Chocolate Coconut Tart — baked coconut frangipane under dark ganache

i. Origin & history

Chocolate and coconut is a pairing with deep roots in the tropical Atlantic world, where cacao and coconut palms grow side by side. In the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, both ingredients are local, and coconut pastries are everyday treats: the tourment d'amour of the island of Les Saintes, a small tart filled with coconut jam and topped with sponge, is perhaps the best known, and coconut sorbet, blanc-manger coco and coconut flans are standards of the islands' dessert tables. Chocolate, drunk hot and thick, has been part of Caribbean life since the colonial cacao plantations.

In mainland France, coconut came into pâtisserie largely through confectionery and petits fours. The rocher coco — a pyramid-shaped coconut macaroon — and its cousin the congolais are classic bakery items, often dipped in dark chocolate. That combination of chewy, sweet coconut and bittersweet chocolate is exactly what a chocolate coconut tart translates into tart form.

The tart itself is a modern bakery and home-baking dessert rather than a regional classic with a fixed recipe. It is built on the standard French tart architecture: a pâte sucrée case, a baked filling of frangipane type (the same technique used for the almond tart and pear tart, but with coconut instead of ground almonds), and a poured ganache finish like that of a classic chocolate tart.

Versions appear across the world. Australian and British bakers make coconut-and-chocolate slices with similar flavours, and in the United States coconut and chocolate meet in "magic bars" and German chocolate cake. The French tart is the most elegant of these: thin, layered and sliced into neat wedges.

ii. Why the coconut layer is baked and the ganache is not

The two fillings are treated differently because they do different jobs. The coconut frangipane is a batter of creamed butter and sugar, eggs and desiccated coconut. Baked, the eggs set it into a soft, sliceable layer and the sugar caramelises at the edges and surface, giving a toasted, nutty flavour. Desiccated coconut is very dry and absorbs moisture from the eggs and butter as it bakes, which is what gives the layer its chewy, macaroon-like texture. A little flour binds it so it does not crumble when cut.

The ganache, on the other hand, is never baked. It is an emulsion of chocolate and hot cream: the cream melts the chocolate and its water and fat are blended with the cocoa butter and cocoa solids into a smooth, glossy mixture that sets as it cools. Baking would dull its shine and could make it grainy. Instead it is poured over the cooled coconut layer and left to set in the fridge.

The ratio of chocolate to cream determines the set. Equal weights of dark chocolate (about 60–70% cocoa) and double cream give a ganache that is firm enough to slice cleanly but soft and silky in the mouth. More chocolate gives a firmer, fudgier finish; more cream a softer, mousse-like one. A small piece of butter stirred in at the end adds gloss.

Replacing some of the cream with coconut cream pushes the coconut flavour further and makes the tart dairy-light, but coconut cream contains less fat than double cream and more water, so the ganache sets a little softer. Use a chocolate at the higher end of the cocoa range to compensate.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 10 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 200 g plain flour
• 60 g icing sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 110 g cold unsalted butter, diced, for the pastry
• 1 egg, for the pastry
• 80 g unsalted butter, soft, for the coconut layer
• 80 g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, for the coconut layer
• 100 g desiccated coconut
• 20 g plain flour, for the coconut layer
• 1 tbsp dark rum (optional)
• 150 g dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa), chopped
• 150 ml double cream
• 15 g unsalted butter, for the ganache
• 20 g coconut flakes, toasted, to finish

Use unsweetened desiccated coconut, the fine dry kind, for the frangipane; sweetened shredded coconut makes the layer too sweet and wet. Dark chocolate between 60% and 70% cocoa gives the best balance against the sweet coconut; milk chocolate makes the tart cloying. The rum is a nod to the Caribbean pairing and can be replaced with vanilla. For a richer coconut flavour, replace half the double cream with full-fat coconut cream. A chocolate pastry can be made by replacing 25 g of the flour with cocoa powder.

iv. Method

1. For the pastry, rub the flour, icing sugar, salt and cold butter to fine crumbs, add the egg and bring together into a dough. Flatten, wrap and chill for 45 minutes.
2. Roll to 3 mm and line a 23 cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Prick the base and chill for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F), fan 160 °C. Blind-bake with paper and beans for 15 minutes, then without for 5 minutes until pale golden. Lower the oven to 170 °C (340 °F), fan 150 °C.
3. For the coconut layer, beat the soft butter and sugar until pale, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the desiccated coconut, flour and rum.
4. Spread the coconut mixture evenly in the pastry case. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until puffed, set and golden brown on top. Cool completely in the tin.
5. For the ganache, bring the cream just to the boil and pour it over the chopped chocolate. Leave for 2 minutes, then stir gently from the centre outwards until smooth and glossy. Stir in the butter.
6. Pour the ganache over the cooled coconut layer and tilt the tin to spread it evenly. Scatter the toasted coconut flakes around the edge.
7. Chill for at least 2 hours until the ganache is set. Remove from the fridge 20 minutes before serving and slice with a hot, dry knife.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Cool the coconut layer completely. Ganache poured onto a warm filling melts into it and never sets into a clean, separate layer.
• Stir the ganache gently. Whisking adds air bubbles that spoil the glossy surface. Stir slowly from the centre with a spatula.
• Do not overheat the cream. Just boiling is enough. Very hot cream can scorch the chocolate and make it split or turn grainy.
• Toast the coconut flakes lightly. Two or three minutes in a dry pan until just golden; they burn suddenly.
• Use a hot knife for slicing. Dip it in hot water and wipe between cuts for neat layers.
• Serve it just cool, not cold. Straight from the fridge, the ganache is hard and the flavour muted. Twenty minutes at room temperature softens it to a silky texture.

vi. Variations

A chocolate, coconut and passion fruit tart adds a thin layer of passion-fruit curd between the coconut and the ganache, a combination popular in modern French pâtisserie. A chocolate coconut tart with lime folds lime zest into the coconut layer. For a dairy-free version, use a dairy-free pastry, coconut oil instead of butter in the filling and coconut cream for the ganache. Individual tartlets bake in about 15 minutes.

For coconut on its own, see the coconut tart, the Brazilian quindim and the Latin American cocadas. For chocolate tarts with other partners, try the chocolate hazelnut tart, and for a coconut and fruit combination, the pineapple coconut tart.

vii. Serving & storage

Serve the tart in thin slices, as it is rich. It needs little accompaniment, but a spoonful of crème fraîche, lightly whipped cream, coconut or vanilla ice cream, or a few slices of fresh mango or pineapple cut through the chocolate nicely. It makes a good dinner-party dessert because it is made entirely in advance.

Keep the tart covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, and bring it to room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. The pastry case can be blind-baked a day ahead, and the whole tart can be made the day before serving. It freezes well for up to a month, wrapped tightly: thaw overnight in the fridge. The ganache may lose a little shine after freezing.

ix. More from French

• Coconut Tart — golden coconut custard tart
• Chocolate Hazelnut Tart — praliné and ganache
• Almond Tart — tarte aux amandes
• Pineapple Coconut Tart — tropical frangipane tart
• Quindim — Brazilian coconut custard
• Cocadas — Latin American coconut sweets