Chocolate Coffee Mascarpone Tart Recipe:

This Chocolate Coffee Mascarpone Tart is one of my most ordered desserts by both customers (and my family)! I haven’t uploaded a recipe in a long time, partly because this summer has been so chaotic and busy for me. I’m also busy with lots of orders I’ve been getting lately.  Anyways, every one of the main ingredients in this tart is so delicious and goes together perfectly. This tart features a crumbly crust, rich, silky chocolate mascarpone, piped coffee mascarpone, and a dusted layer of cocoa powder on top. If you love coffee and chocolate, or tiramisu, you will love this tart! 

Ingredients for the Crust (Pâte Sucrée):

• 1/2 cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg yolk 

Ingredients for the Chocolate Mascarpone Filling:

• 6 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese

Ingredients for the Coffee Mascarpone Topping: 

• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp espresso powder
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (for dusting on top)

Notes:

• Pâte Sucrée in French is a sweet pastry/tart crust. Pâte means dough, and Sucrée means sweet. When I made this tart, somebody asked me what the difference between a tart and a pie is. Well, one of the key differences is in the crust. Tart crusts are less flaky, and therefore more stable than pie crusts so that they can support a heavier filling. This Pâte Sucrée is more stable than a pie crust but more tender than a cookie, for example. You might describe a pie crust as flaky, but a tart crust as more sandy and crumbly, like a shortbread.
• I found that it’s good to adjust the sugar level to your personal preference with this recipe. Some like it less sweet; some like it more. This recipe is a good starting point to taste it and decide if you want it more or less sweet. 
• I have made this crust gluten free and egg free before. I used gluten-free flour and one flax egg which is 1 tbsp flax meal + 2.5 tbsp water. (I promise it doesn’t taste like cardboard or drywall! 🙂 )

Directions for making the Pâte Sucrée:

1. Add the butter, sugar, and salt to the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high for 2 min. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
2. Add flour and mix until combined.
3. Add egg yolk and mix until combined. The dough should start to pull together into a ball.
4. Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour. 
5. Remove the dough from the fridge, and on a heavily floured surface, roll the dough out to 10 in, making sure it doesn’t stick! The first time I made this, it stuck, and I had to reroll the whole thing!
6. Transfer the dough to the 9-inch tart pan. Press the dough into the pan, ensuring there’s no space, cracks, or tears. Trim the dough with a knife held parallel to your work surface. Cover the tart pan with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer to chill for at least a half-hour while you preheat your oven to 350 F (177 C). (You can stop at this stage and make the rest of the tart tomorrow if you want)
7. Remove the tart pan from the freezer and place a sheet of parchment paper in with pie weights or dried beans to prevent the crust from bubbling up. Bake for 15-20 min and an additional 5-10 min without the pie weights. Keep an eye on this crust because I accidentally overbaked mine the first time I baked my crust. Let the tart crust cool completely. (You can also stop at this stage and let the crust cool overnight, which I did a few times)

Directions for making the Chocolate Mascarpone Filling:

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chopped chocolate, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Heat over a double boiler/bain-marie (Heat a pot of water until boiling and place your bowl on top but not touching the water)
2. Add the cream and whisk until there are no lumps left. Add mascarpone and whisk. Pour into the cooled tart shell, smooth with a small offset spatula, and refrigerate to set. 

Directions for making the Coffee Mascarpone Topping:

1. Mix the espresso powder with 1/2-1 tsp water and stir until dissolved.
2. Place the mascarpone, heavy cream, sugar, and espresso mixture into the stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. It’s crucial that you add all the ingredients at once and not one at a time; otherwise, it will split/curdle. 
3. Mix on medium speed just until firm peaks form, and it holds its shape (don’t overmix; otherwise, it will split/curdle).
4. You can proceed to decorate however you want, but here is what I did:
5. Transfer the mixture to a big piping bag fitted with a large round tip or large french star tip. Remove tart from the fridge and pipe rows of circles of the coffee mascarpone. Try to keep the bag straight up and down and pipe as evenly as possible. Pipe across the whole tart until the filling is completely covered.
6. Place the cocoa powder into a sieve and dust the top with cocoa. You can adjust how much you want to your liking. 

lbry invite link: https://lbry.tv/$/invite/@chaia:b

If you sign up with this link you will get paid through LBC coin. This is the best way to get your feet wet in the world of crypto. Invite your friends and family and we all get paid.