Chocolate Almond Pear Tart

Do you need to please a crowd? Then Chocolate Almond Pear Tart is the recipe you’re looking for.

Everyone will love the taste and be so impressed with your baking prowess! But there’s no need to tell them how easy it is. That can be our secret!

This Chocolate Almond Pear Tart combines classic flavors of chocolate with almonds and pears that complement and pair so well together. Chocolate is universally loved and paired with so many flavors like caramel as in my Chocolate and Caramel Cake or orange as in my Chocolate Orange Cake. 

There are three easy components to this dessert. First, the almost no fail crust begins with beating softened butter and sugar together. Then the filling is a simple matter of combining the ingredients. And finally topped with sliced pears that are fanned out.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Flavor Combination – The combination of rich chocolate, nutty almonds, and sweet, juicy pears creates a delicious blend of flavors that will appeal to many people. This is the perfect recipe to make for a potluck dinner or when your task is to supply the dessert.
• Texture – You’ll love the contrast between the crisp crust, slightly gooey filling and the tender pears on top of this Chocolate Almond Pear Tart . 
• Versatile – Whether topped with a scoop of ice cream for an impressive dessert or served with a cup of coffee when friends drop in, this tart is perfect for all occasions.
• Impressive – Fanned pears attractively arranged on the top look so impressive that your guests will think you bought this Chocolate Almond Pear Tart at the local pastry shop. But the secret is that fanned pears aren’t hard to create at all. Follow all my tips for success!

For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Ingredients

• All purpose plain flour – Just regular all purpose flour from the supermarket is used in this tart crust. Don’t use self rising flour. 
• Unsalted butter – Choose unsalted butter for most baking recipes because you can adjust the salt. If you’ve only got salted butter that’ll be fine in this recipe just omit the added salt.
• Sugar – You need both granulated white sugar and dark brown sugar for this Chocolate Almond Pear Tart recipe.
• Eggs – Use whatever type of eggs you have in the fridge. I like free range but any will work for this recipe.
• Ground almonds – Almond meal will work for this recipe. 
• Dark chocolate – The slightly bitter taste of dark semi sweet chocolate balances the sweetness in this tart. Use the best chocolate you can afford because this is one of the main flavors in this tart.
• Pears – Look for just ripe pears which will be ideal in this Chocolate Almond Pear Tart. Good baking pears varieties are Bartlett (also known as Williams), Bosc or Beurre Bosc, and Anjou pears. 
• Amaretto liqueur  – I always have a small bottle in the pantry because I use it for quite a few recipes (like Piedmontese Bunet and my Mini Trifles). Alternatively, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of almond extract instead.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Butter or spray with non stick spray a 10 inch/ 25cm tart pan with a removable base. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C

Beat butter and sugar together until combined. Add egg yolk and beat in thoroughly. Stir in flour until it forms a soft dough. Don’t over mix.

Roll out the dough between two sheets of non stick baking paper; dusting with a little flour underneath and on top of the dough.

The dough should be about ¼inch or 6mm thick.Use the pastry to line the tart tin.

Combine the ingredients for the filling and spoon into the pastry case smoothing out the top.

Peel, halved and core the pears. Then slice lengthwise leaving the slices attached at the tip. Fan slices apart.

Arrange the pears on the tart. Press down lightly.

Bake the tart for 45 minutes or until the filling is firm and the pastry is golden brown. Allow the tart to cool. Then dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Hint: For easier slicing and a more firm filling, chill the tart in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Substitutions

• Unsalted butter – I always prefer unsalted butter but you can use salted if that is what you have. Don’t add any extra salt to the crust in this case.
• Dark chocolate – use milk chocolate if you prefer.
• Pears – Omit the pears if you don’t like them. This tart will still be delicious. 

Variations

• Fruity – try a version with pitted cherries, raspberries or halved apricots insead of pears.
• Nutty – use ground hazelnuts instead of ground almonds for a different flavor.
• Alcohol – Rum, Scotch or Bourbon also works well in this chocolate pear tart recipe. Alternatively, substitute with a teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Gluten Free –  make a chocolate almond crust using this gluten free pie crust with unsweetened cocoa powder. For the filling, substitute gluten free 1:1 all purpose flour.

Equipment

As well as the usual baking equipment such as bowls, wooden spoons, spatulas, and measuring cups and spoons, you’ll need a few extra items to make this Chocolate Almond Pear Tart. 

While not completely necessary an electric mixer is handy when creaming the butter and sugar.  Alternatively, you could use a medium bowl and a wooden spoon to prepare both the crust and the filling. You will need a rolling pin and some non stick parchment paper.

That brings me to the most useful piece of equipment – 10 inch/ 25cm tart tin with a removable base. A pie pan of the same diameter would also be suitable.

