Sophisticated, dark and brooding, my Chocolate and Orange Tart is devilishly delicious and elegantly divine. You’ll find three layers of chocolate in this dessert to remind you that it’s the holidays and time to indulge a little. A cookie-like chocolate shell is flooded with a fruity orange and chocolate fudge filling and topped with a silky dark chocolate ganache. This dessert feels fancy and expensive yet is deceptively easy to make.
To start, make the candied orange slices that you will use to garnish the tart. Wash one mandarin orange, such as a Satsuma (my favorite!) and slice into ⅛ inch – ¼ inch wide rings. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat up ¾ cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. Stir. When the sugar has dissolved and the liquid begins to bubble, add the oranges to the pan. Cook the oranges over a simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, place the oranges on a metal drying rack to cool. Pour the orange simple syrup into a glass jar and refrigerate (you’ll need this later).
Next, preheat an oven to 325 deg F. Using a food processor, chop 14 full sheets of chocolate graham crackers into a fine crumb. Add ¼ cup of granulated sugar and ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon of melted butter to the food processor and pulse until the tart crust starts to pull together. Spoon the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of a 10-inch tart pan and press the crust into the bottom and sides of the shell using your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake the tart shell for 12 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
Increase the oven to 350 deg F. While the tart shell cools, make the filling. In a large bowl, add 5 ounces of chopped bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate and 5 ounces of chopped unsweetened (100% cacao) chocolate.
Heat 1½ cups of heavy cream in a microwave in 30 second intervals until it is hot, but not boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 3 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is very smooth. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of orange extract, the zest for one large orange (or 2 small oranges), ½ cup of reserved orange simple syrup, a pinch of salt and two whole eggs. Whisk the filling until very smooth, then pour into the pre-baked tart shell. Bake the tart for 22-25 minutes or until set around the sides, but still a little wobbly in the center. Cool the tart for 10 minutes on the counter, then pop it into the refrigerator to cool for another hour.
When the tart has cooled, make the ganache. Chop ¾ cup of dark chocolate and add it to a bowl along with a pinch of kosher salt. Heat 1 cup of heavy cream in a microwave in 30 second intervals until it is hot, but not boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 3 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is very smooth. Pour the ganache over the top of the tart until the ganache reaches the very top of the tart. You may have a few tablespoons of ganache leftover. Mix it with hot milk and enjoy some hot cocoa. Pop the glazed tart back into the refrigerator to set for another hour. Garnish the tart with the reserved candied oranges, then refrigerate the tart for at least one hour longer before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Chocolate and Orange Tart
Ingredients
For the Tart Shell
- 14 full sheets of chocolate graham cracker
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon of melted butter
For the Tart Filling
- 5 oz bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate
- 5 oz unsweetened (100% cacao) chocolate
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp orange extract
- zest of one large orange
- ½ cup reserved orange simple syrup (from making the candied oranges - see below)
- pinch of kosher salt
- 2 whole eggs
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup dark chocolate (80% cacao) chocolate
- pinch of kosher salt
Candied Oranges
- 1 Satsuma orange, sliced into ⅛ inch wide slices
- ¾ cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Make the candied oranges first. In a large skillet, heat ¾ cup of water and 1 cup of sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture begins to boil. Slice one Satsuma (or similar mandarin orange) into ⅛ inch slices and add to the hot syrup. Cook the orange over a simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Cool the oranges on a wire rack and pour the orange simple syrup into a jar. Pop the jar into the refrigerator for later use.
- Next, preheat an oven to 325° F. Make the tart shell. Add the chocolate graham crackers to a large food processor and chop into a fine crumb. Add the sugar and slowly drizzle in the melted butter. Pulse until the crumb mixture starts to come together.
- Press the chocolate graham cracker mixture into a 10-inch tart shell using your fingers or the back of a measuring cup. Bake the shell for 12 minutes, then let cool on the counter.
- While the tart shell cools, make the tart filling. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F. Chop the bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate and add to a large bowl. Heat 1½ cups of heavy cream in the microwave until very hot, but not boiling. I do this in 30 second increments so as not to overheat the milk.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 3 minutes before stirring. Stir until smooth, then add the remaining ingredients: vanilla extract, orange extract, orange zest, reserved orange simple syrup, salt and eggs. Whisk until smooth, then pour the filling into the pre-baked tart shell. Bake the tart at 350° F for 22-25 minutes or until the sides are set, but the middle of the tart is still a little wobbly. Cool the tart on the counter for 10 minutes, then pop it into the refrigerator to cool for an additional hour.
- When the tart is cooled, make the ganache. Add ¾ cup of chopped dark chocolate to a bowl along with a pinch of kosher salt. Heat 1 cup of heavy cream in the microwave until very hot, but not boiling. I do this in 30 second increments so as not to overheat the milk. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 3 minutes before stirring. Stir until smooth.
- Pour the ganache over the top of the tart until the ganache reaches the very top of the tart. You may have a few tablespoons of ganache leftover. Mix it with hot milk and enjoy some hot cocoa. Pop the glazed tart back into the refrigerator to set for another hour. Garnish the tart with the reserved candied oranges, then refrigerate the tart for at least one hour longer before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
