before stirring to ensure even melting; stirring too early can result in a grainy, separated ganache.
3.Wipe your knife clean with a hot, damp cloth between each slice when serving to get smooth, clean cuts without smudging the ganache surface.
OMG this tart was the star of my dinner party last weekend! The ganache is SO rich and silky, not cloyingly sweet at all. I added a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt on top before serving and everyone begged for the recipe. Total game changer for my go-to dessert rotation!
Taste was incredible but I struggled a little with the pastry crust — it shrank quite a bit when I blind baked it, even with pie weights. Any tips for that? The filling was 10/10 though, my girlfriend said it’s better than the one we got at that fancy French bistro downtown for our anniversary.
My kids went absolutely crazy for this! I was worried the dark chocolate would be too bitter for them but they ate seconds (and asked for thirds, oops). Served it with a dollop of whipped cream after Sunday family dinner and it was perfect. Not too fussy to make even with a million kid interruptions, which is a win in my book.
Made this for date night and my partner almost cried it was so good. I used a 70% cacao dark chocolate like the recipe said and the depth of flavor is insane. Didn’t even have to go to a fancy grocery store for ingredients, all stuff I grabbed at my regular ShopRite. 10/10 will make again.
Swapped the regular all purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free baking flour and it turned out almost perfect! The crust was a little crumblier than I expected but the flavor was totally there. My whole gluten free friend group was obsessed at our last game night.
Brought this to my neighborhood block party and people were coming back for slices 20 minutes after I set it down. I thought a 2.5 hour cook time was going to be a pain but most of that is chill time, so I was able to run errands while the tart set. Zero stress, maximum payoff.
As someone who’s only ever made boxed brownies before, I was intimidated by the medium difficulty rating but this was so doable! I messed up the first batch of ganache because I heated the cream too fast but the second batch came out perfect. My roommates are convinced I’m a professional baker now lmao. SO good.
The flavor is excellent, but I found the cook time listed to be a little off. My tart was fully set in 1 hour 45 minutes total, so I’m glad I checked it early instead of waiting the full 2.5 hours. Might adjust the temp a tiny bit for my oven next time, but overall a solid recipe.
I’ve tried like 4 different chocolate tart recipes and this is by far the best one. The crust is buttery and not too thick, the ganache is perfectly smooth, and it’s rich enough that a small slice is totally satisfying. Made it for my book club and everyone asked for seconds, even the person who ‘doesn’t like chocolate’ (weirdo, but even she loved it).
Made this with my 10 year old for her school bake sale and we sold out in 15 minutes! She helped press the crust into the pan and stir the ganache, and she was so proud to tell people she made it. We charged $4 a slice and made enough to cover her class field trip costs. Can’t beat that!
Tested this with coconut cream instead of heavy cream and dairy free dark chocolate to make it vegan for my sister’s birthday, and it was a hit! The coconut flavor was super subtle, no one even realized it was vegan until we told them. Would absolutely make that swap again.
Just pulled this out of the fridge to chill for my dinner party tonight and the little test bite I took of the ganache has me so excited. It’s so smooth and chocolatey, I might have to hide it from my husband so he doesn’t eat half before guests arrive lmao.
Great recipe, just a heads up for anyone making this for the first time — make sure you chop your chocolate really fine before pouring the hot cream over it! I left my chunks a little too big and had to whisk forever to get all the lumps out, it still turned out fine but was way more work than it needed to be.
Added this to my Christmas dessert spread last year and it’s been requested by my entire extended family for every holiday since. It’s fancy enough to feel special but not so complicated that I’m stressed out making it while cooking a whole holiday dinner. 10/10, permanent spot on my holiday recipe list.
I know chocolate tart sounds indulgent, but a tiny slice is the perfect treat when I’m craving something sweet after a long week of workouts. No weird processed ingredients, just simple, real food, and it satisfies that chocolate craving completely without me binging a whole bag of candy. Total win for my balanced eating routine.
Tried to make this for a first date and burned the first batch of crust so bad my smoke alarm went off, oops. Ran to the store, grabbed a pre-made shortbread crust, used the ganache recipe from here, and my date thought I made the whole thing from scratch. They asked me out for a second date, so I’m counting this as a massive win. The ganache is that good, even with a store bought crust lmao.
I added a tablespoon of bourbon to the ganache like my grandma used to do in her chocolate pies, and y’all. It took this tart to a whole new level. Served it with a dollop of bourbon whipped cream and my husband said it’s the best thing I’ve ever baked, and we’ve been married 22 years so that’s saying something!
Made this on Sunday for meal prep dessert for the week and it held up perfectly in the fridge! I cut it into individual slices and stored them in airtight containers, and it tasted just as good on Friday as it did on day one. Perfect for when you want a little sweet treat after dinner without having to cook every night.