This baked blackberry chocolate fondant tart is my contribution to The Great South African Bake Off’s #tartweek. When asked to create a dessert recipe using chocolate as the main ingredient, I finally settled on this baked chocolate dessert. If you’re a keen baker, chances are you’ve been glued to BBC Lifestyle on Tuesday nights, watching local bakers getting hot and bothered in the baker’s tent.
This baked chocolate fondant tart is luxuriously elegant. The flavours are subtle but rich with a shortbread-like cookie crust, to which I add a grinding of black pepper. A little unusual, but a real surprise. If anything, it deepens the cocoa flavours and is so good with the blackberries. Using the best quality 70% dark chocolate for the fondant filling goes without saying.
Juicy blackberries were the obvious choice to partner with this chocolate tart. Taut pearly-skinned blackberries yield thick berry juices for a plum-coloured syrup that pools effortlessly over whipped honey-cream. Hovering somewhere between a tart and a voluptuous chocolate pie – either way, it’s a heavenly!
Tuesday 13th November is the finale of season 2 in the The Great South African Bake Off. Catch all the action on BBC Lifestyle channel at 8pm. See you there!
Baked blackberry chocolate fondant tart
- 210g all-purpose cake flour
- 30g cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons castor sugar
- 150g cold butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ice cold water
Chocolate fondant filling
- 125ml (1/2 cup) cream
- 300g 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 50g butter, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons castor sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
Blackberry sauce
- 400g fresh blackberries
- 3 tablespoons castor sugar
- 2 tablespoons Crème de cassis liqueur
- 1 teaspoon cornflour combined with 2 tablespoons cold water
Vanilla cream
- 250ml (1 cup) single cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 250ml (1 cup) double cream
- Starting with the pastry, sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, pepper and castor sugar. Place the sifted dry ingredients and butter in a food processor and pulse until fine breadcrumb texture.
- Add the egg yolk, lemon juice and water. Blitz together briefly until the dough comes together.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for at least an hour.
- Turn the dough onto a floured board. Roll out to a 4mm thickness and line a 23cm fluted tart tin with the pastry. Dock the base to allow for expansion. Line with parchment paper and baking beans. Bind bake in a pre-heated oven for 25 minutes at 180º C. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes. Set aside while you make the filling.
- For the fondant filling, place the cream, chocolate, butter, castor sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Heat slowly until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat and add the eggs and yolks. Whisk until well combined.
- Fill the tart case with the fondant filling and bake for about 15 minutes at 150º C. Allow the tart to cool in the tin before un-moulding.
- To make the blackberry syrup, puree 3/4 of the blackberries in a blender. Strain the berry pulp to remove all the seeds. Place the smooth puree in a saucepan with the castor sugar and liqueur. Once the sugar is dissolved, add the cornflour mixture and bring up to the boil. Simmer for several minutes until the sauce is thickened and glossy. Pour into and jug and set aside to cool.
- Finally, whisk the cream and honey together until soft peaks form. Gently fold through the double cream.
- To finish, spoon 2 tablespoons of the blackberry sauce over the cooled tart and smooth to the edges. Add dollops of the whipped cream on top, drizzle with the remaining blackberry sauce and top with the reserved blackberries.
More chocolate dessert recipes that you might like:
No-bake caramel walnut chocolate tart
S’mores Chocolate cake with mascarpone caramel frosting
Christmas pudding chocolate sauce
11 Comments. Leave new
Oh gosh Di
Now you’ve confused me! I was planning on making your Festive Pavlova – again – it was such a hit last weekend at our family dinner – for another family dinner this Saturday. But this Baked Blackberry Tart looks sublime!!!
Looks amazing !
Deciding on one is almost impossible Marie, which explains why I always seem to have 3 desserts options on the table! Fortunately this chocolate tart keeps well for days in the refrigerator so will last a little longer than the pav. So glad it went down a treat.
Thanks Da.
Oh Dianne this looks wonderful, all of my favourite flavours all in one place – such a gorgeous dish.
It’s no secret that I’m easily swayed by chocolate. The contrasting texture and flavours make it richly decadent but not too sweet.
I have a question, for vanilla cream you used honey? Maybe need used a vanilla? extract or “fresh” vanilla?
Vanilla cream
250ml (1 cup) single cream
2 tablespoons honey
250ml (1 cup) double cream
Hi Slava. My apologies. The vanilla cream calls for honey and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste. Thanks for letting me know. Recipe has been updated.
I glad to help you)
My food processor broke and this is my first time making pastry – Can I do it by hand instead, or do I need a new processor? Going to make this at the weekend!
Hello Ross. By hand will take a little more elbow effort, but it’ll be 100% perfect. Working with cold butter is best. And just remember to chill the dough before rolling out to prevent it shrinking back. Good luck!