French Chocolate Tart Recipe

By
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin is a freelance lifestyle writer and recipe developer. Her expertise is in French cuisine, which she writes about and teaches.
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Updated on 05/16/23
French Chocolate Tart Recipe

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 2 hrs 5 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 2 hrs 35 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
363 Calories
27g Fat
30g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 363
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 34%
Saturated Fat 16g 82%
Cholesterol 92mg 31%
Sodium 195mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 30g 11%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 16g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 37mg 3%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 145mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Sometimes you just have to admit life is too short for not treating yourself with this chocolate tart recipe as even a little bit will satisfy any chocolate craving. A flaky, buttery tart shell filled with a creamy, rich chocolate ganache makes a sophisticated dessert alongside a mellow café au lait. For a deliciously cool contrast, serve it with a dollop of lemon pastry cream as a garnish.

Seriously good French Food. 

Ingredients

Pastry:

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) cold unsalted butter

  • 3 tablespoons cold water

Chocolate Filling:

  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream

  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped finely

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 2 large eggs, beaten

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    French Chocolate Tart Recipe ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt.

    mix together the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Using a pastry cutter, large-tined fork, or a food processor on pulse setting, cut the chilled butter into the flour until it resembles coarse sand with a few pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.

    butter combined with the flour mixture

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Sprinkle the cold water onto the mixture and toss gently a few times, just until it forms a ball that holds together. Flatten the dough ball into a thick disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for several hours before working with it.

    dough in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Preheat an oven to 375 F. Roll and trim the dough to make a circle large enough to fit a 10-inch fluted tart pan. Fit the circle into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

    dough in a tarte pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Line the dough with pie weights or dried beans and bake it for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and bake the shell for an additional 5 minutes. Set aside the pastry shell, still in the tart pan, to cool.

    baked tart crust in a tart pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. In a small saucepan set over low-medium heat, bring the cream to just simmering.

    cream in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Remove it from the heat, and stir in the chocolate and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is completely incorporated.

    chocolate and vanilla mixed with cream in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  9. Whisk a small amount of the hot chocolate cream into the eggs. Transfer the tempered egg mixture back into the hot chocolate and whisk the mixture until it is smooth.

    chocolate mixture in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  10. Pour the chocolate filling into the prepared pastry and bake it for 18 to 25 minutes, until most the filling is set and only the center jiggles slightly when the tart is moved.

    Pour the chocolate filling into the prepared pastry

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  11. Allow the tart to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove the tart ring and chill in the refrigerator before serving.

    French Chocolate Tart on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck