Coffee Hazelnut Tart

Coffee Hazelnut Tart


DifficultyAdvancedYields5 Servings

This coffee hazelnut tart recipe has lots of different elements so it’ll take you a bit of time to put together – but the end results are so worth it!

It starts with a sweet pastry case with a little hazelnut praline at the bottom. Then it’s layered with a brownie disc, a coffee ganache, and finally a coffee mascarpone whip. I finished mine with a tempered chocolate shard and a bit of gold leaf – just to make it that little bit extra!

I love a coffee dessert, and the flavour combinations of this one are unreal! I’d love to hear what you think.

Looking for a slightly easier tart recipe? Check out my Caramelised Brown Sugar Tart – it’s still full of flavour!


 


 

Ingredients


Coffee Mascarpone Whip
 7.50 g Powdered Gelatin (Platinum Strength)
 45 g Cold Water
 300 g Double/Heavy Cream
 50 g Coffee Beans
 125 g Caster Sugar
 45 g Water
 90 g Egg Yolks
 325 g Mascarpone
 ½ tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
Hazelnut Praline
 300 g Roasted Hazelnuts (Skins Removed)
 200 g Caster Sugar
 60 g Water
 2 g Salt
 1 Vanilla Pod
Pâte Sucrée
 145 g Unsalted Butter, Cold
 100 g Powdered/Icing Sugar
 70 g Egg Yolks
 290 g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
 ½ tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
Hazelnut Brownie
 150 g Dark Chocolate (70%)
 75 g Unsalted Butter
 120 g Caster Sugar
 3 Eggs
 50 g Crushed Hazelnuts
Coffee Ganache
 200 g Double/Heavy Cream
 10 g Whole Coffee Beans
 100 g Dark Chocolate (70%)
To Decorate
 Tempered Chocolate Shard
 Gold Leaf
Shop the equipment

Method


Coffee Mascarpone Whip
1

Place the double/heavy cream into a medium saucepan along with the whole coffee beans. Place it on a medium heat and bring to a simmer, then strain the mixture to remove the coffee beans. Cover with clingfilm and allow it to chill for 3 hours.

2

Place the gelatin into a small saucepan along with the cold water. Allow it to bloom for 10 minutes.

3

Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg yolks and whisk on a medium-high speed. In the meantime, place the sugar & water mixture into a small saucepan and place it on a medium heat. Bring the sugar & water mixture to 118C/245F on a digital thermometer and then slowly drizzle it over the egg yolks. Whisk the mixture for 5 minutes until it is pale and thick. *Quick note - it is quite a small amount of sugar syrup and if your pan is too big it can crystalise quickly - if this happens, simply double the batch of sugar syrup and then only pour half into the egg yolks!

4

After 5 minutes, remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Melt the bloomed gelatin over a very low heat, and pour this into the mixture, along with the mascarpone & vanilla. Whisk the mixture until it is smooth.

5

Remove the chilled coffee cream you made earlier, and whisk it to soft peaks. Pour this whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture and whisk until everything is combined and you have a smooth mixture. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

Hazelnut Praline
6

Into a medium saucepan, add the sugar & water. Place it on a medium heat, and cook the mixture until it reaches 110C/230F on a digital thermometer.

7

Once at 110C/230F, pour in the hazelnuts, salt and vanilla pod. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. The mixture will initially look quite crystalised but keep stirring for 5-6 minutes until the sugar has melted and you have a deep golden caramel surrounding the
nuts. Immediately pour the mixture onto a silicon mat and allow it to cool completely for 30 minutes.

8

After 30 minutes, the praline should be completely cool and solid to the touch. Break it into pieces and add it into a high powered food processor. Blend for 4 minutes, scraping it down every so often, until you have a smooth, nutty paste. The recipe will make more paste than you need but you can store it in an airtight container to use another time.

Pâte Sucrée
9

Into a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), add the cubed, cold butter and sift over the icing/powdered sugar.

10

With a paddle attachment or with the beaters on a hand mixer, beat the butter, vanilla and sugar for 3-4 minutes until it is evenly combined. Scrape down the mixture with a spatula after 2 minutes. The mixture should be slightly paler in colour.

