Chocolate Tart
A sweet crisp pastry tart case, filled which rich smooth chocolate and topped with fresh sweet raspberries, these chocolate tarts are a great choice for any chocolate fans out there and are self-paired meaning they can be eaten as they are for a sweet treat without worrying about spiking blood glucose levels.
These tarts can be made nut free and smooth, or like I have with added blitzed hazelnuts to give that praline type flavour.
You don’t have to add raspberries if you do not wish and adding actually increases the carb amount, however due to the ingredients used they are paired well if you want to enjoy some fresh fruit on top!
This recipe also works well with a small amount of cocoa powder added to the pastry for chocolate pastry cases, you can also switch the flavour of the chocolate to things like dark chocolate with orange or mint!
Extra nuts, peanut butter and/or coconut added or top will help pair these tarts and make them even more tolerable (although they can be enjoyed just as they are as they are well paired!)
Xanthan gum
I use a very small amount of xanthan gum powder in the recipe which helps to bind the strawberry tart pastry together better. Xanthan gum powder can be bought in most large stores and can usually be found in the ‘free from’ section. The brand I use is Dove’s Farm and costs around £3.00 a tub
It’s important to use loose bottom tins for this recipe or you will not be able to remove the pastry tart shells from the tins! You could make one large tart which is then divided into smaller servings. The recipe below yields 4 servings.
Equipment
- 4 x 10cm metal loose base tart or quiche tins
Ingredients
For the tart cases
- 45 grams coconut flour
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp powdered erythritol sweetener (or ground xylitol)
- 1 large egg
- 50 grams butter softened to room temp
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder (optional for chocolate tart cases)
For the chocolate filling
- 300 ml double cream
- 2 tsp xylitol or erythritol sweetener
- 200 grams dark chocolate
- 50 grams butter
- 50 ml whole milk
- 50 grams hazelnuts (optional) finely chopped or blitzed
For the garnish
- 150 grams fresh raspberries (optional)
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
Instructions
For the tart cases
- Preheat the oven to 170°c (fan assisted) and grease 4 x 10 cm loose bottom flan or quiche tins with some room temp butter using your fingers, then set aside
- Add 50g butter and sweetener to a bowl and beat until light and creamy
- Sift coconut flour, cornflour and xanthan gum into the bowl with creamed butter and mix well to combine (the mix will go slightly clumpy, like crumble topping)
- Crack an egg into the bowl and mix well until all the ingredients are combined to form a *dough ball*Please note, this dough is not like normal pastry dough at all, it will be quite wet and more like a paste than an actual pastry dough
- Using wet hands, pick up the 'dough' ball, divide into 4 equal amounts and place a piece each greased tin. **Push the dough down firmly to flatten and work the 'pastry' up the edges of the tin to create a nice pie crust edge. Use your hands or the back of wet spoon to smooth out the 'pastry' on the base and into the corners, aiming to achieve the same level of thickness throughout. If you create any gaps/holes, just smooth over more 'pastry' to fill the gaps ** This pastry is too sticky to roll out (even after chilling – I tried and it didn't work, so stick to using your hands to smooth out the crust!) Once smoothed into the tin, use a fork to prick some holes into the bases
- Place the tarts in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes. Keep a close eye on them! Once the edges are starting to brown, place some baking parchment paper over the tart shells to stop the edges from browning too much and burning Tip: scrunch up a piece of baking parchment paper then straighten out flat (this helps to shape the paper to the item you want to cover when using)Keep baking until the tart crusts are slightly golden at the edges, quite pale at the bottom, but dry to the touch, then remove from the oven and set aside in the tins to cool
For the chocolate filling
- Pour the cream and sweetener into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat once the cream comes to a boil
- Off the heat, add the butter and pieces of dark chocolate then stir continuously until melted. Stir until blended
- Wait 5 minutes, then pour in the milk and stir until fully combined
- OPTIONAL STEP: If wanting to add hazelnuts, add them at this point, stirring until fully combined
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the tart cases and leave at room temperature for 2-3 hours to set
For the garnish
- Top each tart with sifted cocoa powder and fresh raspberries
Notes
Erythritol sweeteners are what I recommend using in this recipe if you struggle with IBS or gastric issues. Whilst xylitol is fine for most if eaten in small amounts, those who have any gastric conditions such as IBS may find that xylitol can trigger their symptoms. The brand of erythritol I use is NKD Living powdered erythritol.
For the best outcomes with this recipe it is best to use the ingredients recommended and in the quantities stated.
