Description
This French Chocolate Flan is a luscious, moist chocolate custard tart made with a rich cocoa pastry dough and a creamy dark chocolate filling. Perfect for chocolate lovers, this elegant dessert features a crisp cocoa-infused crust filled with a smooth, velvety chocolate custard, baked to perfection and served chilled for maximum flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Cocoa Pastry Dough
- 160 g all-purpose flour, sifted
- 20 g roasted hazelnut meal
- 110 g butter, cubed
- 30 g sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 20 g cocoa powder, sifted
- 35 g milk
- 1 egg yolk
Chocolate Custard Filling
- 500 g milk
- 150 g heavy whipping cream
- 120 g egg yolks (approximately 6 medium egg yolks)
- 130 g sugar
- 20 g all-purpose flour, sifted
- 20 g cornflour, sifted
- 160 g dark chocolate (70%), chopped
Decoration
- Cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare the Cocoa Pastry Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sifted flour, roasted hazelnut meal, cubed butter, sugar, salt, and sifted cocoa powder. Add milk and egg yolk, mixing until the ingredients come together to form a ball of dough.
- Knead the Dough: Remove the dough from the mixer bowl and knead briefly on a floured work surface until well combined and smooth.
- Chill the Dough: Lightly flour both the top and bottom of the dough ball, place it between two sheets of parchment paper, and gently flatten it into a disk without fully rolling it out. Transfer the wrapped dough to the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours.
- Roll and Line the Mold: After chilling, roll out the dough to a 3 mm thickness. Line a 20 cm diameter, 4-5 cm high ring mold with the dough, ensuring the sides are fully covered and straight to prevent collapsing during baking. Trim any overhanging edges carefully. Freeze the dough-lined mold for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 170°C (338°F) for baking.
- Heat Milk and Cream: In a medium saucepan, gently heat the milk and heavy cream together until they reach a simmer.
- Whisk Egg Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until creamy and pale in color. Add the sifted flour and cornflour and mix until combined.
- Temper the Eggs: Gradually pour about one-third of the hot milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture while continuously whisking to prevent cooking the eggs.
- Cook the Custard: Return the combined mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it boils and thickens, ensuring the egg mixture doesn’t scorch on the bottom.
- Add Chocolate: Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the chopped dark chocolate until fully melted and smooth, creating a rich chocolate custard.
- Pour Filling and Bake: Remove the dough-lined mold from the freezer and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the chocolate custard filling into the mold, spreading it evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the filling is firm to the touch.
- Cool and Refrigerate: Remove the flan from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate it overnight to set fully.
- Serve: Before serving, remove the flan from the refrigerator about 15 minutes in advance to soften slightly. Dust the surface with cocoa powder and slice generously. Enjoy your French Chocolate Flan!
Notes
- Ensure to temper the eggs properly to avoid scrambling by slowly adding hot milk to the egg mixture.
- Freezing the dough-lined mold before baking helps maintain the shape and prevents shrinking.
- Chilling the flan overnight improves texture and flavor.
- Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving for best taste and a smoother texture.
- You can substitute dark chocolate with semi-sweet chocolate if preferred, but maintain a high cocoa content for richness.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes (plus 2 hours chilling and 30 minutes freezing)
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: French Chocolate Flan, chocolate custard tart, chocolate dessert, French dessert, cocoa pastry dough, chocolate custard filling
