This chocolate orange tart is layered with a rich chocolate ganache and silky, creamy orange curd made from blood oranges. The chocolate crust is similar to a buttery chocolate cookie and the tart filling tastes incredible. My family of taste-testers raved over this delicious combination.
It’s no secret we LOVE oranges here. We make orange cake, milk chocolate orange cookies, cranberry orange bread, orange muffins, and orange chocolate rolls to name a few! With a big bag of oranges on our counter, I was tempted into making orange curd. From there my mind whizzed with how I wanted to utilize my dreamy orange curd and I settled on a classic tart. While developing this recipe, I tried making this tart originally without the ganache and it just didn’t have enough chocolate flavor for my taste buds!
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This tart requires 3 steps.
- Make the tart crust. You’ll find not just the recipe, but also tips for making a perfect chocolate tart crust. You’ll need to prepare the dough, then fully bake the crust before filling. To make things easy, you can use a store-bought tart shell, and then you’ll only need to make the ganache and orange curd.
- Make ganache. You’ll find tips for making the best ganache if you don’t make ganache often. Reserve ½ cup of the ganache to pipe onto the final tart for decoration.
- Make the curd for the filling. If you check out my lemon curd post, it includes many tips on how to make curd, so be sure you read it. I like to use this double boiler when I make my curd. Note: orange curd requires much less sugar. Once the orange curd is ready, fill your crust with it and chill.
Blood Orange Curd Tart Filling
The filling is similar to my favorite lemon tart, except for 2 adjustments. This orange curd recipe uses less egg and sugar for a smaller volume of curd. When you pour the curd or ganache into the crust, use a knife or an offset spatula to evenly spread it.
Why add butter to the orange curd filling?
The butter adds a thick, creamy texture and the long whisking when adding it makes it light and airy. You can whisk the butter by hand, or even better, use a blender. Add the butter to the orange curd mixture and blend, adding a few cubes of butter at a time, until completely smooth.
Tips for the Perfect Chocolate Blood Orange Tart
- Chill the blood orange tart for several hours before serving or the filling may be too runny. After enough chilling time, the orange curd will firm up, making it easier to cut through.
- You can make this tart a day ahead of time. It keeps well in the fridge, covered tightly. It will keep for up to 4 days refrigerated in an airtight container.
- Read more about crust making here.
Read more about lemon curd here. - Baker’s tip: While you can certainly measure your ingredients by volume (most home bakers do), for the best results, I highly suggest measuring ingredients by weight using a food scale.
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Chocolate Blood Orange Tart
Decadent dessert with silky, creamy orange curd and rich homemade chocolate ganache on a chocolate buttery cookie-like tart crust.
Ingredients
- 1 fully baked chocolate tart crust *see notes
Ganache Layer:
- 1 cup (170g/6oz) coarsely chopped chocolate (semi-sweet or a combination of milk and bittersweet)
- ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) butter, unsalted, cut into small pieces
Orange Curd:
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ½ cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges for both zest and juice)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¼ cup (½ stick/4T/56g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
Make the ganache:
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In a medium heatproof bowl, place chopped chocolate. Set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream and butter to a low boil. Remove from the heat and pour mixture over the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, stir mixture until melted and smooth (if not completely melted, reheat in the microwave for several seconds and stir until melted).
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RESERVE ½ cup of ganache and place in the refrigerator. Pour remaining ganache over chocolate tart crust and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Make the orange curd:
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In a medium heatproof bowl, place eggs, sugar, orange zest and juice, and heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie). Cook on moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick (mine was ready in 10 minutes, but it can take up to 20). If you have a thermometer, it should register 170F/75C; otherwise, it should coat the back of a wooden spoon and leave a clear pass if you run your finger through it. The curd will thicken more once cooled.
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Remove from heat and immediately strain mixture through a sieve. Add butter, a few cubes at a time, and whisk until completely melted and incorporated, and mixture is smooth. Take your time with it—the whisking makes for an airy and light texture. Allow to cool to room temperature before filling the tart.
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[Orange curd can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or can be frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw, place overnight in the fridge. Whisk the mixture to smoothen it before using.]
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Fill the tart with orange curd right over the ganache layer then refrigerate for at least 4 hours until chilled.
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Top the tart: Use the reserved ½ cup of ganache to pipe decorations onto the tart. To make whipped ganache: Scoop the ganache into a food processor bowl and beat air into the ganache until it’s light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Use immediately by piping onto the chocolate tart.
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Decorate with orange slices, kumquats, golden berries, orange zest, pomegranate arils, or chocolate shavings. The tart is rich, so cut your servings small.
Recipe Notes
Elsa says
The creamy texture and refreshing tartness of the curd mixed with the richness of the ganache makes this such a delightful dessert. The cookie crust is sweet and crunchy which pairs great with the curd. I’ll definitely make this again.