Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart

Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart my personal interpretation of this yummy cake.
The window of the pastry shop near my house is always a source of inspiration. I saw this beauty composed of a chocolate shortcrust tart, filled with salted caramel and covered with a dark chocolate ganache.
On a difficulty scale is doable.
I searched the internets and found out that it is an invention of the famous pastry chef Ernst Knam. He named this cake after his son Giulio: hence Torta Giulio.

I know salted caramel from gelato making but I never used it in pastry before. At first attempt the caramel came out too dense so I had to adjust in the next round. I wanted it more like “caramel mou”.

I have to admit that this tart is more sweet than the rest of the cakes I make. But this tart didn’t disappoint me as the sweetness is balanced by the dark chocolate and the salty caramel.

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Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart

Prep Time50 mins

Cook Time14 mins

Total Time1 hr 4 mins

Ingredient for a perforated 19 cm / 7.5 in tart ring

Ingredients

For the chocolate shortcrust:

• 100 g butter 3.5 oz
• 65 g icing sugar 2.3 oz
• 27 g eggs 0.95 oz
• 165 g flour 5.8 oz
• 18 g cocoa powder unsweetened (0.63 oz)
• 2 g baking powder half a tsp
• pinch of salt
• powdered vanilla bourbon the tip of a tsp. (or vanilla extract)

For the salted caramel:

• 100 g sugar 3.5 oz
• 140 g fresh cream 4.9 oz
• 60 g butter 2.1 oz
• 4 g Maldon salt or normal salt (0.15 oz)

For the chocolate ganache:

• 140 g dark chocolate 4.9 oz
• 110 g fresh cream 3.9 oz

Instructions

For the chocolate shortcrust:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment put the butter (cubed), the sugar, the icing sugar and the vanilla. Work at medium speed just enough to mix the ingredients.
• If done by hands, put the above ingredients in a big bowl and work quickly with the tip of your fingers in order not to heat the butter.
• Mix the egg with the vanilla and salt. Add the to the other ingredients and work briefly at medium speed.
• Sift together twice the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Add them to the stand mixer bowl and work at low-medium speed until all ingredients are combined. Do not overwork! The perfect consistency is moist but the pastry shouldn't stick to your fingers when you touch it.
• Shape the shortcrust into a thick disc and wrap it with cling film. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Roll out the shortcrust between two sheets of baking paper.
• Using the perforated tart ring cut the base of the tart, and pinch holes using a fork.
• If you have a perforated baking mat place it on an oven tray, otherwise line the tray with baking paper.
• Place the ring on the tray, and the shortcrust disc inside it.
• Note: the tray has to go in the freezer, so if your freezer is not big enough, line a cardboard cake disc with baking paper and use that instead for the freezing part.
• Roll out the remaining shortcrust pastry and cut two strips for the border. Place the strips on the inside of the ring, cutting the excess and connecting the extremities. Press well to make it stick to the base.
• Trim the edge of the ring to remove the pastry in excess.
• Place the tray in the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven at 170° C (340° F).
• Bake at 170° C (340° F) for 15 minutes.
• Let it cool off completely before unmolding.

For the salted caramel:

• In a small and high pot (preferably with double bottom) put a small quantity of the sugar. Put on low-medium heat without ever touching it.
• As the sugar starts to melt, rotate the pot once in a while. Add some more sugar and keep roating and adding sugar as it melts and caramelizes. At the last batch of sugar put a pot with the cream on medium heat.
• When the sugar has melted and is caramelized add the boiling cream (careful to splutters and steam!). Stir using a silicon whisk until the caramel dissolves into the cream. At the beginning the caramel will solidify, that's normal. Keep stirring until it melts (it will take approx 5 minutes).
• When the caramel is melted add the butter and salt. Stir.
• Transfer into a jar and let it cool off.
• For the chocolate ganache:
• Heat the cream. Chop the chocolate using a kitchen knife or in the mixer. Put in a medium glass bowl.
• When the cream starts boiling pour it inside the bowl and stir with a whisk until the ganache is smooth. Let it cool at room temperature.
• Assembly:
• Pour the caramel inside the chocolate tart and level with a spatula. Transfer in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Pour the chocolate ganache on top of the caramel layer and rotate gently to distribute it evenly.
• Put the tart in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.
• I used some Maldon salt flake to garnish the top.

Notes

I like the contrast sweet-savory so the dose of 4g of salt (0.15 oz), which is about a tsp, is pretty high. This can be of course adjusted to taste.
Also note that the quantity of caramel in the photos is slightly higher that what declared in the recipe.

Did you try this recipe?Mention @tortaoragione and tag #tortaoragione!