Chocolate and Walnut Cake

I don't know about you, but I can't think of a better combination than chocolate and walnuts. And if to this already delicious mix we add a good homemade pastry base, well then we have... the best chocolate, walnut and shortcrust tart in the world!

I promise I'm not exaggerating, okay? Well, the truth is I'm not at all impartial, because this kind of tart drives me crazy, but it seems to me that with a good shortcrust pastry base any filling looks spectacular, and with little effort we'll achieve an incredible tart that will make us look like true professionals in front of our people.

That said, for me it's essential that the shortcrust pastry is homemade! It takes almost no time to make, even if we do it by hand, and the difference with any store-bought pastry is huge. With a super delicate buttery flavor, crisp and crumbly… a delicious bite!

If we already have a spectacular base, the next thing is a fitting filling: walnuts and chocolate… Can you think of anything better? Because for me it's hard! A mix of walnuts and cream that will give a crunchy touch, topped with a dark chocolate ganache, which brings creaminess and an intense flavor… Sublime!

All that's left is a pretty decoration, and there I'll give you free rein — you can do it however you like (don't say I'm bossy, hehe) and most importantly: a good pan, like this marvel from Revol, which is not only beautiful but also provides excellent baking and is so pretty that it goes straight from the oven to the table.

So, have I convinced you? Let's get the recipe!

Revol porcelain round mold, Pallarès carbon steel knife, Emile Henry ceramic ramekins and Bérard olivewood flour spoon

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 225 gr of flour
• 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 150 gr of cold butter
• 1 large egg
• Zest of one orange

For the filling:

• 125 gr of shelled walnuts
• 2 medium eggs
• 100 ml of heavy cream
• 80 gr of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

For the chocolate ganache:

• 165 gr of dark chocolate
• 140 ml of heavy cream (minimum 35% fat)
• 35 gr of butter

Method

1. We begin by preparing the shortcrust pastry.
2. In a bowl sift the flour and mix with the sugar and orange zest (we can grate the orange using a grater like the one from Microplane)
3. Next add the butter, cold and cut into pieces, and mix by rubbing with your fingers, without kneading, until you get a sandy texture.
4. Add the egg, and work the dough as little as possible, only until the crumbs come together and form a ball. If the dough is too dry we can add a tablespoon of water, but only if necessary.
5. If we use the KitchenAid, attach the paddle and at speed 2 mix the flour, butter, sugar and orange zest, only for the time needed to obtain a sandy texture. Then add the egg and work the dough as little as possible, only until the crumbs come together and form a ball, adding a tablespoon of water if necessary.
6. Take the dough out of the bowl and using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until you obtain a sheet about 3 cm thick approximately, and with a diameter slightly larger than the mold.
7. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate to rest for at least 30 minutes, although ideally about 2 hours.
8. Once this time has passed, preheat the oven to 180ºC.
9. Take the dough out of the fridge and place it over the lightly greased mold, without stretching it, just gently fitting it to the mold.
10. Cut off the excess dough that hangs over the mold.
11. Prick the surface of the dough with a fork to prevent bubbles, cover with baking paper and, on top of that, some baking beans.
12. Put into the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
13. After this time take out of the oven, remove the paper and the baking beans, and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
14. While the base bakes, prepare the walnut filling. If the walnuts are still in their shells, crack them using a nutcracker, until you obtain the 125 grams needed.
15. Once you have the shelled walnuts roughly chop them, for example with a mortar. That is, they don't need to be very finely chopped, just so the walnut pieces are not too large.
16. Beat the eggs with the sugar, add the cream, the walnuts and the vanilla extract and pour this mixture over the pastry once the baking time is up.
17. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes, until we see the filling is golden.
18. Once the baking time has passed, take the tart out of the oven and let it cool on a rack.
19. While the tart cools we prepare the ganache.
20. Using a knife very sharp, chop the chocolate into rather small pieces, and place them in a heatproof bowl.
21. In another container heat the cream, either in the microwave or on the stove, until it starts to boil, at which moment pour it over the chocolate and with some whisk stir well, until it melts completely and we have a homogeneous mixture.
22. At that point add the chopped butter and mix until perfectly integrated.
23. Pour the ganache over the tart while it is still hot, since it will be more fluid and therefore easier to spread.
24. Once the ganache cools, put the tart in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
25. After this time we can decorate the tart as we prefer; in this case I topped it with unsweetened cocoa powder, more ganache, chocolate shavings and walnuts.
26. We can enjoy this tart straight from the fridge, in which case the ganache will be firmer, or at room temperature (my favorite), in which case the ganache will be more melting.

Revol porcelain round mold, Emile Henry ceramic ramekins, Bérard olivewood flour spoon and Pallarès carbon steel knife

Notes

• You'll see I recommend rolling the shortcrust pastry before refrigerating it, contrary to the usual recommendation, but for me it's much more comfortable since it requires less effort. In any case you can do it whenever you prefer.
• With the cream-to-chocolate ratio I use in the ganache, the result is a melting chocolate coating but not excessively creamy. If you prefer a creamier ganache, just increase the proportion of cream until you add the same amount of cream as chocolate.