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    Grits and Pinecones » Recipes » Desserts

    Chocolate Ganache Tart & Raspberry Sauce

    January 28, 2023 by Sharon Rigsby 5 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Easy Chocolate Ganache Tart and Raspberry Sauce is the ultimate dessert for the chocolate lovers in your life.

    The decadently rich ganache filling, made with both semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate, is truffle-like in its consistency and delivers intense chocolate flavor with each bite.

    Piled high on a crisp almond-flavored biscotti crust sweetened with brown sugar and topped with raspberry preserves, this show-stopping chocolate raspberry tart is impossible to resist. 

    A chocolate ganache tart with a slice cut out and on a white plate.

    Top the chocolate ganache tart with a drizzle of scrumptious raspberry sauce, and you have an unforgettable restaurant-quality chocolate raspberry dessert. It is super easy to make and perfect for showing the special people in your life how much you care.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredient notes:
    • Here’s how to make chocolate ganache tart:
    • Recipe variations:
    • What to serve it with:
    • Recipe FAQs:
    • Top tips and tricks:
    • More chocolate dessert recipes:
    • 📋 Recipe:

    Ingredient notes:

    (Specific measurements can be found in the recipe below.)

    Ingredients to make a chocolate tart including semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate pieces.
    • Semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate: this recipe uses a combination of both semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate. There are only two ingredients in the ganache, and it’s important to use the best brand of chocolate baking bar you can find. Baking bars are formulated to melt quickly and smoothly.
    • Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream: is essential for a smooth, rich ganache. This is not the time to save calories and substitute half-and-half, whole milk, or skim milk. 
    • Biscotti: this recipe uses biscotti as the base for the crust. Biscotti is a sweet, dry, crunchy, almond-flavored Italian biscuit or cookie that has been baked twice. 
    • Brown sugar: adds a little more sweetness to the crust and helps bind it together when it is baked. 
    • Unsalted butter: brings the crushed biscotti and brown sugar together to form a delicious crunchy tart crust. 
    • Seedless raspberry jam or preserves: I like to add raspberry jam to the crust before adding the ganache and also love to pour some raspberry sauce over the tart before serving. The tart raspberry jam cuts through the rich chocolate, and it’s a match made in heaven.
    • Fresh lemon juice: (not pictured) brightens the raspberry jam and makes the most wonderful sauce that doesn’t require any cooking or pureeing. You will want to pour it over everything. 
    • Fresh raspberries: optional garnish

    Here’s how to make chocolate ganache tart:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350° F and spray your tart pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
    2. Combine the biscotti, brown sugar, and butter in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until the biscotti is reduced to fine crumbs.
    Biscotti in the bowl of a food processor before processing.
    1. Pour the crumbs onto your tart pan and use your hands to press firmly on the bottom and sides of the pan. The crust needs to be packed down tightly. Once you get it packed down, use a flat-bottom measuring cup or another flat-bottomed utensil to pack it down further and smooth out the surface. 
    Using a flat-bottomed measuring cup to pack down a cookie crumb tart crust.
    1. Place the tart crust on a baking sheet and bake for ten to twelve minutes. When it’s golden brown, remove it from the oven. Place it on a wire rack to cool. 
    2. While the crust cools, make the ganache filling. Use a serrated knife to finely chop the chocolate and place it in a medium-sized glass bowl.
    A bowl of chocolate that has been chopped into small pieces.
    1. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it’s just simmering. Do not let it come to a boil. Once you see little bubbles start forming around the edges, remove the pan from the heat and immediately pour the cream over the chocolate.
    Pouring hot cream over chocolate pieces in a bowl.
    1. Let the ganache sit for a minute or two, and then stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth,  dark, and shiny. 
    Using a whisk to stir melted chocolate and cream.
    1. Use a spoon or offset spatula to spread one-quarter of a cup of the raspberry preserves evenly over the crust, but stop about one inch from the side of the pan.
    Using a spoon to spread raspberry preserves over a tart crust.
    1. Pour the ganache into the prepared crust and spread it out evenly. 
    Using a rubber spatula to smooth our ganache filling in a tart crust.
    1. Store the tart uncovered in the refrigerator for two to four hours. Once the ganache firms up, cover it with plastic wrap.
    2. To make the raspberry sauce, place the jam in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave for one minute.  Stir until the jam has smoothed out, and then add the lemon juice. Stir to combine. 
    3. To remove the tart from the pan for serving, place a wide can or inverted bowl smaller than the tart bottom on your kitchen counter. Lightly set the cooled tart pan on top of it. Hold the pan ring in one hand and the pan bottom in the other, and gently, carefully pull the ring down away from the tart. You can then use a spatula to slide the tart off of the pan bottom and onto a serving plate or keep it on and serve as is. 
    4. Optional, garnish with fresh raspberries. Use a knife and slice the tart into individual servings. Spoon or pour a little raspberry sauce over each slice. Serve immediately. 
    A chocolate ganache tart on a serving platter garnished with raspberries.

