Chocolate Spider Web Tart

This Halloween tart uses a chocolate shortcrust-style shell filled with a smooth dark chocolate ganache. A white chocolate web is piped on top after the filling sets, and simple chocolate spider decorations finish the presentation.

By Julienne

Cook time: 30 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 180 g all-purpose flour for the tart crust
• 30 g unsweetened cocoa powder for the tart crust
• 50 g powdered sugar for the tart crust
• 3 g fine salt for the tart crust
• 113 g unsalted butter cold and cubed
• 1 each egg yolk for the tart crust
• 15 g cold water for the tart crust if needed
• 240 g heavy cream for the filling
• 225 g semisweet chocolate chopped
• 30 g water for the ganache if needed
• 60 g white chocolate chopped, for the web decoration
• 5 g neutral oil for the chocolate spiders
• 24 g mini chocolate chips for the spider eyes

Instructions

1. Make the crust: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Mix in the egg yolk, then add the cold water only if needed, a little at a time, until the dough just comes together. Press into a disk, wrap, and chill for 15 minutes. The dough holds together when pinched and is no longer dry in spots.
2. Heat the oven to 190°C. Roll the chilled dough into a 32 cm round and line a 9-inch tart pan. Trim the edges, prick the base lightly, line with parchment, and fill with pie weights. The shell is evenly lined with no large cracks at the edges.
3. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, then remove the weights and parchment and bake for 5 more minutes. Cool on a rack while you make the filling. The crust looks dry and set, with a matte cocoa finish.
4. Make the ganache filling: Heat the cream just to a simmer, then pour it over the chopped semisweet chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. If the mixture seems very thick, whisk in the water a little at a time. The filling is glossy, smooth, and pourable.
5. Pour the ganache into the cooled crust and smooth the top. Let it stand at room temperature until the surface begins to set, then chill until firm, about 20 minutes. The tart surface is set enough to hold piped decoration.
6. Melt the white chocolate gently and transfer it to a small piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped. Pipe concentric circles and drag a toothpick from the center outward to form a web pattern. If using spiders, pipe small bodies with a little melted chocolate mixed with the neutral oil and attach mini chocolate chips as eyes. The web lines are visible and the chocolate spiders hold their shape when touched lightly.
7. Chill the finished tart until fully set, then slice with a warm knife and serve cold or cool. Clean slices lift from the pan without the filling running.