11

While still beating the mixture, pour in the eggs and beat to combine. After about 30 seconds, scrape down the bowl ensuring all the butter is scraped off the bottom of the bowl and then mix for another 30 seconds.

12

Add in the flour & salt and mix on a very low speed, until the dry ingredients are just combined. Be careful not to overbeat the mixture, simply mix until no more flour is visible and the mixture is clumping together. It should take about 15 seconds.

13

Scrape the dough out of the bowl, and onto your work surface. Split the dough into three balls, roughly the size of a baseball.

14

Place the first dough ball into the centre of a silicon mat and then place a second silicon mat on top. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough as thin as possible to the edges of the silicon mat. Don’t worry too much about the shape. Place the sheet of dough in the freezer on a flat tray for 30 minutes. Repeat the process with the two remaining balls of dough.

15

Take your 3” perforated tart rings and very lightly grease them with some soft butter.

16

Remove one sheet of dough from the freezer and peel off the silicon mats. Lift the sheet of dough onto your baking tray lined with a perforated mat.

17

Working very quickly, cut 5 circles of dough out using the perforated tart rings and space them out evenly on the tray. Place the tray back into the freezer for 10 minutes.

18

Remove the second sheet of dough from the freezer and remove the silicon mats from around it. Flip the dough onto a very lightly floured work surface. Using a pastry wheel, cut 4 strips of dough (it is helpful to cut a little template out using parchment paper so that you know how long your strips need to be). Lift these up quickly and place them on a silicon mat and back in the freezer for 20 minutes. The dough needs to be very cold otherwise it will melt so work quickly. Use the third sheet of dough to cut a few more walls of dough.

19

Remove the tart bases from the freezer and carefully lift a strip of dough into the inside of a perforated tart ring, and use your thumb to gently press the strip of dough into the base, joining the two together. Repeat this for the remaining tart shells. Use a sharp knife to trim off any excess dough and then place them back in the freezer for 30 minutes.

20

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 165C/330F Fan Assisted, for 18-20 minutes. They should be a light golden brown when done. Remove them from the oven and carefully lift the perforated rings off. Give the shells a light egg wash (1 Whole Egg + 1 Tbsp Heavy/Double Cream) and bake them for a further 5-6 minutes until a nice deep golden colour. Every oven is different so keep an eye on them!

Hazelnut Brownie
21

Add the chocolate and butter to a bowl and melt them over a bain-marie.

22

Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the sugar.

23

Pour in the eggs and whisk until the mixture is combined.

24

Grease an 8" round tin with butter and line it with some parchment paper. Coat the side with cocoa powder. Tip the brownie batter into the pan and sprinkle the crushed hazelnuts on top. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 175C/350F for 18-20 minutes. You want the brownie to be slightly undercooked. Once baked, allow it to cool for an hour at room temperature, then place it in the freezer for an hour as that will make it easier to cut.

Coffee Ganache
25

Add the whole coffee beans and double/heavy cream to a saucepan and place it over a medium heat. Heat it until the mixture is steaming.

26

Once hot, pour the mixture through a sieve, on top of the chopped chocolate which is in a tall jug. Blend with a hand blender till smooth and let it cool for 20-30 minutes. We want it to be runny when we fill the tart so that it is easier to pipe!

Final Assembly
27

Take the cooled tart shells and pipe a thin layer of hazelnut praline on the bottom.

28

Remove the brownies from the freezer and using a 2.5" cookie cutter, cut 5 circles of brownie and lift them out with a small offset spatula. Then use a smaller cookie cutter to cut a hole out of the centre. Try to be quite gentle so that the brownie doesn't break but don't worry if it does, they might have just not cooled quite enough! Place the disc of brownie into the base of the tart and try and flatten it down so that it's not poking above the edge of the tart shell.

29

Place the ganache into a piping bag and carefully pipe this into the tart, filling it right to the top. Carefully place the tart in the fridge for 30-45 minutes, just until the ganache has set on top.

30

Remove the coffee mascarpone whip from the fridge and whisk it until you have quite stiff peaks. Place it into a piping bag with a 125 nozzle.

31

Place the tart onto a spinning wheel (I use a child's clay pottery wheel!). Ensure the thin end of the piping nozzle is facing towards the ceiling. Try and hold the nozzle so that it is leaning towards you just ever so slightly as you pipe. Start in the centre of the tart and apply constant, even pressure, slowly moving the piping nozzle to the edge of the tart as the spiral builds.