Storage

The dough can be frozen after step 3 for up to 1 month. This Chocolate Pear Almond Tart recipe can be prepared a day ahead minus the pears and then refrigerated overnight in a sealed container or well wrapped in plastic. Add the pears and bake the next day. 

Leftovers will keep for 3 or 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.

Top tips

• Temperature of ingredients – Unlike my Ricotta Pie recipe, this recipe requires the butter to be at room temperature for both the crust and the filling. The butter shouldn’t be so warm that it’s melting but soft enough so that it blends easily with the sugar. This dough is exactly like the dough I use for my Mini Fruit Tarts.
• Perfect crust – Take care not to overbeat the butter and sugar. This will add air into the mixture which will make the dough hard to handle. Then add the egg slowly so that it incorporates completely. Finally, be gentle when mixing in the flour and don’t over-mix.
• Pears – The fanned pears on the top of the pear tart aren’t as difficult as they look. After peeling, halving and coring the pears, place the pear cut side down on a chopping board. Using a small sharp knife, start ½” down from the stem and make lengthwise slices ensuring that the slices remain attached near the stem. Then gently slide and fan the slices out. 
• Option for pears – Instead of fanned pears, arrange thin pear slices in a concentric circle on top of the filling.

FAQ

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Torta della Nonna
Chocolate Tart
Sicilian Cheesecake
Chocolate Raspberry Tart

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Chocolate Almond Pear Tart:

Stewed Pears
Poached Pears in Red Wine

Made this recipe?
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Chocolate Almond Pear Tart Recipe

A delicious combination of chocolate, almonds and pears in one gorgeous tart!

5 from 27 votes

Print Pin Review

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Chilling time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings:10 serves

Author: Marcellina

Ingredients

Crust

• ▢ 4 ounces (115 grams/1 stick) unsalted butter softened
• ▢ ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 egg yolk
• ▢ 1½ cups (187 grams) all purpose flour

Filling

• ▢ 7 ounces (200 grams/1¾stick) unsalted butter
• ▢ ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup (100 grams) dark brown sugar
• ▢ 3 eggs beaten
• ▢ 2 cups (200 grams) ground almonds almond meal
• ▢ 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Amaretto liqueur optional
• ▢ 4 ounces ( 115 grams) dark chocolate melted

Pears

• ▢ 2 pears fully ripe but firm

Serving

• ▢ powdered sugar for dusting

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Butter or spray with non stick spray a 10 inch/ 25cm tart tin with a removable base. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C

Crust

• Beat butter and sugar together until combined. Add egg yolk and beat in thoroughly. Stir in flour until it form a soft dough. Don't over mix.
• Roll out the dough between two sheets of non stick baking paper that has been floured. While rolling check that the dough isn’t sticking. If so, sprinkle with extra flour.
• The dough should be a about 1/4inch or 6mm thickness. Check that the dough is rolled out large enough by holding your tart pan over the rolled-out round of dough; the dough should be an inch wider on all sides.
• Roll the pastry gently around the rolling pin pulling away the bottom sheet of parchment as you go. Lift and unroll into the pan. Pull up the pastry around the sides and encourage it to fall into the corners. Remove the parchment paper on top. Patch tears with excess pastry. Trim the edges level to the top of the pan.
• If you have time chill for 30 minutes.

Filling

• Beat butter and sugars until well combined.
• Add in eggs, ground almonds and flour. Beat to combine.
• Stir in melted chocolate and Amaretto liqueur (if using).
• Spoon into pastry case and smooth out the top. Set aside in the fridge while you prepare the pears.

Pears

• Peel pears. Cut in half length ways and scoop out the core. Turn the halves onto their cut side and use a sharp knife to cut parallel the long way down the pear leaving a small amount attached at the tip. Make the slices quite thin that way they will cook through. Repeat with remaining pear halves.
• Fan out the pears and arrange on the tart. Press down lightly into the filling.
• Bake the tart for 45 minutes or until firm and the pastry is golden brown.
• Allow to cool. Dust with powdered sugar to serve.
• The tart filling will be gooey. If you prefer a firm filling, chill before serving.

Notes

Tips for success

• Butter should be a room temperature so that it combines easily with the sugar for both the crust and the filling.
• For the crust, take care not to overbeat the butter and sugar. 
• Stir the flour in gently so as not to toughen the crust dough.
• Check all my tips in the post above for how to fan pears. 
• Instead of fanned pears, arrange thin pear slices in a concentric circle on top of the filling.

For more information, check out the FAQ above.

Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and leave a comment below!

Nutritional Estimate Per Serving

Serving: 0g | Calories: 641kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 29mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 890IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.

This updated and improved recipe was first published on Marcellina in Cucina on June 8, 2018.