Time for me to try more Great British Baking Show challenges! This time I challenged myself to bake a fruit tart worthy of a bakery display case. That means presentation is everything with this one. For my fruit tart, I decided on a chocolate orange raspberry tart.

Chocolate and raspberries in my opinion is one of the best food combinations ever, and my husband suggested the orange, so I added that in too.

My chocolate raspberry orange tart ended up having layers of chocolate mousse, orange creme patissiere and raspberry jam topped off with fresh raspberries, and orange zest. My layers weren’t the perfect crisp lines Paul and Mary look for, but I still would give myself an A for presentation.

Make the Shortcrust Pastry

Sweet shortcrust pastry differs from regular shortcrust in that it has some sugar and egg yolk added into the dough. This type of shortcrust is perfect for sweeter desserts, like tarts!

After the dough is shaped into a ball, you have to let it rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before it can be rolled out. I think that’s because if the dough is overworked it will become less pliable and harder to roll out. Also the butter in the dough needs to stay nice and cold, so it stays flaky and creates lovely buttery layers when it’s cooked.

After the chilling time, the crust can be rolled out and put into the tin of your choosing so it can be blind baked. I molded mine into a greased spring form pan since I don’t own a traditional tart tin. This gave my tart a cleaner look I think, with the straight sides.

The crust needs to be weighted down with something to prevent it from poofing up so I put parchment paper over it and weighed it down with uncooked rice. It cooked until it was golden brown.

Creme Patissiere Next!

While the dough is resting and cooking, this is a great time to start in on the fillings. I made the creme patissiere first. Here in the U.S., it’s called pastry creme, but I like the way creme patissiere sounds. Definitely fancier and elegant which is exactly how my fruit tart looks, so it’s filled with creme patissiere not pastry creme.

This is the basic creme filling that’s in desserts like eclairs, creme puffs, boston creme donuts, and the like. It’s made with egg yolks, sugar, and milk. Cornstarch and flour are used as thickeners and some people add vanilla for flavor. In my case, I used full fat coconut milk in place of regular milk and it worked like a charm.

The part that’s a little difficult is the milk is heated to boiling point then poured into the whipped egg yolks and sugar while still whisking it all together. The mixture is then dumped back into the pot and continually whisked until it thickens. It then needs to be left to cool, so I stuck it in the fridge with some siran wrap right on the creme so a skin wouldn’t form.

Make the Chocolate Mousse

After the creme patissiere, I started preparing my last filling: chocolate mousse. I opted for a dairy free avocado chocolate mousse. The avocado is the base for the creaminess and with the added sugar and chocolate, you don’t even know it’s there.

First, I blended ripe avocados with a hand blender. I sifted cocoa powder and powdered sugar and blended that in, along with a tad of coconut milk. Lastly, I added melted chocolate to give it an extra chocolatey flavor. That’s it!

Assembly

With the crust cool, the creme patissiere set and the chocolate mousse ready, it’s time to start assembling! My last minute prep included mixing in orange zest to the creme patissiere and and taking out some fresh raspberries and jam.

First on the bottom of the crust, I put the raspberry jam. Then I put a layer of chocolate mousse and a layer of creme patisserie. Finally I put one more layer of chocolate mousse on top and decorated it with my raspberries, an orange slice, and a little orange zest.

This chocolate raspberry orange tart tastes absolutely delicious!! The only thing I would change looking back is to do one layer of chocolate mousse instead of two.

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Another yummy fruit tart to try is my Apple Pear Tarte Tatin.

Archive Dive!

Chocolate Raspberry Orange Tart

With Love, Melissa

You won’t want to stop eating this decadent dairy-free dessert with layers of fruity, creamy, and chocolatey flavor.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 20

Chilling Time 2

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients

2-3 Packages Raspberries
½-1 Cup Raspberry Jam
1 Orange

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

1½ Cups All-Purpose Flour
9 Tbsp Dairy Free Butter, cubed
⅓ Cup Sugar
1 Egg Yolk
1-3 Tbsp Ice Water

Orange Creme Pattisiere

3 Egg Yolks
5 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
1¼ Cup Full-Fat Coconut Milk
1 Tsp Vanilla

Chocolate Mousse

4 Avocados
1-2 Cup Powdered Sugar, sifted
¼ Cup Cocoa Powder, sifted
6 Tbsp Full-Fat Coconut Milk
½ Cup Chocolate Chips, melted
Pinch Sea Salt

Instructions

Gather ingredients for the sweet shortcrust pastry. Combine flour and sugar, then cut-in butter. You can use your hands to smush it around until the butter is incorporated into the flour. It should be crumbly, with some flakes of butter visible. Add in the egg yolk and start with 1 tbsp of water. The dough should start sticking together. Continue adding water if you need to until the dough sticks together in one ball, but is not tacky or wet feeling. Wrap in siran wrap and let chill in fridge for 20-30 minutes.
Gather ingredients for creme patissiere. With a hand mixer, beat together egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is a pale yellow color. Then beat in the cornstarch and set aside. In a medium sized pot, bring milk and vanilla to a boil over medium heat. Once milk is boiling, gradually pour ¼ cup into egg yolk mixture while whisking until incorporated. Then pour all of it back into the pot and whisk continually over low heat until it thickens. Once its thick, pour into a bowl and cover with siran wrap right on the top of the cream so it doesn’t form a skin and stick in fridge to cool. It might take an hour or two.
Take shortcrust dough out of fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Grease a 9″ tart or spring form pan and line the pan with your dough and cut to fit. Place a layer of parchment paper over crust and fill either with ceramic baking weights or uncooked rice. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove weights and parchment paper, then bake for another 10 minutes, until golden and let cool.
Gather ingredients for the chocolate mousse. Beat avocados in a food processor, or blender. Add sifted cocoa powder and confectioner’s sugar and blend together. Add in coconut milk and sea salt and blend. Add in melted chocolate as you’re blending until nice and smooth.
Once creme patisserie is cooled, add orange zest and mix together.
Spread a modest layer of raspberry jam on the bottom of your crust. Next plop creme patissiere all around on top of the jam and carefully spread all over until you have an even layer. Finally spread chocolate mousse on top with the same technique, plopping spoonfuls all around and then carefully spreading it on. When you have a nice flat top, assemble two rows of fresh raspberries around the edge and place an orange slice in the middle. Zest an orange over the top to your liking. Store in refrigerator.