Description
This Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart features a rich chocolate shortcrust pastry filled with a luscious homemade salted caramel and topped with a silky dark chocolate ganache. Finished with a dusting of cocoa powder and flaky sea salt, it’s an indulgent dessert perfect for special occasions or chocolate lovers looking for a decadent treat.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chocolate Shortcrust Pastry
- 185g plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 30g cocoa powder
- 40g caster sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 120g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes and frozen for 30 minutes
- 60g cold milk of choice
For the Salted Caramel
- 200g caster sugar
- 60g unsalted butter
- 350ml double cream (heavy cream), warmed
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 tsp salt
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 250g dark chocolate (or your favourite chocolate bar), roughly chopped
- 300ml double cream (heavy cream)
To Finish
- Cocoa powder for dusting
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the chocolate shortcrust pastry: In a food processor, add flour, cocoa powder, salt, and caster sugar, then blitz to combine. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the mixture has a sandy texture with small butter lumps. Pour in the cold milk and pulse briefly until the dough comes together. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, press it together into a disc, wrap tightly in cling film, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Roll out and blind bake the pastry: Flour your surface and rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 3mm thickness, roughly 2 inches larger than your 10-inch tart tin. Drape the dough over your rolling pin and carefully place it in the tart tin. Press into the edges, trim excess dough, dock the base with a fork, then cover and chill for 30-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 170°C fan (190°C conventional). Line the tart with baking paper, add baking beans or dried rice to weigh it down, and blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove beans and paper, then bake for an additional 15 minutes until firm. Cool for 15 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the salted caramel: Melt the caster sugar in a medium-low heat saucepan without stirring, gently moving the pan if needed to melt evenly. Once the sugar reaches a deep amber color, quickly add the butter, followed by warmed double cream, vanilla bean paste, and salt. Whisk continuously over low heat until smooth, using a lid and occasional whisking if caramel crystallizes. Optimal temperature for caramel is 113°C (235°F). Allow caramel to cool slightly before pouring it into the cooled tart shell. Let it reach room temperature, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours until set.
- Prepare the chocolate ganache: Place chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream over medium-low heat until just bubbling and steaming around the edges, then pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for 1 minute, then whisk slowly starting from the center outward until smooth and fully combined. Use a spatula to scrape any remaining chocolate from the bowl. Pour ganache over the chilled caramel layer, tilt the tart to spread evenly, and refrigerate until fully set.
- Finish and serve: Just before serving, dust the tart with cocoa powder and sprinkle with flaky sea salt for an extra pops of flavor and texture.
Notes
- Freezing the butter before incorporating it into the dough helps achieve a flaky texture.
- Blind baking prevents the tart shell from becoming soggy once filled.
- Be cautious when adding cream to hot caramel to avoid splattering.
- Using a cooking thermometer helps ensure perfect caramelization without burning.
- Reuse the baking beans/dried rice for future blind baking to save waste.
- Work quickly when spreading ganache as it thickens rapidly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8th of tart)
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 34g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 32g
- Saturated Fat: 19g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
