A beautiful chocolate dulce de leche tart from blogger (and former chef) David Lebovitz. This gorgeous creation has a rich and creamy dulce de leche and topped with a luscious layer of chocolate custard. It’s definitely a dessert made to impress!
Even though I bake on a fairly regular cadence, I like to make fancier things on special occasions. I went to our library for my and Addie’s weekly girls’ night and found a copy of David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen in the cookbook section. My eyes fixated on this recipe almost immediately, and I knew that I had to make it for my family.
Valentine’s Day was coming up so this is what I chose to bake for the holiday. I baked this the night before and let it sit out (covered, of course) on the counter so we could devour this after our meal. My husband half-joked that he wanted to try a bite before our Valentine’s meal but he didn’t follow through on his threat. I don’t blame him.
Surprisingly, the tart came out of the pan a lot easier than I imagined. The first slice was very ugly (note that I do not have a tart pan with a removable bottom), but it tasted amazing. The crust layer was very crumbly yet still held together well as a whole. The dulce de leche provided a nice, sticky and gooey layer and complemented the thick and rich chocolate custard top layer.
Everyone in my family gave this two thumbs way up and suggested that I make this again soon… even though we still have a few slices left on the counter. I’ll take that as a positive sign that this was a winning recipe and may bake it again for friends next time.
Chocolate dulce de leche tart
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (35 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces/85 grams) salted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (35 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or other flaky sea salt
Filling
- 8 ounces (230 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 1 and 1/4 cups (310 ml) whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon dark rum
- 1 cup (240 grams) dulce de leche
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling over the tart
Instructions
Make the crust
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and the cocoa powder and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and powdered sugar on low speed until just incorporated. Add the egg yolk and mix until fully incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix until everything comes together. Fold the dough into a flat disc, cover in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
- After the dough has rested, press it into a tart pan (preferably one with a removable bottom). Use your fingertips if needed to press the dough up the sides of the pan. Make sure you have a flat, even surface. Sprinkle the sea salt over the top and put it in your freezer for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Cover the crust with aluminum foil and add pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights, and then bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and decrease your oven temperature to 300°F (150°C).
Make the filling
- While the crust is baking, make the filling. Melt the chocolate in a bowl either over a double boiler or very carefully in a microwave (I used my microwave and heated in 30 second bursts). Set a mesh strainer over the top of the bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. In a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat. Slowly add about a cup of the milk into the eggs and keep whisking until the mixture is uniform. While you are continuously whisking, gently pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens - almost to the consistency of pudding. Pour this into the strainer.
- Mix the custard and the melted chocolate until smooth and free of lumps. Add the vanilla until well incorporated.
- Spread the dulce de leche over the pre-baked crust and smooth the top with a spatula. Add on the chocolate custard and and spread evenly (note that lumps will not even out in the oven so be sure to really smooth out the top). Sprinkle additional sea salt over the top and bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn the oven off but keep the door closed (with the tart inside the oven) for an additional 45 minutes to set.
- Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool before serving. Garnish with whipped cream, ice cream, chocolate or caramel sauce to your liking.
Notes