Chocolate Custard Tart

It's International Chocolate Cake Day, and to honor it we bring you a true delight for cocoa lovers: a cake filled with chocolate flan!

The result of this cake is similar to a cheesecake in terms of the filling's texture: smooth and enveloping, each bite fills you with a delicious cocoa flavor.

The dough, for its part, is a basic dough made from butter, flour and eggs, and won't be complicated to make. I should tell you, however, that it will require some resting time in the fridge: besides firming up, it will help the cocoa flavor settle. For this reason, it's ideal to prepare the dough in the afternoon/evening and the filling the next morning, or start the dough in the morning knowing you'll finish it in the afternoon.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful chocolate cake recipe!

Perforated round pan with baking paper De Buyer

Ingredients

For the sweet cocoa dough:

• 140 g butter
• 90 g powdered sugar
• 30 g almond flour
• 20 g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch of salt
• 235 g wheat flour

For the chocolate filling:

• 360 g whole milk
• 240 g cooking cream (18% fat)
• 4 eggs
• 30 g sugar
• 60 g corn starch (Maizena)
• 200 g dark baking chocolate

Preparation

Preparation of the sweet cocoa dough:

1. Place the butter in a bowl and beat with a whisk until you get a creamy texture.
2. Add the powdered sugar, almond flour and cocoa powder. Mix until combined.
3. Lightly beat the egg and add it. Also add the salt and mix until you obtain a homogeneous consistency.
4. Add the flour and mix just enough to have a homogeneous dough. Form a ball, wrap it in cling film and leave it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
5. After the dough has rested in the fridge, take it out and roll it out on a floured work surface. Knead it slightly so you can roll it.
6. Take the perforated round De Buyer pan, and place the baking paper that comes with it inside. Put in the dough and make sure it is distributed across the base and sides (you may find it easier to first cut the dough into a circle and place it on the base of the pan, and then arrange the leftover dough on the sides). In any case, make sure to line the entire pan with the base, keeping a similar thickness on the base and walls.
7. Cover with cling film and place the pan with the dough in the freezer for at least 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge.

Preparation of the chocolate filling:

1. In a saucepan, add the cream and whole milk, and turn on the heat to warm them.
2. In a bowl, mix the sugar, eggs and cornstarch.
3. When the milk begins to show its first boil, pour it over the previous mixture (of sugar and eggs) and mix everything (to ensure the eggs don't curdle, pour only a few spoonfuls first, and keep mixing to warm gradually, and when the mixture has some temperature, add the rest of the hot milk).
4. Return the mixture to the saucepan or to a Shallow Casserole and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.
5. When the mixture is thick, remove it from the heat, add the chocolate and mix until melted.

Assembly and baking of the cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (when opening the oven it will lose some temperature, leaving the 170 ºC we're aiming for afterward).
2. Take the pan with the dough out of the freezer or fridge, and pour the filling mixture into the pan, inside the chilled dough.
3. Bake the flan for about 55 to 60 minutes, at 170 °C, with the pan placed in the middle rack of the oven.
4. Remove the chocolate cake from the oven, and let it cool on a wire rack before unmolding it.

Enjoy!