Chocolate Caramel Tart
Dark chocolate’s botanical name is Theobroma cacao, or “food of the gods.”
Are you ready? Really ready? Because this chocolate caramel tart with flaked sea salt is going to rock your world. Prepare to be shook. In a good way.
And it’s NOT THAT HARD. You just have to take your time.
For a dessert this spectacular and decadent and impressive, it’s worth it. I’ve made doubly sure it’s not too sweet, too. The biggest complaints about chocolate caramel tart recipes are that the end result is sickeningly sweet. THIS is not THAT tart.
The caramel is the trickiest bit. I have oh-so-scientifically recorded exactly what I did so it could be duplicated. By you. When you make this tart and win friends and influence people with your badass baking skills.
You’re not aiming for a caramel sauce here, but a caramel layer. Expect at least a little bit of delicious ooze, but you don’t want it runny.
Hot Tips for Hot Sugar
- Be careful! Safety first when working with hot sugar/caramel. Lay out your mise en place before you start. Have oven mitts at the ready. Get your trusty thermometer at hand and go!
- Sugar melts at 320°F and starts to caramelize at around 338°F. Rely on color and temperature before you follow anyone’s time advice. None of this “8-10″ minutes” or “exactly 12 minutes” for the caramel to get that perfect amber color. Mine took 22 minutes last time. Do you see what I’m saying here? Trust the color. Trust yourself. (And trust your thermometer, if you have one.)
- I prefer low and slow so I can really keep an eye on it. Caramel can go from amber to burnt in seconds. You’re heating the sugar to its caramelization stage then cooling it back down with the cream, then finally putting it back on low heat while adding the butter to right on the cusp of the firm ball stage – around 245°F – which is perfect for a tart layer. This will also contribute to color and flavor, thanks to proteins in the dairy, combined with the sugar, undergoing the Maillard reaction.
Other Tips
- Take it in stages and you’ll be great. The process is why you love baking, right? Make the crust. Make the caramel. Make the ganache. Put it together. Easy.
- I personally love a shiny chocolate so I usually add a little corn syrup. You can omit it if you prefer.
- The crust is Alain Ducasse’s recipe. You can find a bunch of different crust recipes out there but this one is special and really adds to the overall taste. Bonus: it’s such an easy dough to work with. I loved it. Give it a try.
Reality Bakes
Okay, confession time. I have yet to perfect the art of a perfectly smooth top layer. Of anything – chocolate, buttercream, cream cheese frosting. But I’m working on it. Someday…
Because I’m a Librarian
Chocolate-oriented reading:
- Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (the movie’s pretty damn good, too) – fiction
- The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier – YA
- The True History of Chocolate by Sophie and Michael Coe – nonfiction
Chocolate Caramel Tart with Flaked Sea Salt
A sinfully decadent tart that is the perfect marriage of dark chocolate and caramel. Velvety and not too sweet, the flaked sea salt takes it over the top. The crust is based on a recipe by Alain Ducasse.
Servings 8
Ingredients
Tart Shell
- 1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 g) stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (50 g) confectioners sugar
- 3 tbsp (20 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp (25 g) almond flour
- 1/2 tsp (3 g) fine sea salt
- 1 large egg
Caramel Filling
- 1 1/2 cups (290 g) sugar, preferably superfine*
- 1/3 cup (75 g) water
- Pinch of cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup (120 g) heavy cream
- 1 tsp (7 g) fine sea salt
- 6 tbsp (85 g) chilled unsalted butter, cubed
Ganache
- 5 oz bittersweet chocolate (70% is ideal), chopped
- 1/2 cup (122 g) heavy cream
- 1 tbsp (20 g) corn syrup (optional)
- Flaked sea salt for garnish
Instructions
Tart Shell
- Using a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the all-purpose flour with the butter, sugar, cocoa, almond flour and salt on medium. Add the egg and mix just until a soft dough forms.
- Tip the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and place another large sheet of plastic wrap on top. Roll out the dough between the plastic wrap to a 12-inch round. Transfer the round to a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes, until firm. Preheat the oven to 325°.
- Peel off the top sheet of plastic and invert the dough onto a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Remove the remaining sheet of plastic and gently press the dough into the pan and snugly against the sides. Roll your rolling pin across the top of the pie rim to trim the dough flush. Freeze again until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Blind bake the tart shell by lining it with parchment paper and filling with pie weights or beans. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, until the tart shell is nearly cooked through. Remove the parchment and weights and bake until the shell is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack and let cool while you make the caramel.
Caramel Filling
- Bring sugar, cream of tartar, and the water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium, without stirring. Swirl the pan occasionally, if needed, to help dissolve the sugar, but try to avoid getting crystals on the sides of the pan.* Continue to cook, without stirring, until mixture turns amber. If using a thermometer, somewhere in the range of 340° to 350° is where the caramel color comes in and you want to take the pan off the heat just before your desired color.*
- Remove caramel from heat and trickle in the cream very slowly. Be careful, as mixture will boil vigorously and sputter. Once cream is added, mix in salt and then add the butter one piece at a time, while constantly stirring. Put the pan back on low heat at this stage, which will help reduce the volume and make for a thicker caramel. You're aiming for 245°F.
- Transfer the caramel to a heatproof container and let cool just for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour warm caramel into cooled tart shell and then chill until caramel is set, at least one hour.
Ganache
- Place chopped chocolate in a bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream and corn syrup, if using, to piping hot but just under a boil. Pour hot cream over the chocolate pieces and stir until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Pour glaze over tart, tilting tart for even coverage, or spread with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until tart is set, at least one hour, then sprinkle with flaked sea salt. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Notes
*If you don’t have superfine sugar handy, just run regular granulated sugar through the food processor.
*You want to avoid recrystallization, which is what the cream of tartar is for. If you notice sugar grains on the sides of the pan, you can gently wash the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush.
*For this tart, I usually take my caramel off the heat at about 340°, which is not that dark an amber, because it will continue to cook in the pan. After cooling it with the cream, I put it back on really low heat while adding the butter to thicken it and let it get back up to 245°F. This will also contribute to the rich color and taste.
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