The Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart
Prepare to fall head over heels for this Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart. It’s a symphony of rich, dark chocolate and luscious, buttery caramel, all nestled within a crisp, chocolatey pastry shell. This dessert is elegance personified, yet surprisingly simple to create, making it perfect for any occasion that calls for a little indulgence.
Imagine a deeply satisfying slice, where the slight snap of the chocolate ganache gives way to the gooey, sweet-salty caramel, all balanced by that tender, crumbly crust.
Recipe Details
- Flavor Profile: Deep chocolate, sweet and salty caramel, buttery pastry.
- Textures: Crisp and crumbly crust, smooth ganache, gooey caramel.
- Total Active Time: Approximately 45 minutes (plus chilling time).
- Total Time: Approximately 3 hours 45 minutes (including chilling and setting).
- Difficulty: Intermediate.
What You’ll Need
For this divine tart, you’ll be creating a decadent chocolate pastry shell, a shimmering salted caramel filling, and a silky smooth chocolate ganache topping. Each component brings its own magic to create a truly memorable dessert experience.
Ingredient Notes
- Plain Flour/All Purpose Flour: This forms the backbone of our crisp pastry, providing structure.
- Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder is essential for that deep chocolate flavor in the crust.
- Caster Sugar: Fine-grained caster sugar dissolves easily, ensuring a tender pastry and a smooth caramel.
- Cold Unsalted Butter: Crucial for a flaky, tender pastry. Freezing it beforehand makes it easier to incorporate and achieve that perfect texture.
- Cold Milk: Just enough to bring the dough together; too much can make the pastry tough.
- Unsalted Butter (for caramel): Adds richness and a lovely smooth texture to the caramel.
- Double Cream/Heavy Cream: Used in both the caramel and ganache, it brings luxurious creaminess. Warming it slightly helps it incorporate smoothly.
- Vanilla Bean Paste/Extract: Enhances the depth of flavor in the caramel.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the richness of the chocolate and caramel. Use flaky sea salt for finishing.
- Dark Chocolate: Opt for a good quality dark chocolate with at least 60% cocoa solids for the best flavor.
Add-ins and Substitutions
While this tart is perfect as is, you might consider a pinch of espresso powder in the ganache to deepen the chocolate flavor, or perhaps a sprinkle of toasted chopped nuts on top for an added crunch. For a slightly different twist, a good quality milk chocolate could be used for the ganache, but it will be much sweeter.
How to Make Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart
Creating this showstopper is a joy, and breaking it down into manageable steps makes it even easier.
First, we’ll craft the chocolate pastry shell. In a food processor or a bowl, combine the plain flour, cocoa powder, caster sugar, and salt. Then, add the cold, cubed butter. Blitz or mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs or has a sandy texture. Gradually add the cold milk, mixing just until the dough starts to come together. Be careful not to overmix.
- Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap it in cling film, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. This chilling time is essential for a tender pastry.
- Once chilled, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and carefully line your tart tin, pressing it gently into the edges and trimming any excess.
- Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork. This is called docking, and it helps prevent the pastry from puffing up during baking. Chill the lined tart tin for another 30 to 60 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 170°C fan / 190°C conventional. Line the chilled tart shell with parchment paper and fill it with baking beans or uncooked rice for blind baking. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Carefully remove the parchment paper and baking beans. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and looks dry.
- Let the tart shell cool completely on a wire rack. This is very important before adding the fillings.
While the shell cools, let’s prepare the luscious salted caramel. In a saucepan, melt the 200g caster sugar over medium heat until it turns into a beautiful amber liquid. Be patient; don’t stir it too early.
- Once amber, carefully stir in the 60g unsalted butter. It will bubble up. Then, slowly whisk in the warmed double cream, followed by the vanilla bean paste or extract and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Whisk until the mixture is smooth. If the caramel seizes up a little, don’t worry! Just keep whisking gently over low heat until it smooths out.
- Pour this glorious salted caramel into the completely cooled tart shell and allow it to set.
Finally, we’ll make the rich chocolate ganache. Heat the 300ml double cream in a microwave or saucepan until it’s just steaming.
- Pour the hot cream over the roughly chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let it sit undisturbed for about a minute to allow the chocolate to begin melting.
- Gently whisk the mixture until it becomes beautifully smooth and glossy.
