White Chocolate and Raspberry Tart

This white chocolate and raspberry tart recipe is one of those desserts that look incredibly fancy but is actually pretty easy to make. It’s 3 simple components: An unbelieveably crispy and buttery poppy seed shell. A deliciously pink raspberry curd filling. And a creamy but light whipped white chocolate ganache.

I love making these for dinner parties because it’s perfectly balanced in texture and flavour, it looks so impressive, and you can prepare the components separately and simply put them together last minute for the freshest sweet treat.

Yield: 6x 10cm wide tartlets

INGREDIENTS:

TART SHELL-

• 200g AP/Plain Flour
• 3tbsp Granulated Sugar 
• 1tsp of Salt 
• 1tbsp Lemon Zest 
• 2tbsp Poppy Seeds
• 100g Unsalted Butter, cubed
• 4-6 tbsp Water, ice cold

RASPBERRY CURD-

• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 Egg, room temp
• 1 Egg Yolk, room temp
• 75g Caster Sugar
• 100-130g Raspberries (frozen or fresh)
• 50g Unsalted Butter

WHIPPED WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE-

• 80g White Chocolate
• 100ml Double/Whipping Cream
• 1tsp Vanilla Extract

DECORATION-

• Powdered Sugar, for dusting
• Fresh Raspberries

STEPS:

TART SHELL-

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds in a bowl
2. Add butter. Using your fingers, press and rub the butter into the dry mixture. Once it reaches a sandy texture and there are no large chunks of butter remaining, move onto the next step
3. Gradually add the ice cold water one teaspoon at a time and combining the mixture in between each addition of water. When the mixture begins to form a dough but there are still a lot of dry flour around the bowl and crumbly parts of the dough, stop adding water. Transfer the mixture onto a clean work surface
4. To create crispy layers in the tart shell, do not knead the dough. Instead, using your hands, press the crumbly dough into a rectangle on the work surface. Using a bench scraper, cut down in the middle and scoop one half of the dough and stack it onto the other. Press the dough down and form a rectangle once again and repeat this stacking processes 4 more times. You will begin to see the layers form in the dough and become a cohesive dough that is no longer crumbly
5. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it in the fridge for at least 2 hours to fully chill

RASPBERRY CURD-

1. In a bowl, combine egg, egg yolk, and sugar. Set aside
2. Working with frozen and fresh raspberries will look a little different, go to step 3 for frozen go to step 4 for fresh. 
3. Frozen Raspberries: Add them to a saucepan with the lemon juice. Place it onto low heat and slowly cook it to soften the berries. Using a spatula, smoosh the berries to release as much of the juices as possible. Once all the berries are softened, set it aside to cool down
4. Fresh Raspberries: The aim is to break apart the fruit and allow the juices to get released so you can either gently pulse the berries in a blender/food processor or muddle it in a bowl by hand. Add the lemon juice to the muddled raspberries and pour it into a saucepan
5. Add the egg and sugar mixture to the raspberries and stir with a spatula to combine
6. Transfer the saucepan onto the stove on low heat. Using the spatula, constantly stir and it will begin to thicken. You’ll know the curd is ready when you scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula and the curd will be thick enough to stay separated for a few seconds. You’ll be able to see the bottom of the pan then slowly it’ll flood back together and cover the bottom. It should be a thick liquid consistency
7. Remove it from the heat and whisk in butter
8. Pass it through a strainer into a bowl. This will remove all of the seeds and ensure a smooth result
9. Cover it with a piece of clingfilm. Press it right against the surface of the curd and place it into the fridge to chill completely 

BAKE TART SHELL-

1. Pre-heat oven at 180°C
2. Lightly flour your working surface and the surface of the tart dough
3. Using a rolling pin, press the cold dough to flatten then roll into a thin rectangular sheet of dough (around 0.3cm thick). Cut the sheet of dough into squares larger than 13cm by 13cm. This will ensure that they are big enough to cover the surface area of the 10cm diameter tart moulds
4. Gently lay the dough over the mould and press it in. Use your fingers to help the dough into all the folds and ruffles of the tart mould. Carefully roll the rolling pin over the edge of the metal tart mould. This will cut the dough perfectly along the edge so that the excess can be easily removed. Repeat for all the shells, any excess dough can be pressed together and rolled out to make more shells
5. Use a fork to poke holes all over the base of the tart dough
6. Cut parchment paper into 13x13cm squares. Place them over the dough. Pour baking weights (check tips below) over the parchment and fill the whole tart mould. This will keep the shell in shape while it bakes
7. Place into the oven at 180°C and bake for 15min then remove the weights and parchment paper. Place the shells back into the oven to finish baking for 10min or until the shells are golden and crispy
8. Remove them from the mould and let it cool completely on a wire rack

FILL TARTS-

1. Remove the clingfilm from the cold raspberry curd. Whisk the mixture just until smooth and transfer into a piping bag
2. Pipe the curd into the tart shells, then use the back of a spoon to help smooth the surface
3. Place it into the fridge to set

WHIPPED WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE-

1. Add white chocolate and cream into a large bowl
2. Microwave it in 30sec intervals and stir in between until the chocolate has fully dissolved
3. Stir in a splash of vanilla extract
4. Place into the fridge to chill completely
5. Using an electronic mixture, whip the mixture until it reaches medium-stiff peaks
6. Transfer it into a pipping bag with the tip of your choice

DECORATE-

1. Pipe the whipped ganache onto the tart
2. Use any remaining curd in a piping back for extra designs over the cream
3. Add fresh raspberries to the tarts
4. Optional dusting of powdered sugar
5. Place it into the fridge to set for at least 30min
6. Eat it on the day it’s made for the best results!

TIPS

Baking weights: Use rice or dried beans – they are cheaper and more convenient to find in shops!

Make this recipe easier to manage: The recipe may seem long and feel overwhelming to pull off in one day. Remember, you can make the components ahead of time so that you only need to assemble the tarts on the day they are needed. The raspberry curd can be pre-made and stored in an airtight container. Pre-made shells will stay crispy if you don’t fill it. And the ganache can be pre-made then whipped up on the day.

No tart moulds: If you do not own any tart moulds you can make these in a non-stick cupcake trays! They become super cute mini tarts!