This wonderfully gooey chocolate caramel tart is reminiscent of a Rolo candy – the soft caramel oozes out and covered in ganache.
One day, I was browsing a cookbook when I came across this recipe. The tart had a chocolate crust, a gooey caramel center and was covered in a rich chocolate ganache and sprinkled with flaky seat salt. What’s not to love?
This recipes comes to us from Claudia Fleming, who served this in mini tart form at Gramercy Tavern in New York City. I made it into one large tart instead. The tart reminds me of Rolo candies because the caramel oozes our after being bit/cut into. Don’t expect to get a pretty slice of tart here. The whole point of this tart is that it is wonderfully messy and gooey.
My family and I had a blast eating this tart. With every bite, we got caramel stuck in between our teeth, and we enjoyed feeling like kids again. The chocolate crust was a nice modulation from typical graham cracker or pastry crusts.
Keep the leftovers at room temperature to maintain the gooey caramel center. If you refrigerate it, the caramel will harden and become more difficult to slice into. You can always try to slice it when it’s slightly thawed out and let it come up to room temperature before serving.
Husband’s rating: 4 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Chocolate caramel tart
Ingredients
Crust
- ½ cup (1 stick or 110 grams) unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup plus 1 Tablespoon (70 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 and ¼ cups (155 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (20 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch processed preferred
Caramel
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 grams) water
- ¼ cup (80 grams) light corn syrup
- ½ cup (1 stick or 110 grams) unsalted butter cut into Tablespoons
- ½ cup (120 grams) heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons crème fraîche I did not use
Ganache
- ½ cup (120 grams) heavy cream
- 3 and ½ ounces (100 grams) bittersweet chocolate chopped finely
- pinch flaky sea salt
Instructions
Make the crust
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and powdered sugar together on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix well. Turn the mixer off and add in the flour and cocoa powder, and then turn the mixer to low speed until everything just comes together.
- Transfer the dough to a tart pan, preferably one with a removable bottom. Press the dough onto the sides and bottom of your pan. Using a fork, prick the dough all over the bottom. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- Once the dough has chilled completely, preheat your oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of the dough with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill with pie weights. Bake in your preheated oven for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the pie weights and parchment / aluminum foil and bake in your oven for another 5-10 minutes or until the crust looks baked. Let the crust cool while you make the caramel. You can make the crust up to 8 hours in advance (just cover with plastic wrap and set it aside).
Make the caramel
- In a medium sized light-colored saucepan, mix together the sugar, water, and corn syrup over medium heat. Once you turn the stove on, do not mix the pan - you can swirl the pan in circles but do not be tempted to use a spatula or spoon or mix the caramel directly.
- Heat the mixture until it reaches a dark amber color, about 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the stove and add in the butter, heavy cream and crème fraîche. Your caramel will bubble and look angry but keep stirring until the caramel is smooth. The caramel can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight on gainer in the refrigerator (just reheat it in the microwave or over low heat to softened it).
- Pour the caramel over your cooled crust and allow it to set for about 45 minutes.
Make the ganache
- Place the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.
- Heat the cream over the stovetop or in the microwave until simmering (I microwaved mine in a measuring cup for about 1 minute). Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it set for about 2 minutes.
- Vigorously stir the chocolate until it gets smooth and creamy. Pour the ganache over your caramel layer. Allow the ganache to set for at least 2 minutes. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top.
- Note that when you slice into these, your servings will be extremely messy. The caramel will still be gooey so expect it to ooze out. If desired, you can refrigerate the tart and attempt to slice it with a warm knife and let the slice thaw out a bit.
I wish I had the skill to make this! If you bring some to the rink I have the skill to eat it. 🤣
Author
Haha – we already ate it all! I will remember to add you to my QA tester list for treats! 😬