When you take a bite of this raspberry tart, the first thing you’ll taste is the bittersweet chocolate cookie crust as it shatters and dissolves on your tongue. Next comes the light-as-air raspberry cream filling, and then the slight tang of fresh raspberries sweetened (but not too much) by a thick, glossy, raspberry glaze.
The raspberries glisten like jewels on top of their bed of silky cream filling.
This easy dessert is assembled in stages – all are simple to do, but they require some cooling and chilling time in between, so plan ahead and start early in the day, or the day before. Start with the crust, made from finely ground chocolate wafers.
Once the crust has baked and cooled, add the cream filling, then let it chill for several hours or overnight.
After you add the fresh raspberries and glaze to the top of the tart, you can serve it right away, or hold it in the fridge for a few more hours.
Because it’s just the two of us, I often downsize desserts like tarts and cakes, so we don’t end up with too much left over. For this post I made a full-sized (10-inch) tart but at the bottom of the post I’ve included ingredient quantities for a 7½-inch version.
Making this raspberry tart ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- The crust, cream filling, and glaze can be made a day ahead. Fill the crust with the cream filling and chill it covered; keep the glaze separate, chilled and covered.
- I wait until the day of serving to arrange the berries on top and dab them with the glaze. Once the tart is fully assembled, it will hold up very well for several hours until serving. The following day the berries will be slightly softer than on day 1, but the difference is minimal. Do try to enjoy the leftovers within 2 or 3 days.
To see this recipe combined with other dishes in a special-occasion menu, read the post for Saturday, January 11, 2020.
Raspberry Cream Tart with Chocolate Crust
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (preferably European-style)
- 9 ounces chocolate wafer cookies
- 2 pints (24 ounces) fresh raspberries, divided
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1½ teaspoons water
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup chilled heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter. Crumble the cookies into the bowl of a food processor and process them into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse the processor a few times until the crumbs and butter are combined. Dump the crumbs into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press them out into an even layer across the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Bake the crust for 12 to 15 minutes until it’s just set, then remove it to a wire rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, wash and dry the processor bowl.
- Step 2 Divide the raspberries in half, setting aside the prettiest raspberries for the topping. Place the remaining 1 pint of raspberries in the food processor bowl along with ½ cup of the sugar, and the lemon juice. Puree the mixture with a few pulses of the processor, then pour it through a fine mesh strainer set over a liquid measuring cup, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Step 3 Pour half of the raspberry puree into a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the water. When the raspberry puree is simmering, whisk in the cornstarch slurry, and keep whisking for a minute or two until the mixture comes back to a simmer and turns bright and glossy, no longer cloudy. Transfer the glaze to a small bowl or container and cool it to room temperature, then cover it and chill it until cold.
- Step 4 For the filling, combine the mascarpone, cream, vanilla, and the remaining ¼ cup of sugar in a medium bowl and beat the mixture with an electric mixer until it thickens and develops a frosting-like consistency. Fold in the reserved half of the raspberry puree, being careful not to deflate the whipped consistency of the filling. Gently spread the filling in the cooled crust. Place the tart in a cake storage container or other container that covers it with a lid that doesn’t directly contact the cream filling. Chill 6 hours or overnight.
- Step 5 To finish the tart, arrange the remaining raspberries over the tart in concentric circles. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze evenly over the raspberries, then use a pastry brush to gently spread the glaze to cover the tops of all the raspberries. Serve immediately, or chill for up to 4 hours.
Ingredient amounts for a 7½-inch tart
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (preferably European-style)
- 6 ounces chocolate wafer cookies
- 1½ pints (18 ounces) fresh raspberries, divided (half for the glaze/filling and half for the topping)
- ½ cup granulated sugar, divided (use 3/8 cup or 6 tablespoons for the glaze and 2 tablespoons for the filling)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon water
- 6 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup chilled heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
