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Tenerina Tart

17/11/2023

The Tenerina Tart is a variant of the classic Tenerina cake, a chocolate cake typical of Ferrara, which includes a shortcrust pastry base. Here’s the recipe to prepare this delicious dessert.

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry:

  • 300 g of all-purpose flour
  • 150 g of cold butter, cubed
  • 130 g of icing sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • A pinch of salt

For the Tenerina filling:

  • 200 g of good quality dark chocolate
  • 100 g of butter
  • 100 g of granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 50 g of all-purpose flour
  • Icing sugar (for dusting, optional)

Preparation

  1. Start by preparing the shortcrust pastry: in a bowl, combine the flour with the icing sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the cubed cold butter and start working it with your fingertips until you get a sandy mixture.
  2. Add the egg, egg yolk, and grated lemon zest. Work quickly to form a compact dough. Wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, prepare the Tenerina filling: melt the chocolate with the butter in the microwave or using a double boiler.
  4. In a separate bowl, whip the eggs with the sugar until you get a frothy mixture. Gently fold in the melted chocolate and butter.
  5. Finally, incorporate the sifted flour, mixing from the bottom up to not deflate the mixture.
  6. Take the shortcrust pastry from the fridge and roll it out into an even layer. Line a tart pan previously buttered and floured, leaving a tall edge.
  7. Pour the Tenerina mixture into the pastry base and level it off.
  8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 25-30 minutes. The Tenerina cake must stay moist inside, so be careful not to overcook it.
  9. Allow to cool completely before dusting with icing sugar and serving.

Curiosity

The Tenerina cake is named so because it remains very “tender”, almost moist inside, due to the abundant presence of chocolate which doesn’t allow the dough to dry out completely during baking. The tart version adds the crunchy pleasure of the shortcrust pastry, creating a very interesting contrast of textures to the palate.

Tenerina Tart