A decadent chocolate tart recipe should be in everybody's collection. A simple ganache or custard filling is delicious, but the recipe I have below is a little more time consuming with layers of flourless almond chocolate cake, a creamy ganache and shining chocolate icing - the result is well worth it!
CHOCOLATE SHORTCRUST PASTRY (for a 8" tart tin)
95g softened butter
70g icing sugar
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp salt
140g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
17g ground almonds
Beat the butter and sugar together then add the egg yolk and combine. Add the salt, flour, cocoa powder and almonds and mix to form a uniform paste. Flatten out, wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least a couple of hours (this could be overnight too).
Take the pastry out of the fridge for at least 30 mins before needed and pre-heat the oven to 140c (fan). Dust the work surface with cocoa powder and roll out to a thickness of 2mm. Line the pastry case, trimming off the edges, and prick the bottom to allow steam to be released. Cover the pastry with baking parchment or tin foil, fill with baking beans and blind bake. After 20 mins, remove the beans and cook for a further 10 mins to crisp up the base.
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
70g chocolate (70%)
35g ground almonds
1 egg yolk
20g butter
3 egg whites
30g caster sugar
Line a 9" cake tin with baking parchment and heat oven to 165c (fan). Melt the chocolate and butter either in a bain marie or microwave. Let this cool to room temperature and add the ground almonds and egg yolk.
Make a French meringue - whip the egg whites to stiff peaks then add the sugar and whip again until all of the sugar is incorporated. Mix a 1/3 of the meringue in to the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then fold in the rest being careful not to lose too much of the air. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 15 mins.
Take the cake out and once it has cooled cut to a diameter of 8", then line the cooled pastry case.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
3 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
250g full fat milk
125g dark chocolate (70%)
Whip the egg yolks and sugar together (this is known as 'blanching' the egg yolks). Bring the milk to the boil and pour a third in to the egg mixture, stirring it constantly, then pour this in to the milk pan. Cook on a low heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Pour the creme anglaise through a sieve into a bowl containing the broken up chocolate and mix gently. Pour the mixture in to the pastry case on top of the chocolate sponge and level off, leaving a 3mm gap from the top. Put in the fridge for an hour.
SHINY DARK CHOCOLATE ICING
8g leaf gelatine
120g water
100g double (heavy) cream
220g caster sugar
80g cocoa powder
Hydrate the gelatine in cold water for 20 mins. Bring the water, cream and sugar to the boil then add the drained gelatine, whisking this in. Add the cocoa powder and use a stick blender to completely incorporate it.
While still warm, pour the icing over the ganache and tilt the tart so that it spreads out to the edges. Put the tart back in to the fridge so that the icing sets.
Simon's Bakery is located in Tooting, south London, and I deliver across London, Surrey, Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk. I design luxury modern bespoke Swiss meringue buttercream and ganache wedding cakes and event cakes, characterised by a clean precise finish, with sharp edges, a bold use of colour and other modern design techniques to create interesting textures and shapes.
I draw on my years of cooking and baking experience to cakes that not only look stunning, but also taste amazing, experimenting with flavours and texture combinations to create a memorable taste sensation.
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