Spelt flour makes a noticeably different pastry. The crust stays short and slightly nutty, with a texture that pairs well with a dense chocolate filling rather than fighting it.
The ganache here is simple: dark chocolate, cream, and a pinch of salt. You pour it into the blind-baked shell while it’s still warm, and it sets as it cools. No water bath, no baking the filling at all.
Toasted hazelnuts go into the pastry and sit on top of the tart before it sets. They stay crisp where they touch the surface, and soft where the ganache covers them.
You can make the whole tart a day ahead. The crust stays firm and the ganache firms to a clean slice at fridge temperature.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Spelt crust stays crisp without going soggy
- No-bake ganache filling sets without effort
- Toasted hazelnuts add crunch at every layer
- Slices cleanly straight from the fridge
Ingredient Notes
- Wholemeal spelt flour: Use wholemeal spelt for a nuttier, darker crust. White spelt works too and gives a paler, slightly more delicate pastry.
- Dark chocolate (70%): Use 70% cocoa solids for a ganache that sets firm enough to slice. Lower percentages may not set properly at room temperature.
- Double cream: Full-fat double cream (or heavy cream) is needed here. Single cream has too much water content and the ganache may not set.
- Hazelnuts: Buy blanched hazelnuts and toast them yourself for better flavour. If you only have skin-on hazelnuts, rub them in a tea towel after toasting to remove most of the skins.
- Unsalted butter: Cold butter is key for the pastry. Cut it into small cubes and keep it in the fridge right until you need it.
- Icing sugar: Icing sugar gives the pastry a softer crumb than caster sugar. Caster sugar works as a substitute but the texture will be slightly more crumbly.
Spelt Chocolate Tart with Hazelnuts
Description
Wholegrain spelt flour gives this tart a short, biscuity crust that holds the dark chocolate ganache without turning soggy. The toasted hazelnuts add crunch in both the pastry and the filling.
Ingredients
Spelt Pastry
Dark Chocolate Ganache
Topping
Instructions
Make the Pastry
- Heat the oven to 180 C / 355 F. Spread the hazelnuts for both the pastry and the topping on a baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool, then roughly chop the pastry portion.
- Put the spelt flour, icing sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the chopped toasted hazelnuts (40 g) for the pastry. Add the egg yolk and 1 tbsp of ice-cold water. Mix with a fork, then use your hands to bring the dough together. Add the second tablespoon of water only if the dough feels dry and won't come together.
- Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Line and Blind Bake
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled pastry out to a circle roughly 3 mm thick and about 30 cm in diameter. Carefully lift it over the rolling pin and lay it into the 23 cm tart tin. Press gently into the edges and let the excess hang over the rim.
- Prick the base all over with a fork. Line with baking parchment, fill with baking beans or dried rice, and refrigerate the lined tin for 15 minutes.
- Blind bake at 180 C for 15 minutes until the edges are set and lightly golden. Remove the parchment and baking beans. Return to the oven for a further 8-10 minutes until the base is dry and feels firm when pressed lightly.
- Trim the overhanging pastry with a sharp knife while still warm. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.
Make the Ganache and Assemble
- Place the finely chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the double cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer around the edges. Do not let it boil.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Leave for 1 minute without stirring, then stir slowly from the centre outwards until smooth and glossy.
- Add the room-temperature butter pieces and the pinch of salt. Stir gently until the butter has melted in and the ganache looks uniformly smooth.
- Pour the ganache into the warm tart shell. Tilt the tin gently to level the surface if needed.
- Scatter the topping hazelnuts over the ganache within 5 minutes. Add a pinch of flaky salt if using. Leave to set at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour until fully firm.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 8
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 420kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 28g44%
- Saturated Fat 13g65%
- Cholesterol 55mg19%
- Sodium 80mg4%
- Potassium 280mg8%
- Total Carbohydrate 33g11%
- Dietary Fiber 4g16%
- Sugars 17g
- Protein 7g15%
- Vitamin A 320 IU
- Calcium 45 mg
- Iron 4 mg
- Vitamin D 10 IU
- Vitamin E 3 mg
- Vitamin K 4 mcg
- Thiamin 0.1 mg
- Riboflavin 0.1 mg
- Niacin 1.5 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.1 mg
- Folate 22 mcg
- Vitamin B12 0.1 mcg
- Phosphorus 160 mg
- Magnesium 55 mg
- Zinc 1.8 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Additional Notes
- Rest the pastry dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
- Use chocolate at 70% cocoa solids minimum for a ganache that slices cleanly.
- Toast hazelnuts at 180 C for 8-10 minutes until golden and fragrant before using.
- Pour ganache only when the tart shell has cooled to warm, not hot.
- Do not refrigerate the tart immediately after pouring the ganache - let it set at room temperature first.
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