Your weekly chocolate fix in the form of an easy chocolate tart is right here. It stays for days in the fridge, not that it will actually last that long. The simple ganache filling is elevated to an untimate showstopper standard by the addition of dark chocolate decorations which are nothing but melted chocolate, set in beautiful molds.
The easy chocolate tart is simpler than it looks and tastier than it sounds. A slice of this tart is the perfect treat you gift to yourself after a hard week of labour. You deserve it!
The filling can be customised to your taste by a variety of options. Add orange zest or lemon zest for a citrus-y finish, a tsp of instant coffee powder for a mocha twist, fold in nuts or berries for a delicious bite. It’s totally left to your imagination. If you’d like a no-bake tart, you could use a biscuit crust for the base instead of a baked crust. A store bought ready crust is also fine.
For the decorations, you could use white or milk chocolate as well or a combination.
If you love chocolate as much as I do, you should check out this Chocolate, almond and strawberry cake or this Chocolate Mousse Cake
Easy Chocolate Tart
Makes an 8 inch round tart
For the pastry
1 cup (125 g) plain/all purpose flour
1/4 cup, icing sugar mixture
1/2 cup (114 g) chilled butter, roughly chopped
1 egg yolk
Chocolate ganache filling
1 cup (240 ml) thickened cream
12 oz (340 g) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter
1 tbsp orange zest (optional)
Chocolate Designs
7 0z (200 g) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Make the pastry: process the flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and process until mixture just comes together. Gently knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Shape into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest.
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 3 mm-thick disc. Line an 8 inch fluted tart pan with a removable base with the pastry. Trim edges. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (180 degrees C fan-forced). Place the tart pan on an baking tray. Line with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or dried rice or beans. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove paper and weights and bake for a further 15-18 minutes or until pastry is golden and completely cooked. Remove from oven. Allow to cool completely.
Make the chocolate filling : While the tart crust is cooling, make the filling. Warm the cream in a medium saucepan over low heat until about to boil (do not boil). Remove from heat, add the chocolate. Leave aside whilst stirring intermittently until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Add the butter, mix. Add the orange zest, if using and stir.
Allow the mixture to cool down to room temperature. Pour carefully into the baked crust. Place the tart into the fridge and allow to set, about 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
Make the chocolate decorations: In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the dark chocolate pieces on low for 20 seconds, then remove and stir. Return the bowl to the microwave and repeat the process until all the chocolate has melted and has turned into a smooth liquid. Alternatively, the chocolate can be melted in a heatproof bowl that is placed over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water).
Spoon or pipe the chocolate carefully into silicone molds that is placed on a small baking sheet or plate for ease of movement into the fridge. For the leaves I used the 3 leaf mold and for the flowers, I used the crysanthemum mold. Both are from my store on the tab in the menu above. Chill in the fridge to set, about 30 minutes. Then, gently unmold and store in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.
To assemble : Once the chocolate ganache filling has set, place the chocolate decorations on top. Keep the tart in the fridge until ready to serve. Place it on a serving plate at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to serving. Slice and enjoy!
