and the living is easy

a friend of mine graduated with first class honours and i decided that even though she’s a good 12-hours flight away, we had to celebrate. okkk fine, so maybe it’s just an excuse to bake. but either way…

boy, am i glad i made this.

i’ve always been a huge fan of chocolate tarts. there’s something about the contrast between the crunchy tart shell and smooth filling and the flavours of dark chocolate ganache. but even for a chocolate fan, chocolate tarts can be a little too rich and overwhelming at times.

i’m not sure if pastry shops in other countries do this as well, but the japanese adds a thin layer of cake - normally a soaked genoise in their tarts. the thin layer of cake provides some textural contrast and creates an illusion of lightness. 

chocolate tart - pate sablee base (from paris sweets), thin layer of chocolate ganache, chocolate sponge cake topped with chocolate filling (from pure desserts). serve with softly whipped cream.

the chocolate cake i baked was too small to completely fill the bottom of the tart case. i crumbled the other layers, mixed it with some ganache and spread the mixture around the sides.

verdict? let’s just say that there is no need to cut this tart into thin slivers.

also, the following day, i had a terrible haircut and needed as much chocolate as i could get my hands on. 

forks get in the way of satisfaction.