32

Pipe a few small round dollops of cream on the edge of the tart and place a share of tempered chocolate coated in cocoa powder on the dollops (this helps to give it a bit of height!) Finish with gold leaf on the shard.

Ingredients

Coffee Mascarpone Whip
 7.50 g Powdered Gelatin (Platinum Strength)
 45 g Cold Water
 300 g Double/Heavy Cream
 50 g Coffee Beans
 125 g Caster Sugar
 45 g Water
 90 g Egg Yolks
 325 g Mascarpone
 ½ tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
Hazelnut Praline
 300 g Roasted Hazelnuts (Skins Removed)
 200 g Caster Sugar
 60 g Water
 2 g Salt
 1 Vanilla Pod
Pâte Sucrée
 145 g Unsalted Butter, Cold
 100 g Powdered/Icing Sugar
 70 g Egg Yolks
 290 g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
 ½ tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
Hazelnut Brownie
 150 g Dark Chocolate (70%)
 75 g Unsalted Butter
 120 g Caster Sugar
 3 Eggs
 50 g Crushed Hazelnuts
Coffee Ganache
 200 g Double/Heavy Cream
 10 g Whole Coffee Beans
 100 g Dark Chocolate (70%)
To Decorate
 Tempered Chocolate Shard
 Gold Leaf
Shop the equipment

Directions

Coffee Mascarpone Whip
1

Place the double/heavy cream into a medium saucepan along with the whole coffee beans. Place it on a medium heat and bring to a simmer, then strain the mixture to remove the coffee beans. Cover with clingfilm and allow it to chill for 3 hours.

2

Place the gelatin into a small saucepan along with the cold water. Allow it to bloom for 10 minutes.

3

Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg yolks and whisk on a medium-high speed. In the meantime, place the sugar & water mixture into a small saucepan and place it on a medium heat. Bring the sugar & water mixture to 118C/245F on a digital thermometer and then slowly drizzle it over the egg yolks. Whisk the mixture for 5 minutes until it is pale and thick. *Quick note - it is quite a small amount of sugar syrup and if your pan is too big it can crystalise quickly - if this happens, simply double the batch of sugar syrup and then only pour half into the egg yolks!

4

After 5 minutes, remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Melt the bloomed gelatin over a very low heat, and pour this into the mixture, along with the mascarpone & vanilla. Whisk the mixture until it is smooth.

5

Remove the chilled coffee cream you made earlier, and whisk it to soft peaks. Pour this whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture and whisk until everything is combined and you have a smooth mixture. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

Hazelnut Praline
6

Into a medium saucepan, add the sugar & water. Place it on a medium heat, and cook the mixture until it reaches 110C/230F on a digital thermometer.

7

Once at 110C/230F, pour in the hazelnuts, salt and vanilla pod. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. The mixture will initially look quite crystalised but keep stirring for 5-6 minutes until the sugar has melted and you have a deep golden caramel surrounding the
nuts. Immediately pour the mixture onto a silicon mat and allow it to cool completely for 30 minutes.

8

After 30 minutes, the praline should be completely cool and solid to the touch. Break it into pieces and add it into a high powered food processor. Blend for 4 minutes, scraping it down every so often, until you have a smooth, nutty paste. The recipe will make more paste than you need but you can store it in an airtight container to use another time.

Pâte Sucrée
9

Into a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), add the cubed, cold butter and sift over the icing/powdered sugar.

10

With a paddle attachment or with the beaters on a hand mixer, beat the butter, vanilla and sugar for 3-4 minutes until it is evenly combined. Scrape down the mixture with a spatula after 2 minutes. The mixture should be slightly paler in colour.

11

While still beating the mixture, pour in the eggs and beat to combine. After about 30 seconds, scrape down the bowl ensuring all the butter is scraped off the bottom of the bowl and then mix for another 30 seconds.

12

Add in the flour & salt and mix on a very low speed, until the dry ingredients are just combined. Be careful not to overbeat the mixture, simply mix until no more flour is visible and the mixture is clumping together. It should take about 15 seconds.

