Chocolate, Hazelnut and Salted Caramel Tart
A decadent tart for dessert. This chocolate, hazelnut and salted caramel tart is the perfect luxurious treat!
Ingredients
Pastry
- 160 g plain flour plus extra for dusting
- 40 g cocoa powder
- 15 g ground almonds
- 35 g icing sugar
- pinch of salt
- 125 g unsalted butter diced and chilled
- 1 large egg yolk
Salted Caramel
- 150 g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 2 tbsp water
- 113 ml double cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- flaked sea salt to taste
Filling
- 50-75 g finely chopped hazelnuts
Ganache
- 340 g dark chocolate
- 295 ml double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
Decoration
- cocoa powder to dust
Instructions
- To make the pastry: Combine the flour, cocoa powder, almonds, icing sugar and salt in a large bowl. Then rub in the butter with your fingertips, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and mix together until the dough just starts to come together. If the pastry isn't coming together, add 1tbsp of ice-cold water. Then tip out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead together until it is a uniform dough. Shape into a disc or a rectangle depending on your tart tin and wrap in clingfilm. Then chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Roll out your dough between two pieces of baking paper, until it is big enough to line your tin. Press into the tin, trimming off any excess and return to the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Then bake for 25 minutes, then remove the baking beans and paper and return the tart to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin.
- To make the caramel: Combine the sugar, golden syrup and water in a medium heavy-bottomed pan and place on a medium-high heat. Occasionally swirl the pan so the caramel doesn't catch. Once the caramel starts to deepen in colour (this should take about 10 minutes), remove from the heat and whisk in the cream. The mixture will bubble up so be careful. Add the butter whilst continuing to stir until melted. Finally, add the vanilla and salt to taste. I added about 4 large pinches - but I do like mine quite salty! Leave to cool for a few minutes in the pan, and then pour into the tart shell leaving a little behind for decoration on top. Sprinkle over the crushed hazelnuts and then return the tart to the fridge for 30 minutes. The leftover caramel can be put into a heat-proof bowl, covered with clingfilm and put into the fridge.
- To make the ganache: Break up the chocolate and place into a heat-proof bowl and set aside. Then heat the cream in a small pan over a medium heat - do not let it boil as your ganache will split! Then pour over the chocolate and stir until it is combined and you are left with a smooth and silky ganache. Pour into the chilled tart case and return to the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Finally, to decorate dust over cocoa powder through a sieve and using a piping bag, pipe the remaining salted caramel in any design you wish.
Notes
Keep tart refrigerated for best results.