Cocoa tart with dark cherry jam and toasted hazelnuts mousse

• 120 minutes to prepare • 35 minutes to cook • Serves 12

Tanti auguri Papá

 

A dessert baked from the heart is the perfect gift to spoil Dad on his special day.

Today's recipe is thus a delectable tart for this Father’s Day.
Dads are notoriously hard to buy presents for, so something home-made and ultra indulgent has got to be the perfect solution if you’re in a quandary over what to get.

This handsome tart is easy to prepare and you may make it one day in advance, too, if you need to. Or why not send dad out for the afternoon on Saturday while you and the little monkey get busy in the kitchen making a batch? This means you get to lick the bowl too, which you definitely want to be around for, believe me.
(I’ve put on a stone just looking at this picture, ha ha)

Happy Father’s Day to everyone, have fun whatever you’re getting up to!

Here are ingredients for a 12-serving recipe (24-cm diameter baking pan):

 

For the pastry

200 g flour 00
40 g cocoa powder
100 g sugar
100 g butter
1 egg
1/2 sachet vanilla baking powder
salt


For the stuffing

350 g dark cherry jam
12 dark cherries in syrup cut by half


For the toasted hazelnuts mousse

200 g toasted hazelnuts cream
2.5 g gelatine sheets
250 ml fresh cream
30 ml dark cherry syrup


For the topping

150 ml dark cherry syrup
100 g dark cherries

1. Start preparing the pastry: cut the butter into cubes and place it in a bowl. Add sugar, a pinch of salt and knead it quickly
2. Stir in the egg, then mix again. Finally add flour, cocoa powder and vanilla baking powder, all sifted. Knead it again
3. Form a ball, wrap it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour
4. When we are close to the the 1-hour resting time of the pastry, preheat oven to 180°C
5. Grease and dust the baking pan with cocoa powder, then cover bottom and sides with half of the pastry cut into a flattened disc-shape, about 5 mm thick. Place the baking pan in the fridge for 30 minutes
6. Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill it with dried peas. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes, until you achieve a browned crust
7. Remove the dried peas and pour the dark cherry jam into the pastry pan. Level well
8. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes. Then, let it cool down
9. Meanwhile, prepare the toasted hazelnuts mousse: pour 1/2 cup of water in a medium bowl and dunk the gelatine sheets in it. Let them soften about 5 minutes
10. Drain the gelatine sheets and place them in a small pan with the dark cherry syrup.  Melt them over low heat and keep aside
11. Pour the fresh cream into a bowl. Use a whisk to whip the cream with wide strokes and continue to whip until soft peaks form
12. In another bowl, place the melted gelatine and the toasted hazelnuts cream. Add the whipped cream and stir gently with a spoon to mix well
13. When the mousse is ready, distribute dark cherries over the jam layer and pour the hazelnuts mousse on top. Level it. Then, place the tin back in the fridge to rest for at least 3 hours
14. Once the cake is fully cooled, start preparing the icing: place both dark cherries and their syrup in a blender and blend until you obtain a smooth juice
15. Pour 1/2 cup of water in a medium bowl and dunk the gelatine sheets in it. Let them soften about 2 minutes. Then, wring out the gelatine sheets and place them in a small saucepan with the dark cherries juice and slowly stir until gelatine melts
16. Finally, pour a thin layer of raspberry icing all over the surface of the tart and wait for it to solidify

Nutrition Facts are detailed in the table below. Data is provided per serving.

Mandaci una cartolina e una ridente foto di te
Mentre stai sul bagnasciuga
E cogli con stupore il nuovo giorno.*

(Mandaci una cartolina, Carmen Consoli)

* Send us a postcard and a smiling picture of you
While you're on the water's edge
And seize the new day with amazement.