Black Forest tart

Sweet cocoa pastry is filled with a rich, fruity filling of chocolate and cherries in this heavenly German gateau-inspired dessert

  • Prep:45 mins
    Cook:55 mins
    plus chilling
  • Serves 10
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 382
  • fat 22g
  • saturates 10g
  • carbs 38g
  • sugars 17g
  • fibre 2.7g
  • protein 6g
  • salt 0.5g

Ingredients

  • 375g pack sweet shortcrust pastry, roughly chopped
  • 4 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 50g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 3 large eggs, 1 separated
  • 75g dark chocolate, broken up
  • 75g milk chocolate, broken up
  • 50g butter, diced
  • 140g jam
  • 85g golden caster sugar
  • couple of handfuls fresh cherries, pitted, plus extra to serve
  • icing sugar, to serve
  • crème fraîche, to serve

Tip

Preparation tips

If you haven’t got baking beans for blind-baking, use uncooked rice or dried beans instead. If you don’t have a cherry pitter, you can remove the stones with a metal piping nozzle. Simply place the nozzle on a flat surface, tip facing upwards, and firmly press the cherry onto the nozzle until the stone comes out of the top. 

Vary the recipe

For an alcoholic kick, stir a splash of kirsch and a little icing sugar into the crème fraîche. 

Method

  1. Make chocolate pastry by pulsing the pastry, 2 tbsp cocoa and the vanilla in a food processor. Roll out on a lightly floured work surface until it is the thickness of a £1 coin and use to line a 22-23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill for 30 mins.

  2. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Scrunch up a sheet of baking parchment, then flatten it out and press gently over the pastry. Pile in baking beans and blind-bake for 15-20 mins until the pastry is biscuity. Remove the parchment and beans and bake for 5 mins more until cooked through. Brush with egg white and return to the oven for 2 mins; this will help to keep the base crisp. Reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and spread the jam over the base of the tart.

  3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave, in short bursts on High, stirring in between, or in a bowl over – but not touching – a pan of barely simmering water. Whisk the eggs, egg yolk and sugar with an electric whisk for a full 10 mins until pale and thick. Take your time when beating the eggs and sugar - they should be mousse-like. Sieve the flour and remaining cocoa and fold in, together with the melted chocolate, using a big metal spoon.

  4. Scrape into the tin and scatter over the cherries. Bake for 20-25 mins until the filling has slightly puffed but is still slightly wobbly when you shake it. Chill for 3 hrs or overnight, then sprinkle with a few cherries and a dusting of icing sugar. Serve with crème fraîche.

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