Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart
This tart… oh my gosh.
Chocolate shortbread crust + homemade salted caramel sauce + chocolate ganache + fleur de sel.
That all adds up to one heck of a dessert!
I’ve had this recipe clipped from a Donna Hay magazine for way, way too long. Last week I was flipping through recipes, looking for ideas for Sunday dessert, and this totally leapt off the page at me.
Not only did the combination of components sound absolutely phenomenal, but I’m really partial these days to recipes that can be made in steps… bonus if each step can be completed within the amount of time that a 7-month old naps :)
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
I’ve been crazy about the combination of chocolate, caramel and sea salt since my sister started making stops at a local chocolate shop last summer and showing up to our house with baggies of chocolate-covered salted caramel. Everyone in our family has become a little obsessed with them, then a few weeks ago, she brought a bar of super dark chocolate with sea salt. The salt is flaked and provides little bits of crunch when you bite into the bar. It’s basically one of the best things I’ve ever eaten, so when I saw this tart, with all of its chocolate and caramel and salt, I knew it would be a big hit.
This chocolate crust is tender and topped with a super simple caramel filling made from just sugar and water. (The recipe calls for superfine sugar, which I order from King Arthur Flour, but if you don’t have any, you can just run regular granulated sugar through a food processor or coffee/spice grinder.) The caramel sets up in the perfect consistency – it’s firm, yet still soft and just a bit gooey when you dig into it with a fork. Add chocolate ganache to the equation and you have a heart-stopping dessert that will leave folks oohing and aahing over an empty plate.
If you’re looking for an incredibly impressive dessert that has a wonderful balance of sweet and salty, and varying textures, this is your recipe. Plus, each component can be completed easily and relatively quickly, which makes this a perfect recipe for assembling ahead of time.
Three years ago: Peach Strudel
Four years ago: Honey-Fig Scones
Five years ago: Lemon Bars
Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup (80 g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (28.67 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Caramel Filling:
- ¾ cup (178.5 ml) heavy cream
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1½ cups (300 g) superfine sugar
- ½ cup (125 ml) water
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) fleur de sel, or other flaky sea salt
For the Chocolate Glaze:
- ½ cup (119 ml) heavy cream
- 5 ounces (141.75 g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
- Fleur de sel, to garnish
Special Equipment:
Instructions
- Make the Crust: Place the butter and sugar in a food processor and process until pale in color, about 10 seconds. Add the cocoa powder, flour, egg and vanilla and pulse until a soft dough forms (about 10 1-second pulses). Turn out into a round 9-inch tart pan and press into the bottom and up sides. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prick the dough with a fork and bake for 15 minutes, or until the dough is baked through. Set aside.
- Make the Caramel Filling: Place the cream and butter in a small saucepan over low heat and warm until the butter has melted; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water over low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to high and boil, without stirring, until dark golden and the mixture reaches 340 degrees F on a thermometer. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the cream mixture (be cautious, as it will bubble up). Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the fleur de sel and pour into the pastry shell. Refrigerate until set, at least 30 minutes.
- Make the Chocolate Glaze: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Pour the chocolate over the caramel layer. Refrigerate until set, at least 15 minutes. Sprinkle with additional fleur de sel before serving. Leftovers should be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Hi!! Your receives are amazing and pics are super Divine.
I have one query! Do we put hot caramel sauce in the baked tart crust?? Or cool and then put?? Won’t the crust get soggy if hot caramel is poured?? Not sure at all so thought to check with you.
Thanks :)
Hi Tanisha, Thank you! Yes, the hot caramel should go into the baked crust – it will not turn soggy. Enjoy!
Oh dear! I just measured my tart pan and is `10″!!! will that work?
Hi Fredda, Yes, the layers might just be a bit thinner.
is it possible to swap out the all purpose flour for a gluten free mixture or almond flour?
Hi Kate, I’ve never used a gluten free mix so I couldn’t say for sure how it might affect this particular recipe.
I made this Thanksgiving weekend. My oldest son went for seconds! He wanted me to leave the leftovers for him….it wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be so the flavours were good. I didn’t have flaky sea salt, so used regular sea salt. I would make this again for chocolate/caramel lovers. There is a very fancy dessert place in town, and my son said it could belong there easily…so it was a hit!! Thanks! (Canada)
I made this a few weeks ago and it was a hit! I burned the caramel the first time because of uncooperative utensils (couldn’t get what I needed out of the drawer fast enough). But redeemed myself the second time. So, so delicious.
I slightly overcooked the caramel to 360, so the taste by itself was a little burnt, but in the crust with the sweet chocolate ganache topping it was perfectly balanced. The filling wasn’t hard but thick and perfect. Amazing recipe!
