Chocolate Cherry Frangipane Tart

More cherries?  Why yes!  I am taking full advantage of cherry season this year.  I have a feeling that there will be a few more after this one until the season is over!

 

Sometimes it is funny how I randomly come up with desserts to make sometimes out of what I have or what is in season.  When I was driving home Saturday night and had a long trip, I was dreaming about desserts for some reason while trying to keep myself awake, as it was late.  I think I just didn't get my sweet fix from the Dairy Queen blizzard I had eaten Saturday, and missed my own home made baking and sweets.  Yes, that is what it was!  Maybe it was the dark road I was driving on, but for whatever reason something chocolate sounded really good.  Brownies?  No.  Cake?  No.  Cookies?  No.  A tart?  Yes! 

A chocolate frangipane tart!  I had all the ingredients to make one on Sunday, and that is just what I would do!  But it wouldn't be straight chocolate, I wanted it to have something fresh and seasonal in it as well, so the fresh cherries I had in my fridge and the cherry jam I had on hand would do the trick. 

I didn't have any such recipe for a chocolate frangipane tart, so I sort of had to wing it.  But what resulted was pure deliciousness!  It was like a decadent chocolate cake inside a chocolate shortbread crust with sweet tart jammy cherries! 

Simply wonderful, and the hardest part was letting it cool, because it smelled like brownies, so heavenly! I have included the recipe if you wish to try some for yourself! 

Chocolate Cherry Frangipane Tart

Makes one 8 inch tart
Frangipane (Almond Cream):

1/2 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons organic butter

2 large organic eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup almond flour

3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour

Crust:

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour

3 Tbsp powdered sugar

3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

5 Tbsp organic butter

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp water, plus more if needed

1/2 cup cherry jam

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups cherries, halved

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

To make frangipane, a medium bowl, with a hand mixer, cream the sugar and butter.  Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth.  Add the almond meal, cocoa powder and flour and beat until it forms a smooth paste.  Transfer to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate. 

To make crust, in a bowl, combine flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add vanilla as well as water and mix together with hands until dough comes together, adding more water  if necessary to form a cohesive dough ball. Press the crust into a 8 inch tart pan with removable bottom, into the bottom, and up the sides of the pan, and place in the freezer. Freeze 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 and place the rack in the center of the oven.

To assemble tart, spread the jam on the bottom of the crust, scatter over chocolate chips, then spread frangipane over the top.  Decoratively arrange cherries on top of the tart.  Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of sugar and bake the tart for 40-45 minutes or until the top is lightly brown, and frangipane is cooked through.  Cool completely on wire rack before serving.