Triple Chocolate Ganache Tart
Chocolate ganache tart with three distinct layers: white chocolate ganache, milk chocolate ganache, and dark chocolate ganache.
Recipe originally published February 23, 2019.
I came up with this chocolate ganache tart after my husband got me two beautifully thick bars of high quality chocolate. I wanted to do something special that incorporated both so I thought of a chocolate tart with multiple layers. As I ate a slice, I realized it had turned out so wonderful and delicious I should definitely share.
Recipe Origins
While deciding how I was going to make it, I considered the base two parts of a good tart – a sweet layer and a very dark layer of chocolate ganache to balance out the rest of the pie. I didn’t feel like going through the hassle of making caramel and trying to keep the toddler out of the kitchen while the caramel boiled and then spluttered, or using berries as they tend to get a big soggy after awhile, and I wanted something that would last for days in the fridge.
Milk and white chocolate ganache were perfectly sweet and easy and besides, if my favorite part of any tart is the ganache – why not let that be IT? And then of course, the bitterness of dark chocolate added with flakey sea salt on top… this was a good balance to me. And you know, I do have a habit of doing chocolate in threes.
Notes on making the tart
This tart is easy to make. You need to keep your wits about you as you are making the ganache (chop your chocolate finely, don’t let the heavy cream boil, stir cream and chocolate together while still warm) but otherwise it is dead simple. It needs cooling time between layers, so you can you know – clean up the kitchen, catch up on emails, or if you are like me, run around the house chasing your two-year-old who refuses to put her diaper on, and then as soon as you manage to get it on, she decides she needs to go potty on the toilet… sigh … it’s okay, though because the layers can wait and this will still turn out amazing and be waiting for me when mama duty is done for the day.
Recipe Ingredients
Cookie crumbs: oreos or graham crackers. If using oreos, remove the cream from the inside first.
Butter: salted or unsalted is fine. For the crust.
Heavy cream: or heavy whipping cream. I use ultra-pasteurized.
White chocolate: Don’t use a baking bar or candy melts or white chocolate chips, aim for a white chocolate bar that’s in the snack aisle and check the ingredients to be sure it has cocoa butter in it.
Salt: fine sea salt.
Vanilla: for the white chocolate ganache, not necessary but helps flavor it. Use vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract.
Milk chocolate: 45-60% cocoa solids.
Dark chocolate: 70-77% cocoa solids.
How to make a chocolate ganache tart with three different chocolates
The Crust
Process the cookies or crackers until you have fine crumbs.
Mix with melted butter and, if you have it, a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar (only for graham cracker crusts, to sweeten it a bit). Stop mixing when the crumbs resemble wet sand; when you squeeze some together in your palm it should hold shape.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. We’re going to bake the crust for a bit, just so that it sets and doesn’t dissolve into crumbs when sliced.
Press the crumbs into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Half of the crumbs should be pressed into the bottom and the rest up the sides, take your time doing this. Use a measuring cup to help you pack it in (dip it in powdered sugar if it starts to stick).
Bake the crust for about 10 minutes. If it bubbled when baking use the measuring cup to press it back into place.
The crust needs to be fully cooled before any ganache goes in. To speed this up, once it’s cool enough you can set it in the freezer.
Make the First Ganache
(For the tart pictured, I started with the milk chocolate ganache.)
Chop the milk chocolate until the biggest pieces are no bigger than a standard chocolate chip.
Scrape all of the chocolate (including the shards) into a medium sized bowl.
Warm the heavy cream in a saucepan until it starts to steam and bubbles on the sides – use a thermometer to check it doesn’t go above 180 F (if the cream is too hot when it hits the chocolate it will burn it).
Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and give it a quick stir, then leave it for 1-2 minutes.
Stir the chocolate into the warm cream until you have a smooth ganache. Pour it into the cooled crust and use an offset spatula to smooth it out into an even layer.
Set the tart in the fridge so the first layer of ganache can set before you add another.
Second Ganache
Once the first layer has firmed up, you can start making the dark chocolate ganache.
