A perfectly tart tart, this raspberry curd black cocoa tart dessert tastes like a raspberry Oreo cookie. Topped with panna cotta hearts for a festive Valentine’s day dessert. For an extra chocolatey dessert, try a layer of ganache right over the homemade cookie crust.
We have an abundance of raspberries in our house right now because our one-year-old thinks they are the greatest food of all time. With this abundance, I perfected a beautiful raspberry curd. I decided to create our Valentine’s Day dessert this year with black cocoa because I was gifted a bag and immediately wanted to bake a chocolate tart crust with it. Black cocoa is a stronger flavor, but isn’t overly chocolatey. It’s what gives Oreo cookies their dark color and delicate cocoa flavor.
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Ingredients & Cooking Methods
Black Cocoa Tart Crust
AP Flour, black cocoa powder, sugar, salt, butter, egg, and vanilla extract come together easily in this chocolate tart dough. If you don’t have black cocoa on hand, it can be made with dutch process cocoa as well and will be brown in color. Fully bake the crust.
Chocolate Ganache Layer *optional
For a sweeter, more chocolatey dessert, add a layer of creamy chocolate ganache on top of the fully baked chocolate tart crust.
- ½ cup (85g/3oz) coarsely chopped chocolate (semi-sweet or a combination of milk and bittersweet)
- ¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoons (14g) butter, unsalted, cut into small pieces
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).
Raspberry Curd Filling
Raspberry curd filling is made similar to lemon curd filling. I did add cornstarch to the filling so that it was extra smooth, thick, and creamy. Curd has a thick pudding-like texture and raspberries have natural fruit pectin in them to help the curd gel properly too!
- 12 oz (340g) raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup (100g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (zest of 1 medium lemon)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1 medium lemon)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 large egg yolks
- ⅛ cup (15g) cornstarch
- pinch salt
- 4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Combine raspberries, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. This should take 5-10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain mixture through a medium mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl. Stir constantly with a rubber scraper to ensure the mixture strains properly. Discard the seeds and remaining contents in the strainer.
In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the egg yolks, heavy cream, and cornstarch until smooth. Stir yolk mixture into raspberry mixture, add a pinch of salt, and stir until well combined.
Using a double boiler or heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water (bain-marie), pour the raspberry and yolk mixture into the top pot of the double boiler or use the heat-proof bowl the mixture is already in.
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.
How to assemble the raspberry black cocoa tart
In a fully baked tart or pie crust, add the optional chocolate ganache and let cool in the refrigerator for an hour or until set. Add the cooled raspberry curd directly to the ganache. If you want your tart to taste more tart, omit the ganache and place the raspberry curd right on the baked tart crust. Spread evenly. Top with raspberries, chocolate shavings, or panna cotta hearts (pictured).
How to make panna cotta hearts
I decorated this raspberry black cocoa tart with gorgeous panna cotta hearts and heart sprinkles. Making panna cotta hearts is incredibly easy! Make a small batch of incredibly delicious panna cotta, but increase the amount of gelatin so the hearts come out of the molds smoothly and easily.
Panna cotta gelatin hearts
- ¼ cup cold water or milk
- 2 ½ teaspoons (8g) unflavored powdered gelatin
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- ⅛ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Place cold water or milk in a small mixing bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the surface in a single layer. Be sure not to pile it as that will prevent the crystals from dissolving properly. Let stand for 5-10 minutes to soften. Stir if needed.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat cream, sugar, vanilla extract on medium heat and bring just to a boil until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and discard vanilla bean. Stir in gelatin and immediately whisk until smooth and dissolved. If the gelatin hasn’t fully dissolved, return the saucepan to the stove and heat gently over low heat. Stir constantly and don’t let the mixture boil.
- Using a heart-shaped candy mold and candy droppers, pour panna cotta mixture into the mold. Be sure to put a hard, flat surface like a sheet pan underneath the mold before filling. Let set in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours or overnight to ensure they are completely set before using.
- Yield: 63 panna cotta hearts
More delicious tart recipes
- Ultimate Classic Lemon Tart – classic french lemon curd tart
- Blood Orange Chocolate Tart – blood orange curd with ganache and chocolate tart crust
- Strawberry Rhubarb Tart – strawberry rhubarb curd tart
- White Chocolate Strawberry Tart – white chocolate tart with strawberry jam + whipped cream
- Nutella Tart – chocolate + hazelnut tart
Raspberry Black Cocoa Tart
A perfectly tart tart, this raspberry curd black cocoa tart dessert tastes like an Oreo cookie with a raspberry. Topped with panna cotta hearts for a festive Valentine's day dessert. For an extra chocolatey dessert, try a layer of ganache right over the homemade cookie crust.
Ingredients
- 1 fully baked chocolate tart crust using black cocoa *see notes
*Optional* Chocolate ganache
- ½ cup (85g/3oz) coarsely chopped chocolate (semi-sweet or a combination of milk and bittersweet)
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) butter, unsalted, cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream
Raspberry Curd Filling
- 12 oz (340g) raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (zest of 1 medium lemon)
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1 medium lemon)
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 large egg yolks
- ⅛ cup (15g) cornstarch
- pinch salt
- 4 Tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
*Optional* Chocolate ganache layer
-
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). Pour ganache over chocolate tart crust and refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour.
Make the raspberry curd
-
Combine raspberries, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. This should take 5-10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain mixture through a medium mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl. Stir constantly with a rubber scraper to ensure the mixture strains properly. Discard the seeds and remaining contents in the strainer.
-
In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the egg yolks, heavy cream, and cornstarch until smooth. Stir yolk mixture into raspberry mixture, add a pinch of salt, and stir until well combined.
-
Using a double boiler or heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water (bain-marie), pour the raspberry and yolk mixture into the top pot of the double boiler or use the heat-proof bowl the mixture is already in.
-
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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Fill the tart with raspberry curd right over the ganache layer (if using) or right onto the crust then refrigerate for at least 4 hours until chilled.
Recipe Notes
*Chocolate Tart Crust Recipe HERE – note: use black cocoa in the recipe (affiliate link) or use a store-bought oreo cookie pie crust.
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