My sister-in-law is a keen cook and has a huge folder full of ripped out pages from recipe magazines with some of her favourite recipes. Â I was spending a lovely half hour looking through this file when I came across a recipe for Chocolate and Orange Mascarpone Tart which just looked as if it needed to be made. I borrowed the cutting, and if Janice is reading this, it will be coming back to you soon, I promise. Â I meant to make the tart over a month ago, but didn’t quite manage to find the time before we went away. Â The tub of mascarpone that I had bought though had a surprisingly long shelf life so when we returned from our hols I was very pleased to see that if I was quick I could still try my hand at this little gem of a tart.
Now, I am afraid that there is no evidence of which magazine this cutting was originally taken from, but as I seem unable to take a recipe at its word I have made my own adaptations to it anyway.
It’s really delicious and really rich, so a 20cm tart will easily serve 12 people if not a few more and it still tastes good a few days after being made – I know because I have been doing plenty of experimenting!
For the base:
200g dark chocolate digestives
50g unsalted butter, melted
zest of 1 orange
For the filling:
250g mascarpone, at room temperature
100g cream cheese, at room temperature
3 eggs, at room temperature
grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
150g light brown soft sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp fine sea salt
50g good quality dark chocolate
50g good quality orange flavoured dark chocolate ( I used Lindt Excellence Orange Intense Chocolate, which has delicious orange crispy bits)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°c (gas mark 6, 400°f).
Whizz the biscuits in a food processor, or place in a food bag and bash with a rolling-pin until they make fine crumbs. Â Add the biscuit crumbs to the melted butter with the orange zest and mix to combine well.
Press the biscuit crumb mixture into a 20cm springform cake tin, making sure it is well pressed down. Place in the fridge to chill  whilst you make the filling.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.
Place all the ingredients for the filling, except for the chocolate, into a food processor and whizz until smooth. Add the chocolate and whizz again until combined. Â Pour this filling over the biscuit base. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until just set and risen slightly at the edges. Â Slide a knife around the edge of the tart to loosen it and then leave in the tin to cool. Â Chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight before serving. Serve with plenty of cream.
You are my hero…just throwing together tarts after a rather long holiday. I’d be happy if I had a batch of frozen brownies hanging out in the freezer. I should get going on that. We’re going away in August to Quebec. We’ll need chocolate when we get back… 🙂
Oh Tracy, how I wish I deserved to be your hero. The tart was made, of course, but other jobs on the must-do list, fell further down the must-do list. It’s all a matter of priorities, and chocolate is always a priority! Quebec, how lovely, but this means we will be without you for a while – not too long I hope. Get those brownies made and in the freezer.
Ooh Kath, this has gone straight onto my must make list – it looks and sounds delicious. Thank you.
It was lovely and well worth making and I think it could have lots of variations instead of orange – mint and cherry are at the top of my list for trying. Perhaps you could beat me to it?
Now there’s a challenge!
I’m not surprised in the least that this recipe caught your eye. Chocolate and orange are such a great match and the tart looks wonderful.
Thank you Margaret, and you are absolutely right, chocolate and orange are a match made in heaven.
I can feel the pounds piling on just looking at it.
I have absolutely no doubt that it is DELICIOUS!!!
Oh Mangocheeks, fortunately you can just feel them piling on, I though have the evidence! Oh dear, this blog will be the end of me. I make these things and then I am compelled to eat them.
OMG! I have to make this, but only when a lot of people are coming. I wouldn’t trust myself alone with that tart.
Waw!! This tarte looks fenomenally tasty!!
oooh,…yes!
Thank you Sophie. I just visited your blog, but for some reason I am unable to tell you how delicious that burger looks, the comment keeps telling me there is an error.
Looks superb!
Thank you Denise.
i am using this as my food tech design made a few changes here and there hope it tastes as good as it looks
Well, I hope it works well for you and I am sure it will taste great. Kath