Chocolate Raspberry Tart

This easy-to-make Chocolate Raspberry Tart looks elegant; it tastes amazing with a chocolate shortbread crust, a vanilla pastry cream, and lots of raspberry flavor. It's just three luscious layers of dessert decadence.

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Looking at this tart, you may think you will be in the kitchen all day, but that's not the case. This tart is simple to make.

The only thing that gets baked is the chocolate crust, and the pastry cream can be made while the crust is baking. Or, and this is the great part, you can pre-make the crust and pastry cream one day and put the tart together the next day. Let's make this easy!

Chocolate and red raspberries make a delightful pairing with the vanilla-flavored pastry cream, making this tart perfect for a special occasion or dinner party. My hubby told me this is the best dessert I've ever made, so this is his special Valentine's Day dessert, along with these Dark Chocolate Shortbreads that he loves.

A few more raspberry recipes

• Another great raspberry dessert that is easy to make and perfect for a celebration is this Raspberry Chiffon Cake which has a wonderful light and airy texture.
• Dessert bars are simple to make and when peaches and raspberries are in season make these Raspberry Peach Crumble Bars for a quick snack or dessert.
• And we love these Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies that are filled with fresh berries.

Jump to:

• A few more raspberry recipes
• Chocolate shortbread crust
• Tart Ingredients
• Vanilla bean pastry cream
• A vanilla tip
• Let's make a tart
• Raspberry tart variations
• Tart FAQ's
• More pies and tarts
• Recipe

Chocolate shortbread crust

The first step in this dessert is to make the crust.

I'm a big fan of chocolate crusts, and this chocolate shortbread recipe is perfect for a tart.  It's rich and chocolaty and holds up well with the pastry cream. For this recipe, I used the long narrow tart pan that makes the dessert look ultra-fancy, but you can also make this in a round 9-inch tart pan. Just make sure your tart pan has a removable bottom.

And if you want to make this in a pie plate, that will work, too; you will have a thicker layer of pastry cream, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Tart Ingredients

Vanilla bean pastry cream

The next step is making the pastry cream.

What is pastry cream? It is considered a custard and is also known as Crème Pâtissière. The cream or milk base is thickened with egg yolks to make the custard thick.

For today's custard, we are mixing six simple ingredients of milk, eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and flour, plus lots of vanilla bean seeds resulting in a rich and creamy custard that adds delightful silkiness to this tart.

The vanilla pastry cream is the main ingredient in this tart, and I consider it the best part of any dessert. Honestly, I would be happy just spooning this custard into dessert dishes and adding a few fresh berries for a tasty dessert. Feel free to just lick the spoon and bowl.

Let's make a tart

With this easy cream tart, you can be as creative as you want with the whipped cream topping and berries.

Step 1. Make and bake this easy chocolate crust recipe. You can make and bake this tart day before you need it or even make the dough days earlier. Optionally, you can also make a regular shortbread tart crust if you don't want chocolate, or a graham cracker crust will be just as good.

Step 2. Add the egg yolks and sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl, then whisk to combine. In a small bowl, whisk the flour and cornstarch together, then add to the egg yolk mixture and whisk until the mixture is smooth.

Step 3. On a cutting board, cut the vanilla bean seed in half, then scrape out the seeds.

Step 4. Add the milk, vanilla bean seeds, and the vanilla bean pod in a medium saucepan, and then bring this mixture to a soft boil.

Step 5. Remove the vanilla bean pod, then slowly whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture; keep whisking to prevent the egg yolks from curdling. Whisk in all of the milk.

Step 6. Pour milk and egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes until the pastry cream thickens.

Step 7. Pour the thickened custard into a small bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Chill for an hour.

Step 8. Add the heavy cream to a medium-sized bowl with powdered sugar to make the whipped cream. With an electric mixer, mix on medium to medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Use the whisk attachments if you have them.

Step 9. Before filling the tart shell, push up from the bottom of the tart pan to make sure the sides of the tart are loosened from the tart pan. At this time, you can remove the sides of the pan and set the tart on a serving platter, or you can remove the pan sides after you have the tart filled and decorated.

Step 10. Stir the jam so it is smooth and spreadable. Dollop the jam in the tart shell and then spread it with a spoon to the edges.

Step 11. Stir the cooled custard and spoon dollops over the top of the jam, and spread it to the edges of the tart shell.

Step 12. Fit a piping bag with a large star tip, such as 1M, and fill with whipped cream. Pipe rows of whipped cream rosettes on top of the custard, then top with fresh raspberries.

Alternatively, you can spread the whipped cream over the pastry cream and add the raspberries as you like.

Step 13. Place the tart in the refrigerator for an hour, remove the tart pan if you haven't already, place the tart on a serving platter, and cut it into slices.

Step 14. Store any leftover tart in the refrigerator, covered loosely with plastic wrap.

Tart FAQ's

More pies and tarts

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I won't keep you waiting any longer; here's the recipe for this fabulous dessert.  And as I promised, this is an easy dessert to make.  Start with your crust, cook the pastry cream, and whip the cream.  That's it!

Recipe

  

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