This Decadent Chocolate Tart Is Simple Yet Elegant

We've all seen the desserts in commercials and food magazines. Nothing gets a belly rumbling quite like a close-up on a glistening fruit tart, high-definition images of a pie's buttered, flakey crust, or a sweet view of chocolate sauce running down the edge of a drip cake. As scrumptious as these desserts look, their complexity can be intimidating regardless of whether you're an avid baker or someone simply looking to try out their first fancy dessert. Well, have no fear - not every fancy dessert is too complex for the average cook, and this decadent chocolate tart is a perfect example. 

This chocolate tart looks and tastes like something one might find in a professional kitchen, but trust me when I say it is oh so simple to make. With a chocolate graham cracker shell and a luscious chocolate ganache filling accented by the sea salt and fresh fruit garnishes, it's definitely a dessert you won't forget. Originally found through Pinterest, I made a few tweaks to the recipe and I whipped it up for my mom's birthday (we're both diehard chocoholics). This chocolate tart would also be perfect for Valentine's Day, a birthday party, or any special occasion, really!  Read on for all the delicious details on the easiest fancy dessert you'll ever make. 

Chocolate Ganache Tart

• Prep Time:30 mins
• Cook Time:2 hrs
• Total Time:2 hrs 30 mins
• Servings:8
• Easy

Ingredients

• For the Tart Crust:
• 1 & 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• For the Chocolate Ganache Filling:
• 12 ounces dark chocolate
• 8.5 ounces heavy whipping cream
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• To Garnish:
• Sea Salt
• Fresh fruit such as strawberries or raspberries

• Step 1

  Preheat your oven to 350F. Combine the chocolate graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar in a small bowl. Oftentimes, you can buy pre-packaged graham cracker crumbs at the store. If you can't find any, just crush your crackers by hand or by food processor until you have 1 and 1/2 cups of fine crumbs. (P.S. For something different, you can substitute the chocolate crackers for the same amount of plain graham crackers or even a dry cookie, such as a sugar cookie, instead!)

  

• Step 2

  Use a fork to mix until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. The mixture should be damp and crumbly.

  

• Step 3

  Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Bake the crust for 7-8 minutes, then remove it from the oven and allow the pan and tart shell to cool. Don't have a tart pan? You could also make this recipe in a pie dish or even a circular cake pan!

  

• Step 4

  Now, it's time to work on that delicious, decadent chocolate ganache filling! Place the dark chocolate and melted butter in a large, heat-proof mixing bowl. I chose to use dark chocolate, but you could opt to use semi-sweet or milk chocolate, instead. If you opt to use a block of chocolate instead of chips, be sure to finely chop the chocolate before this step.

  

• Step 5

  Add the heavy whipping cream to a small pot and allow it to just barely reach a simmer on the stove, gently stirring the cream as it heats up.

  

• Step 6

  Pour the simmering cream over the dark chocolate and melted butter and quickly cover the bowl with a layer of plastic wrap. Allow the ingredients to sit together for 5 minutes.

  

• Step 7

  Uncover the bowl and stir together the ganache with a spatula. (Check out that gorgeous glob of glistening ganache. 😍)

  

• Step 8

  Pour your ganache into the tart shell and smooth it out evenly. I highly suggest enlisting someone else's help for this step, so you can get an awesome photo to commemorate this gorgeous moment (Thanks, Mom, for helping out with the picture above!)

  

• Step 9

  Place the tart in the refrigerator for two hours to cool and set up, or leave it out overnight to firm up at room temperature.

  

• Step 10

  Finally, it's time to decorate! Garnish your tart with a sprinkling of sea salt and your bright, fresh fruit (I chose strawberries).

  

• Step 11

  Finally, simply cut and serve! Store any leftovers you might have in the fridge (if you do have any leftovers, I can assure you they likely won't be around for long!) Bon appétit!

  

I hope you adore this decadent chocolate tart as much as my family and I did. With it's gorgeous presentation, scrumptious flavor, and simple recipe, I can guarantee you won't regret giving this tart a try!