13

Scrape the dough out of the bowl, and onto your work surface. Split the dough into three balls, roughly the size of a baseball.

14

Place the first dough ball into the centre of a silicon mat and then place a second silicon mat on top. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough as thin as possible to the edges of the silicon mat. Don’t worry too much about the shape. Place the sheet of dough in the freezer on a flat tray for 30 minutes. Repeat the process with the two remaining balls of dough.

15

Take your 3” perforated tart rings and very lightly grease them with some soft butter.

16

Remove one sheet of dough from the freezer and peel off the silicon mats. Lift the sheet of dough onto your baking tray lined with a perforated mat.

17

Working very quickly, cut 5 circles of dough out using the perforated tart rings and space them out evenly on the tray. Place the tray back into the freezer for 10 minutes.

18

Remove the second sheet of dough from the freezer and remove the silicon mats from around it. Flip the dough onto a very lightly floured work surface. Using a pastry wheel, cut 4 strips of dough (it is helpful to cut a little template out using parchment paper so that you know how long your strips need to be). Lift these up quickly and place them on a silicon mat and back in the freezer for 20 minutes. The dough needs to be very cold otherwise it will melt so work quickly. Use the third sheet of dough to cut a few more walls of dough.

19

Remove the tart bases from the freezer and carefully lift a strip of dough into the inside of a perforated tart ring, and use your thumb to gently press the strip of dough into the base, joining the two together. Repeat this for the remaining tart shells. Use a sharp knife to trim off any excess dough and then place them back in the freezer for 30 minutes.

20

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 165C/330F Fan Assisted, for 18-20 minutes. They should be a light golden brown when done. Remove them from the oven and carefully lift the perforated rings off. Give the shells a light egg wash (1 Whole Egg + 1 Tbsp Heavy/Double Cream) and bake them for a further 5-6 minutes until a nice deep golden colour. Every oven is different so keep an eye on them!

Hazelnut Brownie
21

Add the chocolate and butter to a bowl and melt them over a bain-marie.

22

Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the sugar.

23

Pour in the eggs and whisk until the mixture is combined.

24

Grease an 8" round tin with butter and line it with some parchment paper. Coat the side with cocoa powder. Tip the brownie batter into the pan and sprinkle the crushed hazelnuts on top. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 175C/350F for 18-20 minutes. You want the brownie to be slightly undercooked. Once baked, allow it to cool for an hour at room temperature, then place it in the freezer for an hour as that will make it easier to cut.

Coffee Ganache
25

Add the whole coffee beans and double/heavy cream to a saucepan and place it over a medium heat. Heat it until the mixture is steaming.

26

Once hot, pour the mixture through a sieve, on top of the chopped chocolate which is in a tall jug. Blend with a hand blender till smooth and let it cool for 20-30 minutes. We want it to be runny when we fill the tart so that it is easier to pipe!

Final Assembly
27

Take the cooled tart shells and pipe a thin layer of hazelnut praline on the bottom.

28

Remove the brownies from the freezer and using a 2.5" cookie cutter, cut 5 circles of brownie and lift them out with a small offset spatula. Then use a smaller cookie cutter to cut a hole out of the centre. Try to be quite gentle so that the brownie doesn't break but don't worry if it does, they might have just not cooled quite enough! Place the disc of brownie into the base of the tart and try and flatten it down so that it's not poking above the edge of the tart shell.

29

Place the ganache into a piping bag and carefully pipe this into the tart, filling it right to the top. Carefully place the tart in the fridge for 30-45 minutes, just until the ganache has set on top.

30

Remove the coffee mascarpone whip from the fridge and whisk it until you have quite stiff peaks. Place it into a piping bag with a 125 nozzle.

31

Place the tart onto a spinning wheel (I use a child's clay pottery wheel!). Ensure the thin end of the piping nozzle is facing towards the ceiling. Try and hold the nozzle so that it is leaning towards you just ever so slightly as you pipe. Start in the centre of the tart and apply constant, even pressure, slowly moving the piping nozzle to the edge of the tart as the spiral builds.

32

Pipe a few small round dollops of cream on the edge of the tart and place a share of tempered chocolate coated in cocoa powder on the dollops (this helps to give it a bit of height!) Finish with gold leaf on the shard.

Notes

Coffee Hazelnut Tart