March is the family birthday month and so it was baking frenzy for me. Citrus Chocolate tart for the hubs, oreo souffle cheesecake for the nephew, Taiwanese old fashioned sponge for the SIL and cherry chocolate tart for my sister. Most of them are repeat bakes except for the oreo cheescake. I like to bake for birthdays because I get to practise baking and decorate the cakes according to my liking. Here are some photos of the cherry chocolate tart and the citrus chocolate tart and the recipe is actually the citrus chocolate tart where the citrus peel is replaced by dried cherries.
(Makes one 9 inch tart) Ingredients For the chocolate pastry
- 120g cake flour
- 115g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 25g cocoa powder
- 60g icing sugar sifted
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the cherry chocolate filling
- 250g dark chocolate
- 60g unsalted butter
- 60g dried cherries, roughly chopped
- 50g caster sugar
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/2 cup hot espresso
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt and cornstarch in a bowl and set aside.
- Cream butter and icing sugar till light and fluffy.
- Add the yolks and cream to combine.
- Add the sifted flours and mix till just combined.
- Shape the dough into a disc and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours or freeze till ready to use. The day before I use the dough, I thaw it in the normal compartment in the fridge and take it out of the fridge 20 minutes before rolling.
- Knead the chocolate pastry lightly and roll it out into a round of about 1/4 inches thick.
- Line the tart tin with the rolled pastry and trim away the excess. Dork the base of the pastry with a fork and leave to chill in fridge for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and add some baking beans to the chilled dough.
- Bake the tart base in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, remove the baking beans and continue to bake for another 5 minutes.
- Take the baked crust out to cool and prepare the filling.
- Bring the cream and butter to a simmer and pour into the bowl containing the chocolate. Stir to melt the chocolate.
- Whisk in the sugar and espresso.
- Beat the eggs lightly with a fork and whisk into the chocolate mixture together with the vanilla extract.
- Sprinkle the dried cherries onto the cooled tart crust and pour the chocolate filling into the tart crust.
- Bake in preheated oven of 180 degrees for about 12 minutes.
- Chill in fridge for about 2 hours to set before eating, or overnight.
The dried cherries was a little tart and balanced the sweetness from the dark chocolate filling. If this was solely for adults, I would have used alcohol soaked cherries. 
