Chocolate Tart from Gjelina
A chocoholic's dream dessert. Some planning ahead is required, as you'll need to make the crust at least 4 hours before you plan to serve the tart, however it is well worth the wait! This tart is pure chocolate-y decadence.
Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (50 grams) almond meal
- ½ cup (50 grams) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- ½ cup (110 grams) ground pine nuts (or pistachios or pecans)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup (225 grams / 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
Chocolate Filling
- 1 cup (225 grams / 2 sticks) butter
- 2 ½ ounce (70 grams) dark chocolate (73-77% cacao) broken into chunks
- 1 ½ tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder*
- 1 cup (200 grams) packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
For serving (optional)
- Whipped cream and pomegranate seeds
Instructions
Crust
- Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, almond meal, pine nuts, and sea salt.
- Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium speed using a mixer.
- Add the flour mixture, mix at low speed until just combined.
- Transfer the dough to a large sheet of parchment paper, then place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough. Roll out the dough into a 12-13 inch circle, about ⅛ inch thick.
- Butter a 9 or 10-inch round springform pan. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- After chilling, preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the tart shell for 10-15 minutes, until it is firm to your touch. The crust may slouch down a little as it bakes - Travis advises you not to worry - I just gently pressed my slouched dough back up once I took it out of the oven. Let it cool completely.
Filling
- Turn down the oven to 325 F [or pre-heat if you made the crust in advance].
- Place the butter and chocolate chunks in a bowl, microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat 30-second microwave+stirring process until completely melted and smooth [about 2-3 minutes total time microwaving].**
- Stir in the cocoa powder, then the brown sugar and salt. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat mixture until smooth and shiny.
- Add eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. The final mixture should be shiny and smooth.
- Pour the filling into the tart pan and bake until the filling puffs up a little and the surface is shiny, about 35 minutes. The center should not jiggle when you shake the pan.
- Remove from oven and cool in pan on a wire rack for 45 minutes.
- Remove the sides of the pan, slice and serve [with whipped cream and pomegranate seeds, if desired].
Notes
*I used Hershey's Dark Cocoa here.
**Instead of using a microwave, you could use the double boiler method described in the cookbook. I didn't find there to be any discernible advantage, but that's just me.
Set a large heatproof bowl [or the top piece of a double boiler] over 1 inch of water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add butter and chocolate to the bowl, stirring occasionally as they melt, until the sauce is smooth.
Whisk in the cocoa powder, then the brown sugar and salt. Continue whisking until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture looks shiny. Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. The final mixture should be shiny and smooth.
Storage: If your tart lasts that long, it can be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for about 5 days (bring it to room temp or eat cold) or pre-sliced and kept in the freezer for a couple months.
**Instead of using a microwave, you could use the double boiler method described in the cookbook. I didn't find there to be any discernible advantage, but that's just me.
Set a large heatproof bowl [or the top piece of a double boiler] over 1 inch of water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add butter and chocolate to the bowl, stirring occasionally as they melt, until the sauce is smooth.
Whisk in the cocoa powder, then the brown sugar and salt. Continue whisking until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture looks shiny. Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. The final mixture should be shiny and smooth.
Storage: If your tart lasts that long, it can be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for about 5 days (bring it to room temp or eat cold) or pre-sliced and kept in the freezer for a couple months.