As a full-time working parent, it’s hard to find time dedicated to fulfilling all my baking desires. Often, I am drawn to desserts that incorporate individual elements, which can be separately made and assembled at a later, more convenient time. This tart fits the bill. It’s really super fun and easy to make too. All you need is a great Chocolate Pâte Sablée recipe, a meringue or buttercream and a whole host of little sweets nibbles you want to decorate (and eat) with.

This became my birthday tart cake for 2018. Loved it!

This dough is buttery, rich and most decadent. It’s different to your normal sugar dough: while the sugar dough (Pâte sucrée) is cookie-like, this has a higher proportion of butter and less egg, making it richer and more “sandy”. Almond meal is often added. Higher egg yolks ratio in the overall egg quantity also maintains that richness. You can opt to use icing sugar instead of caster sugar as well.

Ingredients

• 420g (2 cups) plain flour
• 80g (3/4 cup) almond meal
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I use Valrhona)
• 3g (1/2) teaspoon salt
• 120g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
• 125g unsalted butter (I use Westgold), softened
• 1 large egg + 1 yolk (size 7)

Instructions

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the egg and yolk one after the other. Mix until completely combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Turn the mixer to low, beat in the flour mixture until the dough just comes together and you can’t see any streaks of flour. Do not overmix. (The dough should hold when pressed together between your fingertips. If not, lightly mix in up to 1 tablespoon milk.)
5. Place half the dough on a piece of baking paper. Gather the dough together and press it into a round disk. Place a second sheet of baking paper on top and roll the dough out to 3mm thick. Take note of the size of the shape you wish to cut out (I just scaled up a letter M with pencil and ruler) and make sure the dough is big enough.
6. Repeat with the remainder of the dough.
7. Chill in the fridge for an hour or overnight.
8. Using your paper template, cut out a shape from each of the dough sheets with a sharp knife.
9. Carefully transfer baking paper with your shape to a cookie sheet and bake at 165 degrees Celsius for 12 minutes.
10. Cool completely before assembling tart.

While the biscuit is baking, make the filling. Remember to leave the butter out on your work surface before you start, so that it will have softened by the time you need it.

I used my Chocolate Swiss Meringue recipe and a star tip to pipe big stripey blobs of meringue on the bottom layer. I love the lines created by this tip!

Crushed chocolate was sprinkled on before the second layer biscuit was placed carefully on top.

I also chose this meringue recipe for its body – it can withstand the weight of the biscuit and all the yummy things I piled on top!

Less is more when it comes to the goodies – for example you only need 2-3 macarons for the whole cake. Think about what you would like to eat; the colours and texture.

Here I have macarons (no brainer as you can see how much I love macarons and they are from my freezer stash), Valrhona chocolate from Easter, mini chocolate eggs, tempered chocolate discs (made by yours truly), wafer flowers, heart and mini marshmallows, Fresh As freeze dried raspberries and Gavottes feuilletine flakes.

Thank you Westgold for the butter 😊 #giftedbutnotsponsored