    Recipe variations:

    The crust recipe for this tart is versatile; you can substitute practically any cookie you like or have on hand. Graham crackers, Oreos, chocolate wafer cookies, shortbread cookies, and vanilla wafers, and even Biscoff cookies all work. You can also use a regular pie crust, but you will have to blind-bake it before adding the ganache. 

    Instead of raspberries and raspberry preserves, you can substitute strawberries and strawberry preserves.

    What to serve it with:

    Chocolate Ganache Tart with Raspberry Sauce is a rich and decadent dessert and perfect for special occasions such as Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, romantic dinner or a birthday celebration.

    Entrees that would pair well with it include:

    • Beef Tenderloin with Gorgonzola Sauce
    • Oven Baked Short Ribs with Red Wine Sauce
    • Filet Mignon with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce
    • Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Bacon
    • Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon
    • Steakhouse Style Blackened Steak
    • Pecan Crusted Grouper

    Recipe FAQs:

    What is ganache?

    Ganache is a smooth, luxurious mixture of melted chocolate and heavy cream. It is very rich and is most often used to make truffles or as a filling or glaze for cakes and other desserts. 

    What’s the difference between a tart pan, a pie plate, and a springform pan? 

    While you can use any of these pans for this recipe, the finished product will look different and have to be served differently. A tart pan is a shallow metal pan with sharp fluted edges and a removable bottom. The removable bottom allows you to remove the rim before sliding the tart off the disk base and onto a serving plate.

    A pie plate or a pie pan, often made of Pyrex, is a round, shallow, slope-sided, one-piece dish with a flat rim to hold the edge of a pie crust. They generally are deeper than a regular tart pan. If you make your tart in a pie pan, you will have to leave it in the pan and slice it while still in the pan. 

    A springform pan is a type of metal cake pan with straight deep sides made in two parts. It has a base and a removable ring that serves as the side of the pan. Springform pans are most often used for baking cheesecakes, but you could also use them for baking your tart. After the tart has been refrigerated and firmed up, you can remove the sides just like the tart pan. 

    How to store leftovers?

    Because of the cream, your chocolate raspberry tart will have to be refrigerated. You can store it covered in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can also freeze it in an airtight container for up to one month. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before serving. 

    What’s the difference between a sauce and a coulis?

    In this recipe both terms are correct and can be used interchangably, but a coulis generally refers to a puree of fruit.

