Chocolate and pumpkin tart

This pumpkin tart has a crisp chocolate pastry crust with a hint of warming spice, a layer of melted chocolate and a lovely creamy pumpkin filling. I’ve finished it with a chocolate drizzle, but if you’re feeling creative, why not decorate it with a chocolate spiderweb? It would make a perfect Halloween centrepiece! The rich chocolate, fragrant spices and smooth pumpkin filling work beautifully together. It’s just as delicious as it looks!

Ingredients for the pastry:

• 125 g plain flour
• 55 g caster sugar
• 30 g cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 115 g cold butter, diced
• 1 large egg
• 100 g dark chocolate, chopped

Place the plain flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the butter and egg, then mix until the dough comes together. You can also make the pastry in a food processor. Flatten the dough slightly, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 60 minutes.

Grease a 24 or 25 cm loose-bottomed tart tin with butter and dust with plain flour, shaking off any excess. Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface to fit the tin. Transfer it to the tin, pressing it over the base and up the sides. Trim off any excess pastry level with the rim of the tin. Prick the base all over with a fork. Chill in the fridge or freezer for about 30-60 minutes.

Bake at 180°C for about 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly over the hot pastry base. Leave for a moment to allow the chocolate to melt, then spread it evenly over the base with a spatula. Set aside to cool slightly – the chocolate doesn’t need to set completely.

Ingredients for the pumpkin filling:

• 420 g pumpkin purée
• 165 g light brown sugar
• 250 g sour cream
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp salt

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, sour cream, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and cloves until smooth. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the prepared pastry base (it can still be slightly warm).

Bake at 180°C for about 40 minutes, until the pumpkin filling is set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, preferably overnight.

Additionally:

• 30 ml double cream
• 30 g dark chocolate, chopped

Heat the double cream in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and leave for 2 minutes. Stir until you have a smooth chocolate sauce. Leave to cool slightly, until the topping thickens a little, then drizzle over the tart to decorate.

Enjoy!