Inspired by French silk pie, this tangy tart receives a triple boost of cream cheese in its crust, filling, and whipped topping.
Silky Chocolate Tart
Makes 1 (9-inch) tart
Ingredients
- Crust:
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons (85 grams) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- Filling:
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs (100 grams)
- 2.5 ounces (71 grams) 64% cacao semisweet chocolate baking bars, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon (2 gram) espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup (56 grams) cream cheese, softened
- 1¼ cups (300 grams) cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon (20 grams) coffee liqueur*
- Topping:
- 3 ounces (85 grams) cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240 grams) cold heavy whipping cream
- Garnish: chocolate shavings
Instructions
- For crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until smooth. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour and salt, beating until combined. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly spray a 1-inch-tall, 9½-inch fluted round removable-bottom tart pan with cooking spray.
- Let dough stand at room temperature until slightly softened, about 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 12-to 13-inch circle (about ⅛ inch thick). Transfer to prepared pan, pressing into bottom and up sides. Trim excess dough. Using a fork, prick bottom and sides of dough. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
- Lightly spray a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray; top dough with parchment, spray side down, letting ends extend over edges of pan. Add pie weights.
- Bake until edges are lightly golden and set, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove paper and weights. Bake until crust is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more, pricking bottom and sides with a fork again and gently pressing down center of crust if needed. (It’s OK if crust shrinks slightly in pan.) Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- For filling: In the top of a double boiler, whisk together sugars and eggs. Cook over simmering water, stirring often, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F (71°C), 5 to 10 minutes. Add chocolate, espresso powder, and salt, stirring until smooth and well combined. Remove from heat; let cool for 10 minutes
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until creamy, 30 seconds to 1 minute, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add cream cheese; beat at medium speed until smooth and well combined, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Beat in cooled chocolate mixture until well combined, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
- Clean bowl of stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat cream and coffee liqueur at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold cream mixture into chocolate mixture in three additions until smooth and well combined; spoon into prepared crust, piling high; spread and swirl with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon as desired.
- For topping: Clean bowl of stand mixer and whisk attachment. Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth and well blended, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium-low; slowly beat in one-third of cream until smooth, stopping frequently to scrape sides of bowl. Increase mixer speed to medium, and gradually add remaining cream, beating until stiff peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. (Do not overprocess.) Spread and swirl topping on top of tart as desired. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Just before serving, garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired.
Where are the rest of the instructions? For making the filling and finishing the whole tart?