    Top tips and tricks:

    • For the best results, do not use chocolate chips in this recipe. Chocolate chips are often coated with stabilizers to help keep their shape and will not melt as smoothly. If you can’t find baking bars and have to use chocolate chips, use the best quality chips you can find.
    • Most tarts of this size are cut into eight servings. This tart is so rich, it can easily serve twelve adults. 
    • Be sure to heat your cream in a saucepan on the stove instead of in the microwave. The cream will not heat as evenly, and it’s easy to scorch or burn in the microwave. Above all, do not let your cream boil. 
    • For the cleanest cut, warm up your knife under hot running water and then dry it off before cutting a slice of the tart. Repeat as needed.
    • Ensure the bowl you use to mix the chocolate and cream is either glass or metal and thoroughly dry. Water and chocolate do not mix, and if the bowl is wet, it can cause your chocolate to seize. 
    • Be sure to bake your tart on a baking sheet. Tart pans are very shallow and hard to grasp when removing them from the oven.
    • Handling a full tart pan is tricky. Because the bottom is removable, you can’t hold them by the bottom like you would with a cake pan or pie plate. If you try to hold it by the bottom, the removable bottom is likely to come loose.
    • If you don’t have a tart pan, you can also make this recipe in a springform pan or a pie plate. See the FAQs above for the differences in each. 

    More chocolate dessert recipes:

    If you like this recipe, I know you will love these quick and easy favorites:

    • A heart-shapped chocolate cake topped with cherries.
      Heart-Shaped Chocolate Cake with Cherries
    • Two white bowls full of chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream.
      The Best Homemade Chocolate Pudding Recipe
    • Four Chocolate Cherry Brownie Parfaits ready to serve for Valentine's Day
      Easy Chocolate Cherry Brownie Parfait
    • A white bowl with chocolate dump cake topped with vanilla ice cream and cherries.
      Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake – Fudgy Deliciousness

    You might also like my Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies, and Dark Chocolate Billionaire Candy.

    If you need more dessert menu ideas or suggestions, you also might like my collection of 33 Romantic Desserts for Valentine’s Day.

    ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

    Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones; I hope you come back soon!

    📋 Recipe:

    Chocolate Ganache Tart with a slice cut out.

    Chocolate Ganache Tart & Raspberry Sauce Recipe

    Sharon Rigsby
    Chocolate Ganache Tart with raspberry sauce is the ultimate dessert for the chocolate lovers in your life. The decadently rich ganache filling, made with both semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate, is truffle-like in its consistency and delivers intense chocolate flavor with each bite. Combined with the crisp almond-flavored biscotti crust sweetened with brown sugar, this show stopping dessert is impossible to resist. 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Chilling 4 hours hrs
    Total Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, Southern
    Servings 12 servings
    Calories 462 kcal

    Equipment

    • 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom

    Ingredients
      

    Crust

    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
    • 8 biscotti cookies, about 5½ ounces
    • ¼ cup brown sugar
    • ¼ cup seedless raspberry jam or preserves

    Ganache

    • 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
    • 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
    • 1½ cups heavy cream or heavy whipping cream

    Raspberry Sauce

    • ¾ cup seedless raspberry jam or preserves
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

    Optional Garnish

    • fresh raspberries

    Instructions
     

    Crust

    • Preheat the oven to 350 °F and spray your tart pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Combine the biscotti, brown sugar, and butter in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until the biscotti is reduced to fine crumbs.
    • Pour the crumbs onto your tart pan and use your hands to press firmly on the bottom and sides of the pan. The crust needs to be packed down tightly. Once you get it packed down, use a flat bottom measuring cup or another flat bottomed utensil to pack it down further and smooth out the surface. 
    • Place the pan with the crust on a baking sheet and bake for ten to twelve minutes or when it's golden brown. Remove it from the oven. Place it on a wire rack to cool. 

    Ganache

    • While the crust cools, make the ganache filling. For the smoothest ganache, use a serrated knife to finely chop the chocolate and place it in a medium-size glass bowl. 
    • Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it's just simmering. Do not let it come to a boil. Once you see little bubbles start forming around the edges, remove it from the heat and immediately pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute or two, and then stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth,  dark, and shiny. 
    • Use a spoon or offset spatula to spread one-quarter of a cup of the raspberry preserves evenly over the crust, but stop about one-inch from the side of the pan.
    • Pour the ganache into the prepared crust and spread it out evenly. Refrigerate uncovered for two to four hours. Once the ganache firms up, you can cover it with plastic wrap.

