Gluten Free Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart

Currently looking for a boatload of friends who want to share this MASSIVE bottle of gorgeously rich 10 yo Tawny Port while indulging with a slice of this gluten free chocolate caramel and pecan tart because WOW I need to eat some real food and not just this glorious combo all day. But hey, it’s a heck of a way to start a Friday! This is our second collab with a brilliant wine-expert friend in Vienna, Austria, Iker Berasaluce (check out his Instagram here!!) pairing incredible wines with incredible gluten free desserts, and it does not disappoint. The first collab we did was bright, fresh, very citrusy, and AMAZING. Props to Iker for pinning down a sweet white Sauternes wine from France to pair with the gluten free yuzu tart that we created for the collab – what an incredible combo. Iker explained that when pairing desserts with wine, the wine should always be a bit sweeter than the dessert (into wine knowlege? Iker is your go-to guy and has awesome educational videos!!), so the tart citrus of the yuzu tart paired really well with the floral, citrusy, sweet Sauternes.

This pairing is HEAVY – in all the best ways. We went in the chocolate direction because you can’t go wrong with that, and ended up making another tart (we’re on a tart kick), with an easy, press-in crumb crust (think similar to a graham cracker crust – butter, cocoa, sugar, ground cookies) with added ground toasted pecans in the crust. Inside the crust is a super easy rich chocolate baked filling – essentially a thick ganache with added tempered eggs and baked until set. On top, the only real tricky part is making homemade caramel – but this is a pretty darn easy caramel recipes as they go! Super fast, and a thinner caramel sauce so that slicing through the tart will be easy and smooth. Finally, topped with more toasted pecans (when in doubt, toast your nuts!! you’ll get TONS more flavor!). Now to the pairing: a 10 year old Tawny Port which has all sorts of chocolate, toasty nutty, caramel notes, a deep prune/maroon color, and rich jammy notes that remind us of ripe figs and dusky, cozy summer evenings (as we wax poetic). A really lovely pairing with the tart because the port is definitely sweeter than the dark chocolate, which keeps the port’s flavor round and smooth and even tones down the sweetness of the caramel. Super interesting port facts: they usually start at about 100g of sugar per liter, which is wildly different from a normal white/red wine that may have 1-5g of sugar – which is why port has a higher alcohol content than a normal table wine – this one has a smooth 20%!

If you’re excited about this recipe, then do yourself a favor and watch the live tasting Iker and I did of both the tart AND the port (it was a good day y’all) here!:

Stay tuned for two more (at least) wine & dessert pairings coming up in the next month or so!! Gearing up for the next one in three weeks so we’ll be prepping a brand new recipe and working with Iker to pick an incredible wine! If you’re into deep dark rich chocolate desserts – this one is a great one, but also check out our chocolate peanut butter tart, or this chocolate mousse cake, or our EPIC giant fudgy brownies, or these chocolate shortbread cookies with cocoa nibs, or these chocolate truffle cupcakes!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Gluten Free Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart

This decadent dessert has a buttery chocolate and pecan crumb crust, a glorious chocolate custard filling, and a silky homemade caramel topping with toasted pecans!

Prep Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Chilling time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: caramel, chocolate, chocolate tart, pecan, tart, toasted pecans, wine, wine pairing

Servings: 10 people

Calories: 500kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• 10-inch tart pan
• Small saucepan
• Medium saucepan

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1/3 Cup softened salted butter
• 3/4 Cup finely ground toasted pecans instructions below
• 1/2 Cup dutched cocoa powder
• 3/4 Cup blanched almond flour
• 1/2 Cup packed finely ground gluten free oreos (filling removed) or other all-chocolate cookies
• 1/2 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum added (if it doesn't have xanthan gum, add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum)
• 1/4 Cup white sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

For the chocolate filling:

• 10 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate (or 60-70%) chopped
• 1 1/3 Cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 2 large eggs

For the caramel + pecan topping:

• 1 Cup toasted pecans instructions below
• 1 Cup white sugar
• 6 Tbsp salted butter room temperature
• 1/2 Cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 tsp salt

Instructions

To make the crust:

• First, roast your pecans. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Spread whole, unsalted pecans on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the nuts are a bit darker, dry, and smell fragrant (be careful not to let them burn!). Remove and let cool completely, then finely grind enough for the crust and set the rest aside.
• Then, lower your oven to 325° Fahrenheit and lightly grease a 10-inch tart pan, then set aside. In a medium bowl, using a spatula, stir together the softened butter, finely ground toasted pecans, cocoa powder, almond flour, flour, sugar, salt, and finely ground gluten free oreos (filling removed, or other all-chocolate cookies) until thick and moldable – it should be crumbly and a bit dry, and should easily hold its shape. Press the dough into your prepared tart pan, making sure that the crust is even all the way around and up the 1-inch sides of the tart pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until drier to the touch. Your crust will have puffed up a bit – don't worry. Let it cool completely before filling. Once the tart shell is cool, press the puffed areas with your fingertips until the crust is even.

To make the chocolate filling:

• In a small saucepan, begin heating your heavy cream over medium-low heat. Once the cream is simmering, turn off heat and add the instant coffee and the chopped chocolate into the pot and let sit for 1-2 minutes until melted, then whisk the cream + chocolate + coffee together until smooth. Add in the vanilla, sugar, and salt and whisk to combine. Separately, in a small bowl, whisk your eggs together, then slowly pour in ½ cup of the hot chocolate + cream mixture into your eggs, while whisking vigorously, to temper the eggs. Then slowly pour the egg mixture into the chocolate + cream pot, whisking constantly until glossy and smooth.
• Once your crust is cool and pressed, pour your filling in and bake for 24-30 minutes or until a knife inserted 3 inches from the edge of the tart comes out clean (the center will still jiggle a tiny bit). Let tart cool completely before topping – refrigerate once cool for 30 minutes while making caramel.

To make the topping:

• While the tart is cooling, make the caramel sauce! In a medium saucepan (bigger than you think you need – at least 3 quart size – the caramel will bubble up), constantly whisk the white sugar over medium heat until the sugar begins to melt and clump. Continue stirring constantly until sugar has completely melted, then stop stirring and continue to heat. Once the caramel looks deep gold (not darker) immediately take off heat and vigorously whisk in the room temp butter until it’s fully combined – this may take a few minutes to bring it all together. Then put back on medium heat and cook for one minute without stirring. Then, whisking constantly, slowly add the heavy cream until fully combined, then stop stirring and let cook for 1 minute (not longer or it will be too hard!) – it will bubble up.
• Finally, remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and salt, and stir until smooth. Pour into a heatproof container and let sit at room temp to cool for a few minutes. Remember, caramel thickens as it cools so if it seems runny, don't worry.

To construct:

• Once the caramel sauce has cooled for a few minutes, pour over the top of the chilled tart and spread to the edges. Then immediately decorate the top with either chopped toasted pecans, or whole toasted pecans in a design that you like! Then chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Before serving, remove from the fridge and let sit at room temp for 30 minutes to soften the caramel. I recommend using a heated knife (just heat it over an open flame for a few seconds) to slice cleanly through the tart.

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your tart!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber