Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart
Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart is a lovely and delicious way to end any meal. The salted caramel filling tops a chocolate pie dough and the tart is then enrobed with a chocolate ganache. Sprinkled with flaky sea salt, it is a mouthwatering finale!
It can also be made ahead so that all you have to do is present it, cut and serve it!
This is a multi-step recipe. None are complicated but do take attention.
Let’s start with the crust. Whisk the cocoa, sugar, salt and flour in a bowl and add the diced butter. Use your fingers to disperse the butter (there shouldn’t be any large pieces) and should barely hold together when pressed.
Add the egg yolk and milk and use a fork to gradually incorporate.
Knead together in the bowl and then flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
Roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness dusting with flour to keep it from sticking. Don’t worry about too much flour on the top…once baked, it will be covered with the filling and you’ll never notice.
Slide the bottom of the tart pan under the dough and then fold it toward the center.
Lower the bottom of the tart pan into the pan and unfold the dough. Press the dough into the sides and bottom of the pan. The dough will be larger than the tart pan so use a rolling pin or knife to create a smooth edge all the way around (cut off the excess).
Prick the bottom of the dough and freeze for about 15 minutes and cover with foil or parchment and drop pie weights into the tart. Bake for about 20 minutes and transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
To make the filling, bring sugar, cream of tartar and water to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Keep cooking until the mixture turns deep amber (watch closely so it doesn’t burn) and then, off heat, stir in the butter a piece at a time. Gradually stir in the heavy cream and salt. Transfer to a measuring glass and let cool.
Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and chill for at least one hour.
For the ganache, melt the chocolate, cream and butter together in a bowl set over simmering water. Let cool until thick, about an hour.
Remove the tart from the refrigerator and scrape ganache over caramel. Either spread it smooth or use a spoon and gently create swooshes and swirls. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let it sit for 15 minutes or so until the ganache is set and then slice and devour!
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Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart
Makes: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes plus chill time 3-4 hours
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 12 tsp Diamond kosher salt
- 1 & 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 tbsp chilled milk or water
Filling:
- 1 & 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 6 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp Diamond kosher salt
Ganache:
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate (do not go above 70% cacao), finely chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
Crust:
Whisk cocoa, sugar, salt, and flour in a medium bowl. Add butter and toss to coat. Using your fingers, smash butter into dry ingredients until it nearly disappears (you shouldn’t see any large bits) and mixture holds together when squeezed—you’re working it more than you would pie dough. Make a well in the center and add yolk and milk. Using a fork, gradually incorporate flour mixture until you’ve got a shaggy dough. Knead a couple of times in bowl until no dry spots remain and dough is smooth. Flatten into a 3/4″-thick disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and chill until firm, about 2 hours. (You can make the caramel filling during this time.)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Let dough sit out of the fridge for 5 minutes to soften slightly. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 14″ round about 1/8″ thick, dusting with more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Lift dough on one edge and throw a pinch of flour on surface. Slide the removable bottom of tart pan under dough, positioning it roughly in the center.
Fold the edges of the rolled dough inward toward the center, working all the way around so it rests on top of the tart pan bottom. Then lower the bottom into the tart pan.
Unfold the edges so they gently slump against the sides of the tart pan and the excess dough is hanging over the edges. Press dough firmly into bottom of pan with floured hands, then use a straight-sided measuring cup to firmly press sides of dough into grooves and up sides of pan. Use a rolling pin over top edge of pan to shear off excess dough. Reserve dough scraps for patching any potential cracks later. Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork and chill in freezer until very firm, 10–15 minutes.
Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and line with a sheet of parchment paper or foil. Fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake until edges of crust are set and starting to look dry, 12–15 minutes. Carefully lift parchment with weights. Patch any visible cracks with reserved dough. Return crust to oven and bake until firm and dry all over, 18–22 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
Do Ahead: Dough can be made 2 days ahead; keep chilled. Crust can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
Filling:
Bring sugar, cream of tartar, and 1/3 cup water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-low, stirring with a heatproof spatula until dissolved. Cook, swirling pot often but not stirring, until mixture turns deep amber and wisps of smoke rise from the surface, 8–10 minutes. Remove caramel from heat and immediately stir in butter a piece at a time until smooth (be careful; mixture will sputter). Gradually stir in cream, then add salt. Transfer caramel to a heatproof measuring glass (you should have about 1 & 1/2 cups). Let cool until warm.
Pour caramel into cooled tart shell. Chill until caramel is set, at least 1 hour.
Do Ahead: Caramel filling can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between, just until pourable. Caramel-filled tart can be made 1 day ahead; once it’s set, cover and keep chilled.
Ganache:
Place chocolate, cream, and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water). Stir with a heatproof spatula until ganache is smooth, about 5 minutes. Let cool until thickened enough to hold an indentation from a spoon—if it’s too warm, it won’t hold its swirls.
Remove tart from refrigerator and scrape ganache over caramel. Using a spoon, gently work ganache over surface, creating decorative swooshes and swirls. Sprinkle with sea salt; let sit until ganache has lost its sheen, 10–15 minutes.
Do Ahead: Tart can be assembled 1 day ahead. Chill until ganache is set, then cover loosely. Let sit at room temperature 15 minutes before slicing.
Chef’s Notes:
You can use a 9″ or 10″ tart pan, but the layers will be thinner in the larger pan. We also found that Morton kosher salt won’t dissolve completely in the caramel filling, so use Diamond Crystal for the best results for this tart recipe. Then, a generous sprinkling of flaky sea salt before serving brings out the flavor of the chocolate and tempers the sweetness of the caramel.
Recipe from Bon Appetit
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