Dark chocolate tart, I’ve always had a soft spot for classic, no-frills desserts. Something is comforting and satisfying about a recipe that’s stood the test of time.
My go-to is a Drak Chocolate Tart with Bourbon Truffles. It’s simple, elegant, and packed with rich, authentic flavors.
For me, traditional baking is more than just a culinary pursuit. It’s a way to connect with my roots, appreciate the time-honored techniques passed down through generations, and find comfort in the familiar. A sense of belonging comes from baking a recipe cherished by countless others.
The phrase “plain good old traditional baking at its best” perfectly encapsulates this feeling. It reminds us that sometimes, the simplest things are the most satisfying. A well-executed tart or a perfectly risen loaf of bread are culinary treasures that stand the test of time.
I love to savor the simple, in a world filled with processed foods and artificial flavors, traditional baking offers a refreshing return to simplicity. The focus is on the natural flavors and textures of the ingredients, without unnecessary additives or preservatives.
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Wafers: A Sweet Indulgence
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Wafers are a versatile and delicious treat with rich, intense chocolate flavor. These wafers are perfect for various culinary applications, from baking and dipping to creating decadent desserts.
- Dipping: Dip strawberries, pretzels, or marshmallows into melted wafers for a sweet and indulgent treat.
- Baking: Add them to cookies, brownies, or cakes for a rich chocolate flavor.
- Truffles: Create homemade truffles by rolling melted wafers into balls and coating them with cocoa powder
- Chocolate Bark: Melt the wafers and combine them with nuts, dried fruit, or other ingredients.
Sweet Dough/Pâte Sucrée:
Sweet dough, called in French, Pate Sucrée pronounced (pat-sue-cray), is a crust for many desserts. Its principal ingredients are flour, eggs, butter, and sugar. Sweet and tender the taste and texture of Pate Sucrée reminds one of shortbread or cookies. This recipe uses almond powder and eggs for added richness and a cookie-like texture.
How to make Pate Sucrée:
Follow the link for the fantastic step-by-step training video on how to make Pate Sucrée / Sweet Dough.
The video link and recipe for the sweet dough are provided by the Butter Book and published with the permission of Chef Jaquay Pfeiffer and Chef Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F. the founders of the French Pastry School.
Fraser the Dough:
Fraser sounds so French and so very sophisticated. It is not, in a nutshell, Fraser is a very simple technique. The technique is used when making certain doughs by hand. Using the back of your plan you push down the dough. This recipe uses a flat-edge dough scraper and scrapes the dough on the table toward you.
By scraping or smearing the dough after you’ve mixed it you elongate the pieces of butter in the dough, it brings the dough together and ensures that the dough is lump-free. When mixing the sweet dough, its consistency should be firm, yet you should not overmix it or Fraser it too much, you will develop gluten.
Why use Cake Flour:
How much gluten is in your flour has a great deal to do with how your flour performs in your kitchen. Cake flour is the lowest in gluten of all flours so it enables you to make batter cakes and tarts. Once you mix flour with water, knead, and stretch it, you form gluten which gives your dough a chewy elastic texture. That’s exactly what I’m looking for when I bake bread. That is why I use bread flour for bread baking because it has a high percentage of gluten. However, when I bake pastry or tarts I don’t want that chewy elastic texture.
Craving a taste of the Great Lakes?
Michigan Cherry Tart
A seasonal delight, featuring juicy, sweet cherries baked into a buttery, flaky crust.
Made with the same classic pâte sucrée recipe, this tart is a perfect balance of tart and sweet, sure to satisfy your cravings.
Double the dough recipe makes sense since the dough holds up extremely well in the freezer:
I always double the dough recipe for two round 9-inch tart molds or two rectangular tart molds. I freeze 1/2 of the raw sweet dough in plastic wrap, in an airtight plastic container or plastic bag, and store it for up to 1 month. To defrost, I transfer the sweet dough to the refrigerator for 24 hours before rolling it out. The dough will need to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour after rolling and shaping in the tart pan.
Knowing your Oven.
