No-bake chocolate tart
This tart has a crust made from crushed chocolate sandwich cookies mixed with butter and a glossy dark ganache filling (melted chocolate blended with cream) that is as smooth as silk. You don't even need to turn on the oven to get an elegant, intensely chocolatey dessert that is very hard to get wrong.
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Rising or chilling
- 4 hr
- Total time
- 4 hr 30 min
- Method
- No cooking
Ingredients
Cookie crust
Ganache filling
Finishing touch
Instructions
Step 1
Put 220 g whole chocolate sandwich cookies, filling and all, in a food processor, grind into fine crumbs, then pour in 70 g melted unsalted butter and pulse a few more times. The cream filling in the cookies helps the crust bind more firmly once chilled. The mixture is right when it looks like dark wet sand and clumps together when squeezed.
Step 2
Spread the crumbs in a 22 cm tart pan with a removable bottom and use the bottom of a glass to press them firmly over the base first, then up the sides into an evenly thick layer. A firm, even crust won't break when cut and holds the filling well. The crust is right when the sides are an even height all the way around and there are no thin spots or holes.
Step 3
Put the tart shell in the freezer for about twenty minutes while you make the ganache. The butter hardens, making the shell sturdy enough to take the still-warm filling. The shell is right when it feels hard and cold, with no softness left.
Step 4
Finely chop 250 g dark chocolate and put it in a bowl, heat 250 g whipping cream with 15 g honey over medium heat until it simmers around the edges, then pour it over the chocolate, wait two minutes and stir from the center outward along with a pinch salt. Stirring from the center out creates a stable emulsion, so the ganache turns out glossy and smooth without separating. The ganache is right when it is dark, glossy and silky with no bits of chocolate left.
Step 5
Pour the ganache into the chilled tart shell, tilt the pan so the filling flows evenly to the edges and pop any bubbles that rise with a toothpick. Pouring while the ganache is still warm lets the top level itself like a mirror. The filling is right when it covers the shell completely with a glossy, flat, bubble-free surface.
Step 6
Leave the tart at room temperature for fifteen minutes, then move it to the refrigerator for about three hours. Cooling it gradually keeps the ganache glossy instead of dull. The tart is right when the top feels firm to a light touch and isn't sticky.
Step 7
Take the tart out about fifteen minutes before serving, sprinkle a pinch flaky sea salt over the top and slice with a knife dipped in hot water. A little salt makes the chocolate flavor pop and keeps it from feeling too rich. A slice is right when the cut is clean and the filling is soft and smooth like a truffle.
Equipment
- Tart pan
- Food processor
- Small saucepan
- Spatula
- Kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl
- Refrigerator
Tips
- Choose dark chocolate with about 55 to 70 percent cocoa so the ganache is pleasantly sweet and sets beautifully.
- You can decorate the top with strawberries, raspberries or a little whipped cream.
- For a softer filling you can eat with a spoon, increase the whipping cream by about a fifth.
Storage
Covered, the tart keeps for four days in the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for about fifteen minutes before eating so the filling softens and its aroma comes through.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The ganache split, turned grainy and lost its shine.
- The cream was too hot or it was stirred too hard. Add a spoonful of warm cream and stir slowly from the center outward to bring the emulsion back together.
- The tart shell crumbles when taken out of the pan.
- The crumbs needed more butter or weren't pressed firmly enough. Press harder and chill the shell long enough before pouring in the filling.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