    Raspberry Sauce

    • To make the raspberry sauce, place the jam in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave for one minute.  Stir until the jam has smoothed out, and then add the lemon juice. Stir to combine. 
    • To remove the tart from the pan for serving, place a wide can or inverted bowl smaller than the tart bottom on your kitchen counter. Lightly set the cooled tart pan on top of it. Hold the pan ring in one hand and the pan bottom in the other, gently and carefully pull the ring down away from the tart. You can then use a spatula to slide the tart off of the pan bottom and onto a serving plate or keep it on and serve as is. 
    • Optional, garnish with fresh raspberries. Use a knife and slice the tart into individual servings. Spoon or pour a little raspberry sauce over each slice. Serve immediately. 

    Notes

    For the best results, do not use chocolate chips in this recipe. Chocolate chips are often coated with stabilizers to help keep their shape and will not melt as smoothly. If you can’t find baking bars and have to use chocolate chips, use the best quality chips you can find.
    Most tarts of this size are cut into eight servings. This tart is so rich, it can easily serve twelve adults. 
    Be sure to heat your cream in a saucepan on the stove instead of in the microwave. The cream will not heat as evenly, and it’s easy to scorch or burn in the microwave. Above all, do not let your cream boil. 
    For the cleanest cut, warm up your knife under hot running water and then dry it off before cutting a slice of the tart. Repeat as needed.
    Ensure the bowl you use to mix the chocolate and cream is either glass or metal and thoroughly dry. Water and chocolate do not mix, and if the bowl is wet, it can cause your chocolate to seize. 
    Be sure to bake your tart on a baking sheet. Tart pans are very shallow and hard to grasp when removing them from the oven.
    Handling a full tart pan is tricky. Because the bottom is removable, you can’t hold them by the bottom like you would with a cake pan or pie plate. If you try to hold it by the bottom, the removable bottom is likely to come loose.
    If you don’t have a tart pan, you can also make this recipe in a springform pan or a pie plate. See the recipe FAQs for the differences in each. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 462kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 5gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 62mgPotassium: 273mgFiber: 3gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 642IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe? Tag me today! Mention @gritspinecones or tag #gritspinecones!

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Chris

      December 31, 2021 at 12:04 pm

      What size is your tart pan?

      Reply
      • Sharon Rigsby

        January 02, 2022 at 4:00 pm

        Hi Chris, I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I hope I’m not too late. I use a 9.5-inch tart pan for this recipe, but anything from 9 inches to 10 inches will work.
        I hope you enjoy it!
        Sharon

        Reply
    2. Kathi B

      February 01, 2021 at 4:42 pm

      We are attending a Couple’s Night event for Valentine’s Day w/a few friends and I am looking forward to making this recipe for my dessert obligation! It looks amazing and coupled with the fact that my husband loves a chocolate/rasberry combination, this is sure to be a hit all-around (and most importantly for him 🙂

      Reply
      • Sharon Rigsby

        February 01, 2021 at 7:08 pm

        Hi Kathi, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Happy Valentine’s Day!
        All the best,
        Sharon

        Reply
        • Kathi Boor

          February 24, 2021 at 6:20 pm

          This was stupendous! I used a pie dish and vanilla wafers. I am pleased to have yet another “go to” recipe from this blog for gatherings which request a dish of some sort.

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    Sharon Rigsby, blogger at GritsandPinecones.com

    Hello, I'm Sharon Rigsby, blogger, recipe developer, videographer, and photographer for Grits and Pinecones®. I have over 50 years of experience in the kitchen, and I like nothing better than developing and reimagining recipes for my family, friends, and you!

    More about me →

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