Hot Cocoa Tart

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Eggland’s Best Eggs. 

I partnered up with Eggland’s Best to share a fun holiday recipe using their delicious, better-for-you eggs! This tart is hot cocoa in dessert form! A bittersweet chocolate shortbread crust filled with hot cocoa custard and topped with fat dollops of toasted meringue. Upgrade those packets of hot cocoa mix into a rich, creamy show-stopping tart.

The best part about this recipe is that there is no egg waste. I hate when recipes require different amounts of egg yolks and whites, and you end up with leftover yolks or whites. Then I’m scrambling to find recipes to use up the extras! This recipe uses 4 whole Eggland’s Best eggs, which are packed with vitamin E and D. Eggland’s Best eggs contain 6 times more vitamin D and 10 times more vitamin E compared to ordinary eggs! Both of which help support a healthy immune system, which is much needed, especially during the holidays!

The custard base is a simple pastry cream or cream patisserie flavored with hot cocoa mix and vanilla. Hot cocoa mix normally has powdered milk in it, which gives it a very distinct milky, sweet cream flavor- that’s what gives this tart that hot cocoa flavor! I recommend using a dark chocolate hot cocoa mix for this tart since the meringue is pretty sweet. 

Now, you can’t have hot cocoa without marshmallows! In this case, I made a Swiss meringue to top the tart with. Swiss meringue is made by heating the Eggland’s Best egg whites and sugar until it hits 170°F so that it’s safe to consume, and then whipping it until it’s light and fluffy. It’s pretty much marshmallow fluff. You can totally enjoy the tart with toasted or untoasted meringue- either way, it’s delicious! 

If you make this tart, be sure to tag me @milkandcardamom on social media!

Hot Cocoa Tart

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• Author: Milk and Cardamom
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 9 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

A bittersweet chocolate shortbread crust filled with hot cocoa custard and topped with fat dollops of toasted meringue. Makes one 9-inch tart, about 9-12 servings

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD CRUST

• 1/2 cup (57 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (57 g) white rice flour
• 1/3 cup (28 g) almond flour
• 1/3 cup (28 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup (57 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

HOT COCOA CUSTARD

• 4 Eggland’s Best egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup hot cocoa mix
• 3 tsp vanilla extract

MERINGUE

• 4 Eggland’s Best egg whites
• 1 cup minus 1 tbsp (183 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/8 tsp salt

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. To make the crust, add all-purpose flour, rice flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt into a bowl and whisk well. Add butter and mix together with your fingers until the butter is well incorporated and the mixture holds when squeezed together.
3. Spread the mixture into a 9-inch tart pan and press it up the sides and on the bottom of the pan into an even layer.
4. Dock the crust with a fork and bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely.
5. To make the custard, add Eggland’s Best egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk for 5 minutes. It’ll be a bit tough in the beginning, but it will loosen up as you mix. Keep whisking until the mixture is pale yellow/white and thick.
6. In a small saucepan, add milk, hot cocoa mix and vanilla and whisk over medium heat until the milk has scalded.
7. Take ½ cup of the hot milk mixture and whisk it into the EB egg yolk mixture. Once it is well combined, add the mixture back into the saucepan with the milk. Heat this on medium-high heat while whisking continuously. The pastry cream will thicken as the cornstarch is activated by the heat. It’ll take a few minutes, but you’ll know when it happens!
8. Once the custard thickens, pour the custard through a sieve into a bowl. This will give you a nice smooth cream. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the cream to prevent a skin. Refrigerate the custard until cool.
9. While the custard cools, make the meringue by adding the Eggland’s Best egg whites, sugar, vanilla,  cream of tartar, and salt to a mixing bowl. Create a double boiler by bringing a small pot of water to a boil and placing the mixing bowl on top of the pot, making sure the bottom of the mixing bowl does not touch the water. Heat the EB egg whites while continuously stirring until they reach 170°F. Then whisk the mixture on high speed until the meringue reaches stiff peaks.
10. To assemble the tart, whisk the cooled custard to loosen it up a bit and pour it into the crust. Spread the custard into an even layer. Top with dollops of meringue and gently spread it out. You can use a blowtorch to toast the top of the meringue or serve as is.

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 60 mins
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American

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