This chocolate custard tart is a decadent, triple-chocolate baked tart. A silky chocolate custard bakes inside a chocolate shortbread crust and is finished with a white chocolate drizzle for an elegant touch.
If a dessert menu lists chocolate tart, I can rarely resist. A rich, silky chocolate tart feels indulgent and special, which is why I have a whole guide devoted to cooking with chocolate. This tart was first created for a Halloween-themed week, but it’s refined enough to serve any time of year. Add seasonal decorations for a dramatic centerpiece or keep it simple for an elegant finish.
Components
It helps to think of this tart in layers, starting from the crust and building up to the topping. The recipe uses a chocolate shortbread crust, a baked chocolate custard filling, and a white chocolate drizzle for contrast.
The chocolate shortbread crust is based on a reliable shortbread ratio but flavored with cocoa powder. Using melted butter and powdered sugar instead of creamed butter and granulated sugar yields a tender, easily-pressed cookie crust that holds its shape.
The chocolate custard filling is made by heating cream (and a little milk), adding corn syrup for shine, pouring that hot mixture over chocolate to melt it, then tempering and folding in eggs so the custard bakes smooth and dense.
The white chocolate drizzle is the final flourish. For Halloween I piped a dense web and added little chocolate spiders, but you can drizzle any pattern you like — from simple lines to an intricate web or a geometric design.
Tips for success
Tips for Making a Baked Chocolate Custard Tart
This dessert looks impressive but is straightforward with a few careful steps.
- Do not grease the tart pan; the butter in the dough prevents sticking.
- Sift the dry ingredients for the crust to avoid streaks and ensure even mixing.
- You can press the dough directly into the pan or roll it out between parchment sheets and transfer it. Rolling helps give an even thickness to bottom and sides.
- If rolling, use parchment or a silicone mat. If you dust, use cocoa powder instead of flour to avoid pale spots.
- Press the dough firmly into the pan so it takes the shape of the edges and grooves. Leave 1/2″ to 1″ of dough above the rim to allow for slight shrinkage, and trim excess after pre-baking.
- After blind-baking, brush the warm crust with a beaten egg white mixed with water and return to the oven for a minute to seal it. This prevents the custard from seeping into holes.
- Prepare the custard after the crust has cooled slightly. Heat the cream mixture, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit to melt. Fold gently — do not beat — to avoid incorporating air that creates bubbles in the finished tart.
- Temper the eggs by drizzling a little warm chocolate into the beaten eggs while whisking; repeat a few times before combining fully. This helps prevent curdling.
- Pour the custard into the shell and gently drop the pan from a small height to bring bubbles to the surface, then lift them away with a small piece of parchment.
- Bake until the filling still wobbles like firm gelatin. If you see cracking or large bubbles, it’s overbaked — remove immediately.
- Cool the tart on a sheet pan and let it reach room temperature before removing the pan. Use offset spatulas to transfer the tart with minimal handling.
Storing your tart
This tart can be made ahead for an event. Once cooled and decorated, store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For best flavor and texture, bring the tart out about 20 minutes before serving so the custard softens slightly toward room temperature.
Using different pans
I use a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan that’s a bit deeper than some pans, but the recipe will work in most tart pans. If your pan is wider and shallower, fill to just below the rim and watch the bake time — a thinner custard layer will cook faster. Start checking around 20 minutes and then every 5 minutes until the center wobbles like jello.
Eat & Enjoy!
Once decorated, the tart is hard to resist. It’s rich, so it easily serves 10–12. Serve slices plain or with a bright raspberry or strawberry sauce, or a spoonful of whipped cream to balance the richness. Whether for Halloween or a dinner party finale, this triple-chocolate tart satisfies any chocolate craving.
Other recipes to try:
- Bat Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
- Slice & Bake Pumpkin Cookies
Chocolate Tart
Ingredients
Chocolate Shortbread Crust
- 10 ounces (about 2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 ounces (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) cocoa powder
- 8 ounces (1 cup) butter, melted
- 4 ounces (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt
Chocolate Custard Filling
- 8 ounces (1 cup) heavy cream
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) whole milk
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces (about 2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or equivalent chopped dark chocolate)
- 3 large eggs (1 egg separated)
White Chocolate Topping
- 1 ounce white chocolate
- 2 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional, for chocolate spiders)
Instructions
Chocolate Shortbread Crust
- Melt the butter and set it aside. Prepare a tart pan.
- Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, powdered sugar, and salt.
- Add the melted butter and vanilla to the dry ingredients and fold until a dough forms.
- Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to 1/4″–1/2″ thick and transfer to the tart pan. Patch any cracks and press firmly into the edges. Leave about 1/2″ of dough above the rim and prick the bottom and sides with a fork.
- Chill the lined tart pan for at least 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake 12 minutes, then remove.
- Beat one egg white with 1 tablespoon water and brush the warm shell immediately. Return to the oven for 1 minute to seal. Reserve the yolk for later use in tempering if needed.
Custard Filling
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
- Combine heavy cream, milk, vanilla, and corn syrup in a saucepan and heat to about 200°F — the cream should be steaming and simmering at the edges.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips with a pinch of salt and let sit for 5 minutes to melt.
- While the chocolate is standing, lightly beat the remaining whole eggs and reserved yolk.
- Stir the cream and chocolate gently until smooth and glossy — avoid vigorous beating.
- Temper the eggs by adding a small drizzle of the warm chocolate mixture to the beaten eggs while whisking; repeat 4–5 times.
- Pour the tempered eggs into the chocolate and fold until combined.
- Pour the custard into the cooled tart shell. Gently lift one corner of the pan a little and drop it to coax out bubbles, and skim any bubbles with parchment.
- Bake 35–40 minutes, or until the custard holds a firm wobble like jello. If you see cracks or large bubbles, remove the tart immediately.
- Cool the tart on a rack to room temperature.
Decorations
- When cool, set the tart on a wide glass and gently release the pan. Use several long spatulas to transfer the tart to a serving plate if desired.
- Melt white chocolate in short intervals at 50% power, stirring between bursts until smooth.
- Drizzle white chocolate across the tart with a fork or piping bag. For a spiderweb, draw many straight lines across the tart, changing direction to form the web.
- If making chocolate spiders, melt remaining chocolate chips, place small globs on the tart, and use a toothpick to pull out legs and refine shapes. Let set.
- Store the finished tart covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Serve slightly warmed toward room temperature for best flavor.
Notes
*You may use an equal weight of chopped dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet chips. Higher cocoa percentages yield a more bitter tart.
*If using a wider, shallower tart pan, reduce baking time to around 20 minutes and check every 5 minutes thereafter. Remove as soon as the custard wobbles and before cracks form.
Nutrition
Calories: 384 kcal • Carbohydrates: 36 g • Protein: 6 g • Fat: 25 g • Saturated Fat: 16 g • Cholesterol: 114 mg • Sodium: 170 mg • Fiber: 2 g • Sugar: 14 g
I’d love to see how your tart turns out — feel free to tag me on Instagram @theflourhandprint so I can see your version. Until next time, happy baking!