Mini Chocolate & Raspberry Tarts.

 When I think of dessert, my mind automatically goes towards chocolate, it will always be the first thing i'd choose on a dessert menu. So when thinking of what to bake next, I knew it had to be something chocolatey, but I didn't want to just do the usual chocolate cake, I wanted something small, delicate but full of flavour.

I had made mini tarts before, but it was my first time using my tart cases so they didn't turn out as pretty as i'd hoped but they did taste good.I made these chocolate and raspberry mini tarts because chocolate and raspberry go together so well, the bitterness of the raspberry goes so well with the sweetness of the chocolate and the 'ganache' is more of a mousse, its so light and airy, then the tart is crisp and has a slight chocolate flavour. Definitely one of my favourite bakes so far.

You will need:
For the tart cases:
225g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g cold butter cut into cubes
80g powdered sugar
1 eggFor the filling:
12 tbsps cherry jam
170g dark chocolate
350g double cream
6 tbsps hazelnut chocolate spreadTopping:
you can top with anything you want but I used 2 punnets of fresh raspberries, lime zest and mint leaves.

Method

1. Firstly, to make the cases, sift all your dry ingredients into a large bowl.
    
2. Add in the cold, cubed butter and rub it between your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
3. Add in the icing sugar and egg and massage together until you get a ball of dough. Tightly wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour. 
4. In the meantime, make the filling. Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and add into a bowl with the hazelnut chocolate spread.
5. Heat the double cream in a saucepan over a medium heat until its simmering. Then add to the chocolate mixture and leave to sit for 1 minute.
6. Then stir mixture until the cream and chocolate are fully combined, this will be quite runny. Let this cool at room temperature until your cases are ready to be filled. 
7. Remove your dough from the fridge and roll out until about half a cm thick.
8. Cut out 12 circles using a round cutter, place the cut circles into your tart cases and carefully press the dough around the edges and bottom of case. Then prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Leave them to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
9. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (Gas mark 4) and bake the tarts for 15 minutes. While they are baking, whisk your filling with an electric whisk.
10. Once your tarts have cooled, remove from the mini tart pans and spread 1 tablespoon of cherry jam around the bottom of the tart case, then add your filling to a piping bag and evenly fill the tarts.
11. Decorate however you like, I used fresh raspberries on mine, some had more on than others, some had lime zest on top too to give more of a tangy flavour.
     

I hope you enjoyed reading and if you're thinking of giving these a go, definitely do it! Its a lot easier than it seems and you get to play around with the decoration.

Thanks for reading,

Kate x