Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart Recipe | The Mad Scientists Kitchen (2024)

Savour the flavours of soft salted caramel topped with delicious chocolate speckled with salt.

Taste this delicious buttery, smooth tart with your eyes closed. Your taste buds and your eyes will pop open.

Content:

• A little about the Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart
• The Event
• The Components of Chocolate Salted Caramel Tarts
• Ingredients you need
• How to Make Chocolate Salted Caramel Tarts
• Assembling the tart
• The workflow
• Recipe Card for Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart Recipe
• 12 Tips to bake an excellent tart

A little about the Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

This decadentSalted Caramel Chocolate Tartis the best dessert that you can sink your teeth in. Be forewarned it is extremely addictive!

I kept checking on it frequently until my kiddo chased me off! Talk of role reversals!

Caramel does not set well in humid weather so my hubby wants me to re-make the tart after the rains.

Also, it is best to set up the tart the last thing in the night (and not dreaming about it)! Though I would love to live in a chocolate-filled land forever and ever.

Now before we check out this dangerous test of willpower.

What is a tart?

A Tart is an open pastry that is generally flaky and contains a sweet or savoury filling. The sweet filling maybe fruit or custard.

The Event:

I am a part of Shhh secretly cooking we make food this month withSlurp, Drool and mouthwatering stuff! Chocolate!The theme was suggested by Mayuri who blogs at Mayuri's Jikoni. Mayuri is a chocolate fan, don't believe me? Check her Chocolate Truffles, Chocolate Modak. These are 2 examples I do not want to go deep in more! It is dangerous chocolate and I are irresistible, sounds wrong, just that we can't resist one another. So I am not looking and seeing and raiding my fridge.

Then who is my partner but the amazing self-confessed The Big Sweet Tooth, Rafeeda! Rafeeda I have been following for a long time and know that she makes amazing sweets and chocolates! I love her delicious Vanilla Caramel Chocolate cake or her Biscoff Cheesecake Tiramisu.

In keeping with the tradition of the event, Rafeeda gave me caramel and salt as my secret ingredients and I gave her coconut and biscuits. Check out her amazingly delicious recipe of Magic Cookie Bars. They are bound to disappear like magic.

The Components of Chocolate Salted Caramel Tarts

Roll your sleeves up and let me show you how to make it! Let me warn you the post seems long but once you get the crust made its a breeze!

First, three are three parts to this recipe that can be made easily namely

• The Tart, you can make any tart I chose to make a chocolate crust
• The Caramel,
• and The Chocolate Ganache.

Ingredients you need

For the Chocolate Crust:

• Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powderI would have like the Malaysian Cocoa but now I used Hershey's as that was only available.
• Flour: All-purpose flour or maidasift he flour before you start.
• Unsalted Butter: Use chilled and cubed and then put it back in the fridge till needed.
• Sugar: I used regular white sugar, did not see the need to use brown sugar.
• Salt: I used regular table salt, if you have access to Kosher salt then please go ahead and use it.
• Egg yolk: Please do not avoid the yolk. The biding it gives the tart is great. I have tried tarts crusts without the eggs but they are too delicate.
• Milk/water: Use chilled! I used milk today. Makes no difference what you use milk or water but see that it is chilled. Again measure and back in the fridge.

For the Salted Caramel Filling:

• Sugar: Use regular white sugar.
• Cream of tartar: This white powder is an acidic base that technically can be substituted with lime, vinegar. I have not tried lime or vinegar as yet but should work as this prevents the sauce from crystallising.
• Unsalted Butter: Use chilled and cubed and then put it back in the fridge till needed.
• Cream: Technically you need heavy cream. I have used a pack of fresh cream without shaking the pack.
• Salt: The main ingredient, I have used table salt, you can use flaky salt.
• Water: Use a little water to dissolve the sugar.

