Cocoa and Sour Cherry Tartlets

Cocoa and sour cherry tartlets are delicious little treats, perfect for the end of a meal or to accompany a cup of coffee. Here is how they are prepared:

Ingredients

• 200 g of all-purpose flour
• 30 g of cocoa powder
• 100 g of cold butter, cubed
• 80 g of icing sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 pinch of salt
• Sour cherries in syrup to taste
• 200 ml of fresh cream
• 2 tablespoons of icing sugar (for the whipped cream)

Preparation

1. In a bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa powder and a pinch of salt.
2. Add the cold cubed butter and work the mixture with your fingertips until it becomes a sandy consistency.
3. Incorporate the icing sugar and the egg, then mix until the dough becomes homogeneous.
4. Form a ball with the dough, wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. Take the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 3-4 mm.
6. Cut discs from the dough with a round cookie cutter and line the previously greased and floured tartlet molds.
7. Prick the base of the tartlets with a fork and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 10-15 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, whip the cream with two tablespoons of icing sugar until it is firm and foamy.
9. Remove the tartlets from the oven and let them cool completely before removing them from the molds.
10. Once they are cool, fill each tartlet with a spoonful of whipped cream and decorate with a syrup-soaked sour cherry in the center.

Fun Fact

Sour cherries are a variety of cherries with a rather tart flavor, which pairs very well with bitter cocoa, creating a contrast of flavors that is much appreciated in pastry. The cocoa and sour cherry tartlets have a taste that reminds of the famous Black Forest cake, a German dessert also known as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.