Authentic French Chocolate Tart Recipe (Tarte au Chocolat)
This authentic French chocolate tart recipe (Tart au chocolat) is decadent and surprisingly easy to make. It is the perfect ending to any meal, and it is any chocolate lover’s dream.
A baked tart shell (pâte sucrée) is filled with silky and rich dark chocolate ganache, et voila! Just like that, you have a beautiful and tasty dessert that will wow your family and friends.
Jump to RecipeWhat Kind Of Tart Pan Should You Use?
I recommend using a 9 inch tart pan (23 cm tart pan) with a removable bottom for this recipe. This isn’t necessary if you don’t have one. But, it does make it so much easier to remove the tart crust for filling.
If you don’t have tart pan with a removable bottom, you can still achieve a crispy tart crust with a 9 – 9 1/2 inch metal pie tin. It will change your presentation slightly, but it will still taste just as good!
Tart Shell Recipe
The tart shell recipe is a basic pâte sucrée recipe with some of the flour substituted with 100% unsweetened cocoa powder. If you prefer a buttery crust to tone down the chocolate flavor a bit, you can use a basic pâte sucrée recipe. All you need to do is omit the 1/4 cup of cocoa powder, and replace it with 1/4 cup of all purpose flour. Easy!
A pâte sucrée crust is similar to a shortbread crust, and a staple recipe in French baking. When you are making the dough, scoop the flour and butter mixture into cupped hands, and press the mixture between your fingertips until it resembles a sandy mixture. You will want to work quickly so that the butter stays cold.
Once you add the egg and heavy cream mixture, be careful not to overwork the dough, as it will become tough.
This recipe calls for blind baking the tart shell. To “blind bake” refers to when an unfilled tart shell is baked completely prior to being filled.
Chocolate Ganache Filling
This French chocolate tart is filled with a rich and smooth chocolate ganache. Making a chocolate ganache is easy. Melted chocolate and heavy whipping cream come together to create a perfectly smooth filling that sets up effortlessly well when cooled. It is as simple as that.
For the best results, you should always use the highest quality ingredients you can find. I like to use a high quality unsalted butter (Président or Kerrygold) for the tart shell, and very good quality chocolate (Valrohona or Ghiradelli) for the ganache.
What Type Of Chocolate Should You Use?
Using good quality chocolate is the most important thing here. The chocolate ganache plays such an integral part of this tart, so you don’t want to skimp with this ingredient.
I prefer using a bittersweet, dark, or semisweet chocolate. Valrhona chocolate is the preferred brand among Pastry chefs. It comes as a bag of chocolate wafers, and is considered to be of the best quality. You won’t go wrong with this brand. It can be ordered online through King Arthur Baking, or also through Amazon. Just keep in mind that the weather where you are might affect the condition that your chocolate is in when it arrives!
That being said, Valrhona chocolate is also quite pricey. For this reason, my preference is to use Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips for this recipe. They are great quality, and also readily available at my nearby grocery store. The small pieces make it simple when it is time to melt the chocolate, and no chopping is necessary! I have never been disappointed in the end result.
If you are using a high quality chocolate bar, be sure to chop it into small pieces. Chopped chocolate, or chocolate in small pieces, melts more easily and evenly when making the ganache.
If you are a milk chocolate lover, you can use a good quality milk chocolate here. Just keep in mind that if you do use a milk chocolate instead of a dark chocolate, you will end up with ganache that is more liquid-y because of the overall increased dairy content in the chocolate mixture. So, you will likely have to add more chocolate to the melted chocolate mixture to achieve the right consistency.
French Chocolate Tart Recipe (Tart au Chocolat)
Equipment
- 1 small bowl
- 1 large bowl
Ingredients
Tart Shell
- 2 3/4 cups 345 g all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup 30 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup 100 g powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp fleur de sel
- 1 cup 2 sticks or 225g cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup 80 ml heavy whipping cream
Chocolate Ganache Filling
- 6 ounces 60% cocoa Ghiradelli chocolate chips
- 1 cup 240 ml heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Making The Tart Shell
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and heavy whipping cream, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter. Using your hands, gently toss the flour mixture over the butter to coat.
- Once the mixture is a crumbly texture, drizzle the egg and cream mixture over it and combine with a fork, until no dry flour is visible. It will likely be sticky at this point. But, don't worry, it will come together.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. You should coat the outside so that it no longer sticky. Be sure not too add too much excess flour. You will want to stop just when it is easy to handle without sticking to your fingers.
- Divide the dough in half, and wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and form into a disk. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before using. If you are not planning on using it right away, wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Alternatively, wrap it in two layers of plastic wrap, place in a freezer zip bag, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Remove one dough disk from the refrigerator, and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough into an approximately 13 inch diameter circle (about 1/8 inch thickness). This gives a 2 inch (2 cm) border for the sides of the tart. To check sizing, you can gently place your tart pan right on top of the circle to ensure that you have excess dough for the border.
- Once you are satisfied with the size, starting at one end of the circle, gently place the rolling pin on top, and roll the dough around the pin like a roll of tape. You can use this transfer the dough to the tin without tearing it. Again, starting on one side of the tin, gently unroll the dough onto the tin.
- Lightly press the tart dough into the tart pan, focusing on the corners, and working up the sides of the tin. Don't worry if it tears, you can easily patch it up with some excess dough.
- Use the rolling pin to roll over the tin and remove any excess dough hanging over the edges. Place the tart tin and dough in the refrigerator for 25 minutes to chill.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees Celcius).
- After 25 minutes, remove the tin from the refrigerator, and using a fork, make pricks in the dough covering the bottom of the tin. This will prevent it from bubbling up during baking, and you won’t need to use pie weights!
- Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove the tart crust from the oven, and allow to cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the tart crust from the pan by placing your hand in the center of the pan, and allowing the ring to fall down your arm. You can remove the bottom of the tin if you wish. The tart should slide off easily. But, if it needs coaxing, gently run a sharp knife between the crust and the bottom of the pan to remove the pan's base. Place the tart back on a wire rack to finish cooling completely before filling.
Making the Chocolate Ganache Filling
- While the tart shell is cooling, place the chocolate chips or pieces in a medium bowl.
- Heat the heavy cream over a low to medium heat, until it begins to simmer. You need to keep a close eye on the cream. If it boils over, you will end up with a huge mess! Remove the heavy cream from the heat and immediately pour it over the chocolate pieces, ensuring that all the pieces are covered.
- Allow the cream and chocolate to sit for about 5 minutes, until the chocolate pieces begin to melt. Starting in the center, whisk gently, gradually building up speed, until it is all incorporated. It should resemble a thick and glossy chocolate sauce.
Filling the Tart Shell
- Carefully pour the chocolate ganache into the cooled tart shell. Using an off set spatula, or knife, smooth the surface of the ganache, and allow to cool completely. You can leave it out on the counter top overnight to cool, or if you are in a hurry, place it in the refrigerator to cool.
Notes
Serving Suggestion
This French chocolate tart is best eaten at room temperature, in order to get the maximum flavor and texture. So, if you do chose to refrigerate it, take it out about 1-2 hours prior to serving.
Garnishing
You can garnish the beautiful chocolate tart in so many different ways. You can keep it simple with a dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder, or you can add fresh strawberries or raspberries with a sprig of mint. A few strategically placed roasted nuts would also look nice.
I like to drizzle any excess ganache over the top and sprinkle with just a tiny bit of fleur de sel. The salt really brings out the chocolate flavor, and it looks pretty too. Just be careful not to overdo it!
This chocolate tart is delicious on its own. But, it would also be nice served with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
It would also be nicely accented served with a cup of coffee, or a digestif, like Grand Marnier or Cointreu.
I really hope that you enjoy making this French chocolate tart recipe. I know that you will enjoy eating it!
Let me know in the comments if you make it, and what you chose for garnishing!
If you are looking for another great chocolate dessert, try my Authentic Chocolate Truffles!