For the Chocolate Ganache:

• Chocolate: I have used compound chocolate chopped. If you can use semi-sweet chocolate but the cocoa butter should not be more than 70%.
• Cream: The balance of the fresh cream left after adding to the caramel.
• Unsalted Butter: softened will also do.
• Salt: I have used table salt you can use flaky salt.

How to Make Chocolate Salted Caramel Tarts

How to make the Chocolate Crust:

• Make the chocolate crust by mixing the flour with cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a bowl.
• Add and cover the butter with flour. Rub in the butter in the flour with your fingers. You should not see any big pieces of butter.
• The mixture should hold together when squeezed. You are working this dough more than regular pie dough.
• Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolk and milk. Use a fork and mix the flour until you get a shaggy dough. ( It's lumpy yet well-mixed no dry spots of flour)
• Knead a few times just to check if there are no dry spots then smoothen it. Flatten into a thick disc about ¾"-thick.
• Then wrap it plastic, and chill until firm, about 2 hours. (You can start making the caramel sauce meanwhile).
• Once out of the fridge the dough will be very stiff so let the dough sit for about 5 minutes to soften slightly.
• Lightly dust flour on the worktop and then roll out to a ⅛" thick disc dust with more flour to prevent sticking.You will get about a 14 inch round. (my pie tin is way smaller than the 14” recommended in the recipe.)
• Use a bench scraper to lift the flattened dough from one end and dust the flour on the workspace. Then slide in the removable bottom of the tart pan and the position it roughly in the centre.
• Do not lift the whole thing fold the edges towards the centre so that there is no overhang.
• Place the removable tray back in the pie tray in its proper place.
• Now unfold the edges of the folded dough so that it gently rests against the sides of the tart pan and the excess dough is hanging over the edges.
• Now, dip your hands in flour and press dough firmly into the bottom of the pan.
• Press firmly in the groves and sides of the pan. The suggestion was to use a measuring cup. It did not work for me. I used my fingers.
• Use the rolling pin and shear off the excess dough.Reserve the excess dough to repair cracks in the pie later.
• Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork and chill in the freezer until very firm, 10–15 minutes. (I kept the pie dough in the freezer overnight because of the hot and humid weather).
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F. Place the frozen pie on a baking tray and lay a piece of parchment paper.
• Weigh down by Adding pie weights, dried beans or rice on the parchment.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes till the edges of the crust is dry. Remove the weights.
• In case there are any cracks repair them by patching up with the reserved dough. Then bake till dry and firm for about 20-22 minutes.
• Transfer to the baked pies crusts to a cooling rack and let it cool fully.
• My crust did not crack at all. So I pressed the reserved dough into smaller pie trays and baked them too. Even they did not crack.
• Once cool wrap and store in the fridge.

Making the Salted Caramel Filling:

I have already made the salted caramel sauce in the past. But the sauce I made today is a bit different hence I am listing out the method here.

• Take a large pan and add the sugar, cream of tartar, water to boil over medium heat. Stir till the sugar dissolves.
• Once the sugar dissolves swirl the pan, do not stir now.
• Cook until mixture turns deep amber and wisps of smoke rise from the surface. I needed about 8 minutes.You may need 10 minutes too.
• Keep the pan off the flame and heat and stir in a piece of butter till smooth. Take care as the mixture will splutter. Add the next piece and stir till smooth. Stir in cream, then add salt.
• Transfer caramel to a heatproof glass container. Let cool until warm.
• Pour the warm caramel in the into cooled tart shell. Chill until caramel sets about 1 hour.

Making the Chocolate Ganache:

• In a heatproof bowl add the cream and chopped chocolate and butter. set on a double boiler.
• Stir with a spatula until ganache is smooth.
• Cool it until it thickens a bit. So that you can spread it with a spoon.

Assembling the tart:

• In a cooled tart add the warm caramel filling. Chill until caramel is set. You will need 1 hour. Mine stayed in the fridge overnight.
• When the caramel is fully set add the ganache and move the ganache to cover the caramel. Transfer the tart to the fridge and let it cool fully.
• Cut and serve.