Dear Michelle,
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe, I made it for a friend party and it was the star of the show :) . I did tweak it a little bit,since I was making cheesecake at the same time, I’ve put a very very thin layer before the caramel and bake it for a few minutes. The results were amazing nevertheless I beleive it would be equally heavinly without the cheese. So guys if any of you have been hesitating , just go for it. Really as Michelle said ” your friends will be oohing and ahhing about it ..”
Thanks again :)
Wow, this looks absolutely delicious!
Hi…looks so divine…however, what is Fleur de sel?
Hi Joan, It is flaky sea salt… you can typically find it at specialty kitchen stores like Williams Sonoma or Sur la Table. You could also order it from King Arthur Flour or Amazon. Another type of flaky sea salt is called Maldon.
Hi! Im from Holland and I don’t know what cups are.. Do you know how much that is in grams or something else I can measure with a scale or in milliliters? (sorry for my bad englisch).
Hi, Anna….one cup is 250 mL.
Has anyone made mini tarts with this recipe? I was thinking of using the Pampered Chef mini tart pan and was wondering how many tarts this recipe might make and how many minutes should the crust bake for. Thanks!!!
Oh my does this look delicious!! I actually have this recipe pinned as well and I keep looking at it…. you did a phenomenal job!! I am dying to check out this chocolate shop as well. Thanks for the recommendation!!
Poor Megan (previous comment). I, too, was not eating sugar. Now I am. Thanks to you, Michelle. How can I resist all my favorite things in one amazing dessert?
OH. MY. GOODNESS.. why did I look at your blog at 7:48 am?? This looks INCREDIBLE. Also, I’m not eating sugar right now, so this is torture. This turned out BEAUTIFUL!
Uhhhhh WHERE has this tart been all my life? I need like 3 slices, stat!
Oh my!! I’m thinking this is something I’m going to have to make for myself when my next Birthday rolls around! :D Thanks!!!
This looks absolutely heavenly – I can just imagine how rich and gorgeous those layers of tart crust, salted caramel and chocolate ganache would taste. Perfection in a tart!
This looks delicious. I can’t wait to make it (my cooking list is getting so long, why are there so many great recipes to try, haha)!
Oh wow…time to buy a tart pan for sure. This looks heavenly!
Ain’t this perfect?! Those amazing layers, that richness. Pure joy for any chocoholic like myself.
This is so gorgeous! I honestly would probably eat the whole thing haha!! :)
This looks amazingly delicious. You got me at “each step can be completed within the amount of time that a 7-month old naps.” Just curious, is this when you do most of your baking? My daughter is 11 months and I find it hard to squeeze in recipes between her naps/independent play time. And by the time she goes to bed, I’m usually too exhausted to do more than scrape together dinner..
Hi Megan! Yes, during the week I do all of my playing around in the kitchen when Joseph is sleeping :) It’s a lot more sporadic than it used to be, and some days I get NOTHING done, but I just try to get organized a day or so in advance… if I have a plan of what I want to make, I can get right to it once he’s asleep. He also goes to sleep for the night pretty early (6:30/7:00), so if it’s something quick and easy, I’ll do it after he goes to bed so I still have some time to relax before bed.
I suppose having a plan is a crucial step. I’m not so good at planning ahead and it makes it hard to be productive in the kitchen. You’re definitely an inspiration!
Oh, my – I think you finally outdone yourself.
This looks amazing!! Posts like this make me hate being low carb! Ugh… why can’t caramel and chocolate be low carb?!?
Also, just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy seeing the pics you send of Joseph!
Aww, so glad you enjoy seeing our little guy! :)
Looks absolutely amazing!
Am for sure trying this one!
Thank you!
OMG! The tart looks absolutely sinful — sinfully good that is. It’s a good thing that the past few posts I’ve been concentrating on veggies. Now my eyes can indulge in coveting your tart. I am pinning and saving this for a special occasion. Thank you for sharing.
Positively perfect!! This looks unreal!
The original recipe https://www.donnahay.com.au/recipes/chocolate-salted-caramel-tart doesn’t call for superfine sugar, I’m wondering if there is an advantage to using it?
Hi Wendy, Oh that’s weird, I have the actual clipping from the magazine and it does specifically call for superfine sugar. I just checked the link you posted and it seems that the entire recipe is just a little bit different – many of the ingredient quantities are different and the instructions are slightly different. I’m not sure which one was published first!
How strange! I did notice that a number of the quantities of ingredients were also different but I thought you’d just tweaked the recipe to make it your own. I’m sure both of them would be equally delicious!
What a show stopper!
Love it and well-done Michelle on yet another amazing dessert
This tart looks completely dreamy. I don’t think I’ve seen a version with a chocolate shortbread crust. And I know that salt is just going to be perfect. Can’t wait to try this myself.