- Pour this chocolate ganache over the set caramel layer in the tart shell and spread it evenly.
- Chill the tart until the ganache is firm.
Recipe Tips
- Chill is Key: Don’t skip the chilling times for the dough; they are crucial for a flaky and manageable pastry.
- Blind Baking Perfection: Using parchment paper and weights prevents the pastry from shrinking or puffing up, ensuring an even base.
- Caramel Patience: Melting sugar for caramel requires a little patience. Resist the urge to stir, and watch for that lovely amber color.
- Smooth Ganache: Ensuring your cream is hot enough but not boiling is key to a smooth, emulsified ganache.
FAQs
- Can I make the pastry dough ahead of time? Yes, you can make the dough up to 2 days in advance. Keep it well-wrapped in the refrigerator.
- What if my caramel seizes? It’s a common occurrence! Just keep whisking it gently over low heat. The warmth will help the butter and cream incorporate back into the sugar.
- How do I know when the tart is set? The ganache will look firm to the touch and will no longer be liquid. The caramel layer should also feel somewhat set, not runny.
Serving Suggestions
This Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart is a star on its own, but a dollop of freshly whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream can elevate it further. A scattering of extra flaky sea salt just before serving is highly recommended to enhance those caramel notes.
Make This Recipe in Advance
This tart is a wonderful make-ahead dessert. You can prepare the chocolate pastry shell and bake it a day in advance, storing it in an airtight container at room temperature. The salted caramel can also be made a day ahead and gently rewarmed if needed before pouring into the shell. The ganache is best made closer to serving, but the assembled tart can be chilled for up to 2 days before serving.
Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart
- Total Time: Approximately 3 hours 45 minutes (including chilling and setting)
- Yield: 1 tart 1x
Description
Prepare to fall head over heels for this Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart. It’s a symphony of rich, dark chocolate and luscious, buttery caramel, all nestled within a crisp, chocolatey pastry shell. This dessert is elegance personified, yet surprisingly simple to create, making it perfect for any occasion that calls for a little indulgence.
Ingredients
185g plain flour/all purpose flour
30g cocoa powder
40g caster sugar
1/4tsp salt
120g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes and frozen for 30 minutes
60g cold milk of choice
200g caster sugar
60g unsalted butter
350ml double cream/heavy cream, (warmed in the microwave/saucepan)
1tsp vanilla bean paste/extract
1tsp salt
250g dark chocolate, or your favourite chocolate bar (roughly chopped)
300ml double cream/heavy cream
Cocoa powder for dusting
Flaky sea salt
Instructions
Combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, and sugar in a food processor or bowl. Add cold, cubed butter and blitz or mix until sandy or lumpy. Stir in cold milk until the dough just comes together.
Form the dough into a disc, wrap, and chill for at least 3 hours.
Roll out the chilled dough, line a tart tin, press into the edges, and trim any excess. Dock the pastry with a fork, then chill for 30-60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 170’C fan/190’C conventional. Blind bake the tart shell for 20 minutes, then remove the paper and weights and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden.
Let the shell cool completely before filling.
For the caramel, melt 200g caster sugar in a saucepan until amber, then carefully stir in 60g unsalted butter, warmed 350ml double cream, vanilla, and 1tsp salt until smooth. If caramel seizes, whisk over low heat until smooth.
Pour the caramel into the cooled tart shell and let it set.
For the ganache, heat 300ml double cream until just steaming, then pour over chopped chocolate. Let sit for a minute, then whisk until smooth. Pour the ganache over the set caramel and spread evenly.
Chill until set, then dust with cocoa powder and flaky sea salt before serving.
Notes
Don’t skip the chilling times for the dough; they are crucial for a flaky and manageable pastry.
Using parchment paper and weights prevents the pastry from shrinking or puffing up, ensuring an even base.
Melting sugar for caramel requires a little patience. Resist the urge to stir, and watch for that lovely amber color.
Ensuring your cream is hot enough but not boiling is key to a smooth, emulsified ganache.
- Prep Time: Approximately 45 minutes
- Cook Time: Approximately 35-40 minutes (blind baking)
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: N/A
Nutrition
- Calories: N/A
- Fat: N/A
- Carbohydrates: N/A
- Protein: N/A
