Salted chocolate and caramel tart

Here is my birthday cake from this year. I didn't plan any celebration this year, being a little tired still from our return flight from Australia. But my good friend subtly suggested that a celebration would be in order, which got me thinking, 'Why not?' A quick flick through my library of cooking books for some ideas, a bit of grocery shopping and we enjoyed a little mid-week dinner party on the balcony.

The 'birthday cake' is a salted chocolate and caramel tart; very 'on-trend' I know, but combining all my favourite things; chocolate, caramel and salt. There are a few steps to this tart, but you could make and bake the pastry case the day before if you like. And it looked very pretty holding my birthday candles.

What you'll need

Filling

395g tin sweetened condensed milk or jar of dulce de leche

400g bitter chocolate - I used 70% cocoa

150ml creme fraiche

10g butter

1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes plus extra to decorate the top of the tart

Pastry

3 large egg yolks

85g unsalted butter, cut into cubes and softened

75g caster sugar

170g plain flour, and some extra for dusting

What to do 

First, make the caramel. 

You can buy a jar of prepared caramel/dulce de leche but I prefer to make my own; it just tastes better. Usually I will make several cans of this caramel and keep in the pantry for emergency baking situations.  Remove the label from the can and discard. Place the can in a saucepan large enough so that it can be totally submerged in water. Fill the saucepan with water, totally covering the can. Place on the stove and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for about three hours, periodically checking the water level to make sure the can is covered. Top up with more water as needed. It is very important that the saucepan does not boil dry as the can may explode. Once the cooking is completed, remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to cool completely. Store in the pantry until needed.

Make the pastry.

1. In a food processor, combine the egg yolks and butter until smooth. Add the sugar and mix a little to combine. Now add the flour, and pulse until the mixture comes together in balls. You can also make the pastry in a bowl using a wooden spoon if you don't have a food processor, using the same process.

2. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead a little on a floured surface until it comes together in a ball and isn't crumbly. Form it into a thick circle, wrap in plastic wrap and put into the fridge to chill for an hour.

3. After an hour, remove it from the fridge and discard the plastic wrap. Preheat your oven to 170°C. Prepare your tart case. I used a 25cm x 10cm rectangle cake tin, but you could used a loose-bottomed 25cm tart tin or similar. Whatever you used, it should be at least 5cm deep or more. Line your tin with non-stick baking paper. Roll out the pastry to half a centimetre thickness, then carefully drape it over your rolling pin and transfer it to your tin. If the pastry rips or breaks, don't worry, you can press it together again in the tart tin with your fingers. Arrange the pastry in your tin so that it is neat and fills all the corners. Use damp fingers to do this. Use a knife to cut off any overhang and neaten the edges.

4. Return the pastry in the tin to the freezer for 10 minutes to chill it before baking.

5. Remove from the freezer, and place a piece of baking paper into the pastry shell. Fill it with rice or baking beans. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the baking beans/rice and return the pastry to the over for 10 minutes to ensure all the pastry is cooked through and lightly golden. Once cooked, remove and cool completely in the tin.

6. Once the pastry is completely cool, spoon in the caramel and smooth it with the back of a spoon to make an even layer. Place it in the fridge while you make the chocolate layer.

Make the chocolate mixture.

7. Place the chocolate, cream, butter and salt in a large saucepan. (You can use the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water method but I don't think it's necessary and it makes more washing up.) Over very low heat, gently melt the chocolate mixture, using a metal spoon to stir until it is smooth and combined. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. You can place a piece plastic wrap over it, touching the surface of the mixture, so a skin doesn't form.

Assemble.

8. Once the chocolate is cooled, remove the pastry from the fridge. Carefully pour the chocolate mixture on top of the caramel. Smooth the chocolate so it is even, then place it back into the fridge until set, about two hours.

9. Remove from the fridge about one hour before you want to serve it. Sprinkle a few salt flakes over the top. Slice with a hot, dry knife and serve immediately. You could serve it with a spoon of creme fraiche or double cream, or just by itself.