Chocolate Custard Tart

This chocolate custard tart is a decadent, luscious triple chocolate baked tart. Smooth chocolate custard is baked into a chocolate shortbread crust and drizzled with white chocolate for the perfect finishing touch.

If there’s one thing I’m completely unable to resist, it’s the slice of chocolate tart on the dessert menu. There’s something so deliciously decadent about a rich, silky chocolate dessert. There’s a reason I have an entire guide dedicated to chocolate!

I originally came up with this when participating in 2020’s Halloween Treats Week. After all, what holiday encourages indulging in sweets like Halloween?! It’s a grown up dessert, with just enough spooky flair to suit any Halloween occasion.

Of course, you can also make it any time of year, and decorate it for an elegant, show stopper dessert.

Components

Anytime I make a dessert like this one, I find it easiest to talk about in layers. Much like my cherry rhubarb or no bake peanut butter pie, you start with the crust and work your way up to the top layer.

Your chocolate tart beings with the chocolate shortbread crust. It’s a riff on my never fail shortbread ratio, flavored with cocoa powder. By using melted butter and confectioners sugar instead of the usual creamed butter and granulated sugar, it’s a perfect, tender cookie crust that holds shape well.

When you’re looking for sugar to make this, don’t forget to try Dixie Crystals!

Next is the chocolate custard filling, made by melting chocolate chips with heavy cream and corn syrup then beating it with eggs.

Finally, white chocolate gets drizzled on top. I did this one for Halloween, and created a dense web for chocolate spiders. But you could go as simple, or sophisticated with your drizzle as you like.

 Take a look more spooky Halloween recipes from our #HalloweenTreatsWeek Bloggers today:  Halloween Cookies & Bars:

• Boo Meringues from 4 Sons R Us
• Hocus Pocus Sugar Cookies from For the Love of Food

Halloween Brownies:

• Frosted Frankenstein Brownies from Big Bear’s Wife

Halloween Pies & Tarts:

• Spider Web Chocolate Tart from The Flour Handprint

Halloween Breakfast: 

• Moldy Bits of Glass Muffins (Matcha Muffins) from The Spiffy Cookie

Halloween Drinks:

• Layered Halloween Smoothie from Tastes of Homemade
• Halloween Mimosa from Fresh Coast Eats

Sweet Halloween Treats:

• Halloween Pretzel Treat from Devour Dinner
• Graveyard Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats from JZ Eats
• Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cups from Sweet ReciPEAS
• Monster Marshmallow Pops from Sweet Beginnings
• Wicked Witch Fudge from Take Two Tapas

Tips for Making a Baked Chocolate Custard Tart

I think this is the kind of dessert that gets a rep for being difficult or challenging, but I’m happy to tell you it doesn’t need to be. With a few key tips you’ll find that it’s really simpler than it seems.

• Don’t grease your tart pan. There’s plenty of butter in the dough to prevent sticking.
• Sift the dry ingredients together in your shortbread dough, to prevent streaks of flour.
• You can press the dough directly into the pan, or roll it out and press it in that way. I preferred rolling it out, (even though it broke when I turned it into the pan) so that the bottom and sides were equal thickness.
• If rolling out use a silicone baking mat and a piece of parchment, or two pieces of parchment, to prevent sticking. If you must dust, use cocoa powder instead of flour to prevent white spots.
• Press it firmly into the sides so it picks up and holds the shape of your pan.
• Leave 1/2 to 1 inch of dough above the edges of your tart pan to account for shrinking. Trim any excess after the pre-bake.
• Brush bottom and sides of tart crust with egg white and water as soon as it’s done pre-baking and return to the oven for a minute. This seals the holes.

• Begin your custard filling after you’ve pre-baked the crust, so the crust will be cool and ready when your filling is.
• Don’t beat the hot cream and chocolate, this will create air bubbles in your custard. Take your time and fold the chocolate and cream together for a perfectly smooth baked custard filling.
• Temper the eggs for the custard by drizzling a little chocolate off a fork into the eggs while beating them. Once you’ve done this 4 to 5 times, you should be fine to slowly stir the eggs into the chocolate.
• Once your custard has been poured into the shell gently lift up one corner just a bit and drop it. This will lift any air bubbles to the surface, gently sweep the away with small piece of parchment paper.
• Bake until the custard wobbles like jello. If you begin to see cracking around the edges of the custard or large bubbles, it’s getting overcooked. Remove it immediately.
• Bake on a baking sheet to make removing the tart pan easier. Let cool completely before removing the tart pan.
• Tarts can be fragile, I found using several offset spatulas most effective to move the tart off of the tart pan base. Get the serving plate close, so you move it as little as possible.

Storing your tart

Chocolate custard tarts are great to make ahead of time for a special occasion or party. Once cool and decorated, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days. I find the flavor best when close to room temperature, so bring it out 20 minutes or so before serving.

Using Different pans

I use a 9 inch removable bottom tart pan that’s a little deeper than a traditional tart pan. There’s no reason this recipe won’t work in yours. If you’re tart pan is wider and shallower, you’re dough should still fit.

There may be excess custard, but simply fill to almost the top of the crust and bake as directed. Begin checking the tart at 20 minutes, and in 5 minute increments after that. A thinner layer of custard will bake faster than mine did.

Eat & Enjoy!

Once you’ve decorated your tart, it’ll be pretty hard to resist taking a slice. It’s a very decadent dessert, so I’d say it serves 12 easily, possible more! I enjoyed it all on it’s own, but chocolate always pairs nicely with a fruity sauce like raspberry or strawberry syrup or a dollop of whipped cream.

Whether you’re serving this for Halloween like me, or for a fabulously decadent dessert at the end of a dinner party, I know it’ll satisfy a chocolate craving every time. Enjoy!

Don’t forget to check out these other recipes while you’re here!

• Bat Sugar Cookies
• Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
• Slice & Bake Pumpkin Cookies

I’d love to hear what you think, feel free to tag me on Instagram @theflourhandprint so I can see how it went! Until next time, Happy Eating!