The workflow

• Make and chill the dough 2 days ahead.
• Bake the tart on 1 day ahead and let it cool. Store wrapped in at room temperature.
• You can make the Salted Caramel filling 3 days ahead; cover and chill.
  • When you need it Microwave in 20-second intervals, stir in between until pourable.
• Make your ganache a day ahead and cool it in the fridge.
• Assemble the caramel-filled tart 1 day ahead; once it’s set, cover and keep chilled.
• Add the cooled ganache to the firmed caramel in the tart.
• Chill in the fridge until the ganache is set. Keep covered loosely.
• Let sit at room temperature 5 minutes before slicing. Dip your knife in warm water wipe and slice.

Recipe Card for Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart Recipe

#12 Tips to bake an excellent tart:

1. For a flaky pie crust:Use chilled butter this butter should not totally mix in the flour. Those tiny dots of butter are responsible for the air picket that gives you flaky pie crust.
   • If you are using the food processor pulse in the butter until it resembles sand.
2. How to mix the dough:After you rub in the butter work in the chilled liquid. the dough when pressed should come together there can be dry crumbly bits around the edges. If this is not the case add more chilled liquid a teaspoon at a time.
   • If you are using the food processor pulse after you add the chilled liquid. Once the dough forms and it just pulls away from the edges of the processor, stop pulsing.
   • There are times when as soon as the ball forms I get the dough out of the processor and work it with my hands.
3. Either way overworking the dough will give you one tough pie crust.
4. Chill the dough:Okay so now that your dough is mixed. Wrap it up in cling wrap and flatten it to a nice and thick disk. ( I did not the first time I made pie and had a very tough time making the pie).
   • Pop it in the fridge for an hour at least. This solidifies the butter and you can handle and rework the dough easily.
5. Rolling the dough:Roll out between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment or wax paper. It makes cleaning up easy. I remember this tip only after I finish.
6. How to get an even round crust:The method of rolling to is centre to edge. Rotate one quarter then roll again. Repeat.
7. Transferring the dough to the pie tray:the standard tip is to transfer the rolled dough to the floured rolling pin.
   • Then unroll in the pan. Been there and I think it is difficult. Even after years of practice is something dicey at least for me. I invariably manage to mess it up.
8. I loved this video on bon appetit, that I followed, (in fact I now find that I have done everystep like Carla! So this recipe is a copy from here )and the theory is below:
   • Use a bench scraper to lift the flattened dough from one end. Throw a sprinkling of flour on the workspace.
   • Then slide in the removable bottom of the tart pan and the position it roughly in the centre.
   • Do not lift the whole thing fold the edges towards the centre so that there is no overhang.
   • Place the removable tray back in the pie tray in its proper place. Now unfold the edges of the folded dough so that it gently rests against the sides of the tart pan and the excess dough is hanging over the edges.
9. Much much easy and less stress of where you are going to unroll the dough.
10. Flute the crust: Press the dough in the rim with your finger gently but firmly. This creates a nice even edge.
11. Blind Baking the pie crust:If you need to bake the pie shell before you fill it is called blind baking.
    • Blind baking keeps the steam that rises from puffing up the pastry.
    • To help this process you use a fork and make even pricks on the floor of the pie. This is called docking.
    • You also line a piece of parchment on the pastry and fill the sheet with pie weights, dried beans, or rice.
    • After the sides dry out or the edges turn golden you remove the weights and bake the pis fully.
12. To get a nice flaky pie crust pre-baking or blind baking is a must.

Variations in Tarts:

• Fruit tartlets
• Sandbakkels-Norwegian Sugar Cookies
• Butterscotch Tart School Dinner Style
• Pear Tart with Goat Cheese, Rosemary &Honey
• No-Bake, Poha & Millet Chocolate & Strawberry Cheesecake/Tart
• Savory Puff Tart With FetaAnd Tomatoes
• Rajgira Fruit Tart
• No Bake Mango Shrikhand Tarts

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