Over the years, I’ve learned that my oven is the most important piece of equipment when it comes to baking. I’ve had a few ovens in my time, and I’ve found that not all thermostats are created equal. Some ovens run hotter or cooler than they say they do, so it’s always a good idea to check the temperature with an oven thermometer. To do this, simply preheat your oven to a set temperature and then place the thermometer in different spots inside the oven. You may find that there are hotter and cooler areas, so you’ll need to adjust your baking times accordingly.
I’ve also learned that rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking is a great way to ensure that your baked goods cook evenly. This is especially important if your oven has hotter and cooler areas.
For example, if I’m baking a cake, I’ll usually place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Then, halfway through baking, I’ll rotate the baking sheet so that the cake cooks evenly on all sides. I’ve found that this simple trick makes a big difference in the final product. My cakes are always evenly cooked and delicious!
Dark Chocolate Tart
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Sweet Dough
- 3 ounce confection sugar
- 8 ounce cake flour
- 4 ounce butter, unsalted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ounce almond flour
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 egg yolk
Ingredients for the Chocolate Filling
- 5 ounce milk 2%
- 8.5 ounce heavy cream
- 2 egg beaten
- 14 ounce Ghirardelli dark chocolate wafers
Instructions
Make the Sweet Dough
- Cream the room-temperature butter and salt in a stand mixer bowl at low speed for about 10 seconds using the paddle attachment4 ounce butter, unsalted, 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Add the vanilla and incorporate. Add the confection sugar and almond powder. Mix on low speed to combine. Then scrape the side of the bowl.3 ounce confection sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 ounce almond flour
- Now add the egg. Mix on low speed until combined. Then scrape the bowl. Mix in one-third of the flour and blend at low speed. Then mix in the remaining flour until it is well incorporated.1 egg, 8 ounce cake flour
Fraser the Dough
- Finally, to ensure the dough is lump-free, the next step is to Fraser the dough. Using the back of your hand, you push down the dough. This recipe uses a flat-edge dough scraper and scrapes the dough on the table toward you. By scraping or smearing the dough after you’ve mixed it, you elongate the pieces of butter in the dough, which brings the dough together and ensures that the dough is lump-free. When mixing the sweet dough, its consistency should be firm, yet you should not overmix it or Fraser it too much, you will develop gluten.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours or preferably overnight.
Roll the Dough into the Tart Tin.
- Scatter a light dusting of flour on your work surface, remove the dough from the fridge, and roll out slightly larger than the tart mold.
Preheat the Oven to 400 ℉ ( 200℃)
- Roll the dough into the tart tin, perforate the base with a fork to prevent the base from rising, and allow the pastry to rest in the refrigerator for a further 30 minutes.
- Place baking paper into the tart and fill with dry beans. Blind bake tart shell at 400 ℉ ( 200℃) for 10-15 minutes or until edges just start to brown slightly.
- Remove baking beans and baking paper, then continue baking for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the pastry is lightly browned. Lightly brush the pastry with the egg yolk to seal it evenly. Return the tart shell to the oven for 1-2 minutes to cook the egg yolk and seal the pastry. Remove from the oven and set aside.1 egg yolk
Reduce the Oven Temperatur to 350 ℉ ( 150℃)
Make the Filling and bake the Tart
- To a pan, add milk and cream, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, pour over the dark chocolate, stirring continuously until the chocolate has fully melted. Add eggs and fold together until fully and evenly incorporated. Pour mixture into the pre-baked tart shell and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature and serve.5 ounce milk 2%, 8.5 ounce heavy cream, 14 ounce Ghirardelli dark chocolate wafers, 2 egg
Chef Notes
- The recipe is for one round 9" tart. I always double the dough recipe for two round 9-inch tart molds or two rectangular tart molds.
- I freeze 1/2 of the raw sweet dough in plastic wrap, in an airtight plastic container or plastic bag, and store it for up to 1 month. To defrost, I transfer the sweet dough to the refrigerator for 24 hours before rolling it out. The dough will still need to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour after rolling and shaping.
- It is recommended to chill the sweet dough for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably overnight, to rest the sweet dough. Letting it rest cools the dough and allows the starch in the flour to absorb the moisture, making the dough rollable.
- Do not overmix the dough, overmixing will make the dough tough and rubbery and very difficult to roll out.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate