‘Chocolate caramel slice for grown-ups’: This tart is buttery, rich and chewy all over
With its shortcrust pastry, chewy caramel centre and luscious ganache topping, this tart is like chocolate caramel slice for grown-ups.
If you love caramel and chocolate, this is the tart for you. The buttery shortcrust tart has a chewy caramel centre and is crowned with a layer of bitter chocolate ganache. It’s like chocolate caramel slice for grown-ups.
Technique of the month: Caramelising sugar without crystallisation
I often get asked how to stop sugar from crystallising when making caramel. There is only one technique you need to guarantee results: dry caramel.
Wet caramel recipes dissolve the sugar in water during the original caramelisation phase. When the mixture is agitated or stirred, it causes the caramel to form grainy crystals. Once that happens, the only solution is to wash the pot and start again.
Dry caramel, on the other hand, can be stirred as much as needed to achieve caramelisation without the risk of sugar crystals forming. To make a dry caramel, simply add the required amount of sugar to your saucepan and heat it until the sugar melts, then caramelises to a gorgeous amber.
Ingredients
Tart shell
125g unsalted butter, cold and diced
250g plain flour
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp water, cold
Chewy caramel
250g caster sugar
50g liquid glucose
125g thickened cream
150g unsalted butter, cubed
pinch of sea salt flakes
Chocolate ganache
90g good-quality dark chocolate
200g thickened cream
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
Method
Step 1
For the pastry, mix the flour, cold butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Because the butter is cold, this may take a few minutes. Once the butter is distributed throughout the flour, add the egg yolk and water and mix until the pastry forms a dough. Lightly flour the bench and roll the pastry out to 2mm thick. Transfer the pastry to a 23cm tart tin at least 3.5cm deep and press it into the edges. Trim away the excess pastry and chill the tart shell in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
Step 3
To blind-bake the pastry, line the tart shell with baking paper, and fill it with baking weights (I use rice and lentils). Bake the tart for 20 minutes before removing the baking paper and weights. Return the tart to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the shell from the oven and allow it to cool.
Step 4
For the caramel filling, add the sugar and glucose to a medium saucepan over low-medium heat. As the sugar at the edges of the pan begins to caramelise, stir the mixture with a heatproof spatula to prevent it from burning. Cook the caramel until the sugar has melted and caramelised, and the mixture has darkened to a deep amber.
Step 5
As the sugar caramelises, pour the cream into a medium heatproof bowl. Remove the caramel from the heat and carefully pour it over the cream. The mixture will splatter so be careful not to burn yourself. Add the cubed butter and salt and stir to combine. Place the caramel mixture back onto the heat and cook it until it reaches 120C on a sugar thermometer – this is important to ensure the caramel sets in the tart shell.
Step 6
Pour the caramel into the prebaked tart shell and allow it to set for 1-2 hours.
Step 7
For the ganache top, combine the chocolate, cream and vanilla in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second bursts, or until the chocolate has completely melted. Whisk the ingredients together until they emulsify and become glossy before pouring the ganache evenly over the caramel layer. Allow the ganache to set (either at room temperature or in the fridge) for 1-2 hours before serving.
Step 8
To serve, cut the tart into wedges while it is still cold using a knife dipped in warm (not hot) water, then dried.
Tips
- This tart would be delightful if the caramel were studded with roasted nuts before the chocolate ganache layer is poured over. Peanuts, hazelnuts or macadamias would all be delicious.
- You can use any chocolate you love for the ganache – dark, milk or white. If using white, double the quantity of chocolate to ensure it sets correctly.
- Softly whipped cream would make a delicious accompaniment.
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Emelia Jackson – Good Food’s Better Baking columnist is a former MasterChef Australia winner and author of two baking cookbooks.
