Chocolate Tart Recipe - David Lebovitz (2024)

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Chocolate Tart Recipe - David Lebovitz (1)

People are often fascinated by what, and how I eat. They think that if you’re a baker, you spend all your time eating pastries. Which is like thinking that bartenders spend all their time drinking.

Chocolate Tart Recipe - David Lebovitz (2)

My not-so-secret strategy is that whenever I eat something, I want it to be the best of its genre. I don’t want or need a ton of cream or whatever; when I want a chocolate chip cookie, I want a really, really good chocolate chip cookie. If I eat a scoop of chocolate ice cream, it shouldn’t taste vaguely of chocolate. I want it to be full-on chocolate.

Chocolate Tart Recipe - David Lebovitz (3) Chocolate Tart Recipe - David Lebovitz (4)

And when I eat chocolate tart, I just want the rich flavor of chocolate set atop a buttery shell. You can skip all the fanfare. A good chocolate tart doesn’t need to be fancy, but it needs to be deep, dark, and yes, somewhat decadent. I just put together a quick pâte brisée using a cup of flour (140g), a generous pinch of sugar, and a bit of salt. I rubbed in about 3 ounces (90g) butter until it was in little pieces, that added just enough ice water until it came together. (If you want a more specific recipe, try the excellent French tart dough.) I left the dough to rest a bit, then rolled it out and pre-baked it with beans that I keep on hand for baking tart doughs. Once baked, in went the filling.

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Chocolate Tart Recipe - David Lebovitz (7)Chocolate Tart Recipe - David Lebovitz (8)

This tart is a great combination of silky-smooth chocolate with a dense bite. The caramel gives it a chewy texture and the unsweetened chocolate counterbalances any sweetness. I add coffee since I like the extra jolt of flavor, but you can omit it, or perhaps play around with other flavors that you like with chocolate. I think orange juice, black tea, or even just ratcheting up the liquor (use some in place of some of the liquid) would give it a nice kick.

Chocolate Tart Recipe - David Lebovitz (9) Chocolate Tart Recipe - David Lebovitz (10)

I served it plain, without whipped cream and without ice cream, just as is. French people are usually pretty good at telling you what they think – sometimes with brutal honestly – and I served it for dessert the other night and no one had anything but raves for this one. In fact, the best accolades it got was that it was even better the next day, for breakfast. Although I’ll admit, those were from me.

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Chocolate Tart

Unsweetened chocolate is often labeled as 99% or 100% cacao, or bitter (as opposed to bittersweet) chocolate and it’s easy to find at any supermarket in America. In France, it’s called pâte de cacao. (In Paris, you can find it at G. Detou, in bulk.) If it’s not possible to find it where you live, you could likely get away with just using 6 ounces (170 g) of the darkest bittersweet chocolate you can find.For those new to making caramel, you can check out my post How to Make the Perfect Caramel, as well as 10 Tips for Making Caramel, to help you out and to advise with any precautions.

  • 1 1/4 cup (250g) sugar
  • 6 tablespoons (90ml) warm coffee
  • 4 ounces (115g) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 4 ounces (115g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 ounces (55g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup (35g) flour
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cm One 9- or 10-inch prebaked tart shell, 23– 25 cm, such as French tart dough
  • Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC.)

  • Spread the sugar in an even layer in the bottom of a large, heavy-duty saucepan or Dutch oven. Cook the sugar over moderate heat until the edges liquefy and being to caramelize. Use a heatproof utensil to gently drag the liquefied sugar toward the center of the pan, encouraging the sugar to melt evenly.

  • Once the sugar is melted, it was caramelize rather quickly. When it starts to smoke, but before it burns, turn off the heat and stir in the coffee. (The mixture will bubble and seize a bit. Be sure to avert your face and you may wish to wear oven mitts.)

  • If the caramel has seized up in places, stir it gently over low heat until smooth. Then add the butter and salt, and stir until melted, then stir in both chocolates until smooth*.

  • Mix in the eggs, then the flour. Stir in the rum or vanilla extract.

  • Pour the mixture into the pre-baked tart shell, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes, just until the filling starts to rise and crack at the edges but the center is still jiggly. Do not overbake.

  • Remove from oven and let cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Storage: Tart will keep for up to three days at room temperature, well-wrapped.

Troubleshooting: If any bits of caramel remain after adding the butter, simply stir the mixture over very low heat until they’re all completely dissolved. If any stubborn little bits remain, you can strain the buttery caramel through a mesh sieve, before adding the chocolate.

*One reader noted that they felt the mixture was too hot to add the eggs right after the chocolate, but I didn’t have any trouble. If you wish, you may let the mixture cool down a bit before adding the eggs.

Chocolate Tart Recipe - David Lebovitz (11)

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Chocolate Tart Recipe - David Lebovitz (2024)

FAQs

What are the six tart baking tips? ›

Here are 6 of Kirsten's best quick tips in tart making:
  1. Don't over mix your pastry dough.
  2. Chill your dough before you start rolling it out.
  3. Make sure your pastry goes into the corners of your tart shell.
  4. Don't grease your shells.
  5. Chill again and refrigerate!
  6. Choose Silikomart.

What is chocolate tart made of? ›

Chocolate tart, also known as chocolate cream pie, is a dessert consisting of dark chocolate, cream and eggs, beaten together, poured into a crisp, sweetened pastry shell and baked until firm. It is considered a form of custard tart because it includes an egg-based filling.

What does tart mean in baking? ›

: a small pie or pastry shell without a top containing jelly, custard, or fruit. b. : a small pie made of pastry folded over a filling.

What are the 4 types of tarts? ›

There are four main types of tarts: fruit tarts, custard tarts, chocolate tarts, and savory tarts.

How do you know when a tart is done? ›

Once you've successfully got it in there, you can relax and let it bake for 20-30 minutes. You will know the tart is done when you can gently nudge the tin and the mix wobbles like set jelly.

What makes a tart different from a pie? ›

The main difference is that tarts only have a bottom crust, and the crust is much thicker than a pie crust. Galettes – This is basically a pie made without using a pie dish, but because that would be too simple galettes can be made with any type of pastry dough.

What is the base of a tart made of? ›

Description. Tarts are typically free-standing with firm pastry base consisting of dough, itself made of flour, thick filling, and perpendicular sides while pies may have softer pastry, looser filling, and sloped sides, necessitating service from the pie plate.

What is a tart slang for a girl? ›

In the 19th century, tart was British slang for "pretty woman." Some believe it is a shortening of "sweetheart." But by the end of that century, tart described a prostitute, something many language scholars trace back to the tart that you get at the bakery.

What is blind baking a tart? ›

Many sweet and savory pie recipes require pre-baking or "blind baking" a crust. No one really knows where the term got its name, but "blind" baking a crust means baking it without a filling.

What are the 5 baking techniques? ›

The Five Basic Baking Techniques
  • Creaming Method. One baking technique stands out as a fundamental building block for countless delicious treats—the creaming method. ...
  • Mix It All Together. ...
  • Melt, Mix and Bake. ...
  • Rubbing-In Method. ...
  • Whisking Method.
Sep 26, 2023

What are the 5 tips for pie perfection? ›

5 Tips To Make The Perfect Pie, From America's Test Kitchen
  1. Measure By Weight, Not Volume.
  2. Don't Overwork Your Pie Dough.
  3. Keep The Dough Cool.
  4. Pretreat The Filling (And The Crust)
  5. Be Patient Before Serving.
Nov 26, 2019

What are the 7 mixing techniques in pastry making? ›

We're here to help you understand all the methods and when to use each one.
  1. Blending. This can be done using several different instruments from an electric mixer to simpler tools like spoons, whisks, and rubber spatulas. ...
  2. Folding. ...
  3. Beating. ...
  4. Cutting. ...
  5. Creaming. ...
  6. Kneading. ...
  7. Whipping. ...
  8. Stirring.
Jul 28, 2021

What does 6 handling the dough too much do to the pastry? ›

Handling the dough too much.

Yes, the pastry usually needs to be rolled out, cut, and shaped, but when handled too much, the cooked pastry can turn out tough instead of light and crisp.

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