Chop the chocolate very finely, again making sure none of the pieces are bigger than a standard chocolate chip.
Warm the cream (same thing: steaming and bubbles at the edges, absolutely not boiling and not above 180 F) and pour over the chocolate. Stir briefly, wait then stir until smooth.
Smooth into an even layer over the milk chocolate ganache. Set in the fridge to cool fully.
Third Ganache
Once both bottom layers have set, you can make the third ganache using the same method. In my case this was the white chocolate ganache.
Because there is little cream in this layer, you want to chop up the chocolate as small as possible.
And to the white chocolate layer, I like to add a pinch of salt and a dash of vanilla bean paste (white chocolate has little flavor).
Spread over the middle layer and let cool fully.
Once the top layer is set, this is ready to be served.
FAQ & Troubleshooting
The chocolate isn’t melting into the ganache, what do I do?
Whatever you do, don’t heat the bowl in the microwave. This is a sure way to burn it. Instead, bring a pot of water to a simmer then take it off the heat. Use the steam from the water to gently warm the bowl and stir the ganache until it’s smooth.
The ganache has split. What happened and what can I do?
The heavy cream was too hot and it caused the chocolate to burn so the ganache split. What has worked for me occasionally is adding a bit more cold heavy cream. This however, will make for a softer ganache that won’t set as firmly as the slices pictured.
If the heavy cream isn’t working, you might need to start over.
Can you share this recipe in volume (cups) instead of by weight (grams)?
My goal here is to set you up for success and I do not think that making ganache in cups works as well. It is important to weigh everything to get exact ratios of chocolate to cream so that your ganache sets up perfectly.
Can I use chocolate chips instead of chopping chocolate bars?
Technically yes though it’s good to remember that chocolate chips have less cocoa butter in them and some stabilizers added to prevent melting. Both of these things make for a less than ideal smooth ganache texture.
Storage Info
The tart will keep chilled in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Triple Triple Chocolate Ganache Tart Recipe
Triple Chocolate Ganache Tart
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 250g graham cracker crumbs or oreo crumbs for the oreos, remove and discard the cream before grinding
- 87g or 6 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted (melted)
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- Pinch fine sea salt
Milk Chocolate Ganache
- 200 g milk chocolate 45-55% milk solids
- 100 g heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 150 g dark chocolate 60% to 77% cocoa solids
- 150 g heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
White Chocolate Ganache
- 225 g white chocolate must have cocoa butter in the ingredients, also do not use a ‘baking bar’
- 80 g heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- Vanilla & Salt
Serve with berries: pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, etc.
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
To make the crust
- In a food processor pulse the oreos or graham crackers on high until finely ground. Add butter and pulse until mixed.
- Press mixture into bottom of a 9 inch tart pan, flattening it on the bottom and pressing up the sides all the way up.
- Bake for about 7 minutes, to solidify the crust. Allow to cool completely before making first layer of ganache. (Once it gets to room temp I like to put mine in the fridge so when the first ganache hits it, it solidifies quickly).
To make the filling
- We’ll make the layers separately and in order from bottom to top, allowing each to cool in the shell until firm (about 20 minutes) and then make the next.
- I started with the milk chocolate but you can choose which order you prefer: chop until you have pieces that are no bigger than a chocolate chip. Scrape the chocolate into a bowl.
- In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it starts to steam and just bubbles on the edges, around 180 F. Pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate and stir gently. Let sit for a couple of minutes and then stir, stir, stir until you have a smooth and glossy ganache (for the white chocolate add a pinch of salt and a dash of vanilla to the ganache). Pour into the cooled tart shell, smoothing it out into an even layer. Set in the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up. Then repeat the steps with the next two chocolates.
- The dark chocolate and white chocolate might be a little harder to melt than the milk chocolate. If you are finding the chocolate isn’t melting, bring a pot of water to a simmer then take it off the heat. Set the bowl of ganache over it and allow the steam to gently warm the ganache as you stir until it’s smooth.
- Store in the fridge, uncovered.
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