Dark Chocolate & Hazelnut Tart

This tart is a bit of a show stopper. Anyone who doesn’t like this tart would have to be completely bonkers! It is so silky, velvety and oh so decadent. Seriously, heaven in a mouthful. You will wow your guests with this one and it is surprisingly easy to make.

Serves 10-12 | prep + cook time = 1hr 30 mins + 2hr 30 mins resting time

Ingredients

Hazelnut Pastry

120g unsalted butter, very soft

80g icing sugar

60g ground hazelnut (hazelnut meal)

50g whole egg, lightly beaten

170g plain flour, sifted

pinch salt

Filling

7 egg yolks, beaten

380g thick cream

200g hazelnut spread (ie. Nutella)

200g dark chocolate (55%)

Garnish

1tbs cocoa powder (preferably dutch processed - this is the dark cacao powder)

Method

Pastry

Place the butter in a bowl (you don’t need a stand mixer for this, just a little elbow grease will do the job), and sift over the icing sugar. Add the ground hazelnut and salt, and beat with a spatula until smooth. Add the egg and stir it in gently. Add the flour and beat until smooth.

Scrape the dough out onto some cling wrap, shape it into a flat disc and wrap in the cling wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Grease a 24cm removable base tart tin (fluted or straight edge - whatever you feel comfortable working with). Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until it is around 3mm thick. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it to the tart tin, pressing the dough gently into the sides of the tin. Trim the overhang with a sharp knife so that it is flush with the rim of the tin. Prick the base of the tart shell with a fork. Return to the fridge for 30mins to chill.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line the tart shell with baking paper and fill with pie weights (or uncooked rice, beans etc). Bake the shell for 25 mins until lightly browned. Remove the pie weights and baking paper and return the shell to the oven for a further 5-8 mins. Remove from the oven and put aside to cool whilst you make the filling.

Filling

Reduce the oven temperature to 135C.

In a medium saucepan, place the cream, hazelnut spread and chocolate. Heat over low-medium heat, stirring constantly. The mixture is ready once the chocolate is melted and the mixture is thick and glossy. Be careful not to overheat it, you simply need to melt everything together. Remove from the heat and slowly pour around 1/3 of the mixture into the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Then pour this mixture back into the saucepan, return to the heat and continue stirring for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture through a sieve to get rid of any bits of cooked egg. Pour the mixture into your cooked tart shell. Using a fork or skewer, pop any air bubbles that have formed on top.

Place the tart in the oven and cook for 25-30 mins. The tart will still have quite a wobble in the centre, it will set as it cools. Once the tart has cooled, chill for at least 2 hours prior to serving.

To serve, dust with cocoa powder using a fine mesh sieve. Serve with double cream or vanilla icecream. This is optional, but I’ve also added some hazelnut chocolate bark for some texture, you could also just add some roasted hazelnuts.

Bon appetit!

Mel xoxo