Dark Chocolate Lemon Tart
Do you like it delicately bitter and slightly sweet? Do you also like it refreshingly sour? How about both at the same time? Then this tart is just right for you and perfect to start spring.
Maybe you already know my “Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart”. As with this one, a delicious crispy crust made from hazelnuts and rolled oats will await you. However, hazelnuts are clearly in the foreground here as they fit perfectly with chocolate. The sweetness comes from the natural sugar of the Medjool dates only. If you like the crust to be more soft, then try the no-bake version by skipping the bake step.
If you are a chocolate lover then your heart will definitely start beating faster when you get served a piece of this tart. It is filled with a rich, dense, and thick layer of dark chocolate. The filling contains whipped cream made from coconut milk, which makes the chocolate smooth and soft.
Underneath the chocolate a thin layer of lemon curd is hidden. The intense flavor is obtained by adding the entire pulp of lemons and the yellow part of the lemon peel. The lemon peel also makes a nice color. The curd is refined with a little maple syrup to avoid that it gets too sour.
If stored refrigerated, the tart will keep for several days. But best when consumed within a day or two. Bring the tart to room temperature to serve. This makes the chocolate filling smooth and soft again and enhances the taste of the chocolate and lemon curd.
You find hints on how to prepare the crust in the post of my “Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart”. If you like, you can use other nuts instead of hazelnuts. Walnuts, pecans and almonds do also perfectly fit to dark chocolate.
You need fresh organic lemons for the curd, as the peel is used. The lemons should also be fresh so that they still contain a lot of juice. Wash the lemons off thoroughly to get rid of the natural wax layer which forms on lemons. Grate the yellow part of the peel only and remove the remaining peel, as it has a bitter taste. Then cut the pulp into small pieces, remove the seeds and collect any lemon juice. To get a more intense color, you can add a pinch of turmeric while cooking.
For the filling you only need the solid part of the coconut milk. You find information on how to get the solid part and what to do with the liquid part in the post of my “Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart”. To melt the chocolate either use a double boiler or a microwave. I prefer the microwave because it is faster. For this, break the chocolate into small pieces and put it into a microwave-safe glass bowl. Turn the microwave to low power and stir every 30 to 60 seconds until the entire chocolate is melted to avoid that the chocolate burns.
For the topping there are no limits to your creativity. I have used halved hazelnuts and pecans and added them shortly before serving. You can also sprinkle coarsely chopped nuts on the still warm chocolate, or mix them directly into the chocolate. Or simply both?
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Did you try the recipe? Then please post a photo of it on Instagram and mention @andacupofcoffee.blog.
Enjoy,
Gerald
andacupofcoffee.com
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Dark Chocolate Lemon Tart
Equipment
- Tart pan with removable bottom (35×13 cm / 14×5 inch)
- High-speed blender or food processor
Ingredients
Tart Crust
- 150 g whole hazelnuts
- 125 g rolled oats
- 150 g Medjool dates approx. 10 pcs, pitted, soaked if not soft
- 50 g rapeseed oil or melted coconut oil
Lemon Curd
- 2 pcs organic lemons zest and pulp
- 100 ml unsweetened almond milk or other non-dairy milk
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1½ tbsp corn starch
Chocolate Filling
- 400 ml full fat coconut milk 1 tin, chilled overnight, just the solid part
- 200 g dark chocolate of your favorite choice, melted
Instructions
Tart Crust
- Preheat oven to 180 °C / 350 °F top and bottom heat. For no-bake simply skip this step.
- Add hazelnuts and rolled oats into a high-speed blender or food processor and pulse until a coarse meal is formed.150 g whole hazelnuts, 125 g rolled oats
- Add pitted dates and oil and process into a moist mixture like wet sand. The dough should be sticky, otherwise, add another date or tablespoon of oil.150 g Medjool dates, 50 g rapeseed oil
- Press the mixture firmly into the tart pan starting with the sides and completing with the bottom. Use a small dough roller to get a nice uniform shell.
- Bake to get a more crisp shell: Place in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes and then set aside to cool. No-bake to get a more soft shell: Place in fridge for 30 to 60 minutes.
Lemon Curd
- Grate the yellow part of the lemon zest and remove the remaining peel. Cut pulp into small pieces and remove seeds. Collect the lemon juice.2 pcs organic lemons
- Mix in the corn starch into a small amount of almond milk and set aside.1½ tbsp corn starch
- Add lemon pulp, lemon zest, lemon juice, almond milk and maple syrup to a blender or food processor and blend everything together.100 ml unsweetened almond milk, 2 tbsp maple syrup
- Pour the blended juice into a small sauce pan and put over medium heat. Let reduce for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Whisk in the remaining almond milk with the corn starch and put over low heat. Whisk frequently, until the curd starts to thicken. Continue stirring continuously with a spatula until the curd is smooth.
- Let the curd cool down and spread it onto the bottom of the tart.
Chocolate Filling
- Put the solid part of the coconut milk into the blender or food processor and process until a whipped cream is formed.400 ml full fat coconut milk
- Whisk in the melted chocolate and pour the finished chocolate filling into the tart.200 g dark chocolate
- Place in the refrigerator and let set for around an hour or overnight.