Happy Valentine’s Day! I can’t believe we’re already halfway through February. I have to say, I’m a little bit dissapointed in the lack of snow here. It seems like it is snowing everywhere in the world but here. And I really want snow! I even put a spoon under my pillow and an ice cube on the porch and everything. But no snow. Sigh.
Anywho, on a slightly happier note, it’s almost Valentines Day! Sense I am a child, Valentine’s day doesn’t mean a whole lot to me, but it is prime dessert time. We’ve got chocolate for days. I love baking up candies, cupcakes, and cookies, all the C’s! But one of my favorite things to make with chocolate, is black forest.
What is Black Forest?
Speaking of, what even is black forrest? This is the mouth-watering combonation of dark cherries, bittersweet chocolate, and sweet whipped cream. Traditionaly, its made as cake, often a cake roll. But as always, I wanted to take this classic flavor and present it in a new way. Valentine’s day is a great time to make black forest things because it’s a wintery flavor, but also very well themed with the holiday. Chocolate and red fruit, what more could you ask? Also, side note, my mom LOVES cherry and chocolate together. She was pretty excited about this tart.
Thats right everyone, this tart is MOM APPROVED.
Describe this Tart to Me
Taste: This has nice even distribution between cherry, chocolate, and cream. We’ve got a classic 3-ingredient chocolate crust (see more bellow) to start us off. Its buttery and chocolatey, the very best things. Then we’ve got the chocolate ganache filling. This has a deep, rich chocolate flavor, with a touch of vanilla and salt. Next, the cherry compote, which has a dark and slightly sweet cherry flavor. I always add a touch of cherry liquer but you can leave it out. Either way, there is completely real cherry flavor. Finally, we top this off with a nice helping of vanilla bean whipped cream, adding a sweetness and light creamy-ness. Four layers of addicting flavor makes this the absolute best.
Texture: At first, you get the crunch from the chocolate crust, which then melts into the rest of the bite. The chocolate and cherry mix together, but you are still left with a few chunks of cherry for added texture and flavor. Finally, there’s the light and pillowy whipped cream, which is an amazing contrast to the rich chocolate filling and crunchy crust.
Ease: Considering this has four layers, this tart isn’t super difficult. It isn’t the easiest dessert you could make, but it’s for a holiday and I think a bit of a challenge is allowed! The crust is super quick and will only take you about 20 minutes from start to finish. The cherry layer will take you about 20 minutes to make, but make sure you leave time for cooling. Its super simple too, all you have to do is cook down some cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and water. The chocolate filling is a ganache, which I am realizing is a very common filling in my blog. But why wouldn’t I use it often? It’s quick, easy, and oh so deliciously decadent. Just chop up sime chocolate and butter, pour over some warm heavy cream, and season with vanilla and salt. Finally, we have the whipped cream. This will only take you about 5-10 minutes to make. It is just whipping cream with a few flavorings and then spreading it on top of the tart. So you see, none of the components are too difficult, its just a lot to do.
The Crust
You might recognize this crust from my Peppermint and Chocolate Custard Tart. That’s because it’s the same one! It’s super quick, but oh so tasty. You just grind up Oreos, add salt and melted butter, press into a pan, and bake! Only three ingredients for something so tasty? Crazy.
The Fillings
The chocolate layer is a classic chocolate ganache with a little butter. It’s simple, but rich and decadent. The cherry layer is a lil more complicated. It’s a cherry compote, which is pretty much just fruit cooked with sugar. We cook fresh or frozen cherries with sugar, water, and a little bit of cornstarch. This will release the cherries liquid and make a jammy mixture. I always add a bit of cherry liqueur to add a little extra flavor, but you can leave it out.
The Topping
The topping for this decadent tart is a simple vanilla whipped cream. It’s only four ingredients, and I bet a lot of you already have them in your kitchen. All you need is heavy cream, confectioners sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whip them all up until you have stiff peaks. There isn’t a whole lot of sugar in the cream, so it’s more of a buttery flavor than sugary. I like to use vanilla bean paste to get a little extra flavor (and those adorable black specks!), but vanilla extract works just as well.
Black Forest Tart
Ingredients
Chocolate Crust
- 22 regular* oreos
- a pinch of salt
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Cherry Compote
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 5 Tablespoons warm water divided
- 1 lb dark red cherries (fresh or frozen*) pitted and halved
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cherry liqueur (optional)
- a pinch of salt
Chocolate Filling
- 12 ounces 60% bittersweet chocolate* coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup unsalted butter sliced
- 1 cup heavy cream
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup confectioners sugar
- a pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract*
- Cherries, chocolate shavings, sprinkles (whatever you want!) Optional toppings
Instructions
Make the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Get out a 9 inch tart pan and set it aside.
- In a food processor, pulse the oreos together. No need to chop them or separate the cream and the cookie, just put the whole cookie in the processor. Pulse until there are no clumps of cookie and they become a fine crumb. You can't really over-pulse this, just make sure there are no clumps. Transfer the cookie crumbs to a medium bowl and toss in the salt. Then, pour in the melted butter and use a spatula or a wooden spoon to combine. The mixture will be clumpy and resemble wet sand.
- Pour the mixture into your tart pan. Use your fingers to mold it along the sides of the pan, and then on the bottom. I start forming the sides first to make sure they are strong enough to hold the filling. Then I move into the center, trying to get it as even in thickness as possible. You want it to be compact, so I recommend using the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crust tightly into the pan.
- Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes. It will still be soft, but will harden as it cools. Once baked, set aside to cool. The crust should be completely cool when you add the filling to it.
Make the cherry compote
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 3 Tablespoons of warm water until dissolved. I use a small fork to do this. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cherries, sugar, and cornstarch mixture. Allow this mixture to come to a simmer.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Try and break up some of the cherries as you do this. Add the other two tablespoons of water and the cherry liqueur (if using). Stir and let simmer for another 1-2 minutes. The compote will be thick and chunky. I like to use a pastry cutter or potato masher to break up some of the cherries. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt. Allow to cool for at least 20-30 minutes. It will thicken more as it cools.
While the cherries cool, make the chocolate ganache
- Set the chopped chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the cream on medium heat until it just starts to boil. Remove from the heat and pour it over the chocolate and butter. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until completely smooth and combined. Stir in the salt.
- Pour/spread the ganache into the crust in an even layer. Place in the refrigerator to cool for about 15-20 minutes or until it begins to set. It will still be very soft, we want that! Once slightly chilled, spread the cherry compote evenly on top. It might not look pretty, that's ok because we are going to cover it with whipped cream! Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Make the whipped cream
- Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cream, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl on medium-high speed. You are looking for stiff peaks, so that when you lift the whisk out of the bowl, the cream will form a peak. Whisk in the vanilla.
- Once the tart has chilled for 1 hour, put the whipped cream on top. I use a piping bag fitted with piping tip Wilton 1M and pipe little swirly flowers all around. You can use any piping tip you want or just use a spoon to spread it on. Whatever you feel will work best! I top mine with cherries and chocolate shavings, but again you can do whatever you want.
- Tart stays fresh in the refrigerator for 5 days. I recommend getting it out of the fridge and letting it thaw for 10 minutes before enjoying.