This Dubai chocolate tart is a crisp cocoa shortcrust filled with a thick layer of cooked pistachio paste and topped with dark chocolate ganache and roasted pistachios. It bakes in a 9 inch tart pan and cuts into 10 slices. Plan on 45 minutes of prep, about 25 minutes of baking and stovetop time, and 2 hours in the fridge.
The one thing to get right is the pistachio layer. Cook it until it holds a line in the pan, and it stays a clean green stripe between the crust and the chocolate when you slice.
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Try the Recipe Converter →What Makes It a Dubai Chocolate Tart, and Where the Kataifi Went
The viral Dubai chocolate bar is chocolate filled with pistachio cream and toasted kataifi, the shredded pastry used for kunafa. This tart keeps the pistachio and chocolate and skips the kataifi, so it is smooth and dense rather than crunchy.
Want the crunch? Toast kataifi in butter the way it is done in my Dubai chocolate filling, then scatter a thin layer over the pistachio paste before the ganache goes on. It is optional and not part of the card amounts.
The Three Layers in Numbers
- Shell: 160g flour, 25g cocoa, 113g cold butter, 40g powdered sugar, 1 egg yolk, baked blind at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes plus 5 to 8 minutes
- Pistachio layer: 200g shelled unsalted pistachios cooked with 70g sugar, 60ml milk and 3 tablespoons butter for 5 to 8 minutes
- Ganache: 120ml heavy cream, 100g dark chocolate around 70% cocoa, 1 tablespoon butter
- Pan and yield: 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, 10 slices
- Chill: at least 2 hours, until the ganache is set
The ganache is a little more cream than chocolate by weight, so it sets soft: clean slices when cold, glossy and loose in a warm room.
Raw Pistachios for the Paste, Roasted Ones on Top
Use raw, unsalted shelled pistachios for the filling. They grind to a brighter green and taste fresher; pre-roasted nuts give a duller color and a flatter flavor. Save the roasted ones for the top, where you want crunch.
For the ganache, chop a bar of dark chocolate instead of using chips. Chips are made to hold their shape, so they melt thicker and set with less shine. For a sweeter tart, a 60 to 65% bar works with the same amounts.
Making the Cocoa Shortcrust Shell
Whisk the flour, cocoa, powdered sugar and salt, then rub in the cold butter until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Use butter firm from the fridge, not frozen. Add the egg yolk, and only add cold milk a tablespoon at a time if the dough will not hold when you squeeze it.
Flatten it into a disc and chill for at least 30 minutes. Cold, rested dough shrinks less down the sides of the pan in the oven.
I roll this dough rather than pressing it in; pressed crusts tend to bake patchy. Lift it into the pan, press it into the fluted edge and prick the base with a fork.
Blind Baking a Chocolate Crust
Line the shell with parchment, fill it with pie weights or dried beans, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes. Lift out the weights and bake another 5 to 8 minutes. You cannot judge a cocoa crust by its color, so look at the base instead: it is done when it looks dry and matte with no shiny patches and feels firm when you press it lightly. Let it cool completely in the pan.
Cooking the Pistachio Paste Until It Holds a Line
Pulse the pistachios in a food processor in short bursts until they look like fine, damp crumbs. Stop there. Blending nonstop releases their oil and turns them into pistachio butter.
In a saucepan over medium heat, stir the sugar, milk and butter until melted and smooth. Stir in the ground pistachios, vanilla and salt, turn the heat to low and keep stirring for 5 to 8 minutes. You are cooking out moisture, not boiling it.
It is ready when the paste pulls away from the sides of the pan and a line drawn with the spatula stays open for a second, like in the photo. Too loose and it bleeds into the ganache. Cooked too long, it goes dry and greasy; take it off the heat and stir in a spoonful of milk to bring it back.
Let it cool slightly, then spread it over the cooled shell with an offset spatula. A hot paste softens the crust you just baked.
Pouring the Dark Chocolate Ganache
Heat the cream until it just starts to simmer, take it off the heat and add the chopped chocolate and butter. Leave it alone for 1 to 2 minutes, then stir from the center outward until it is smooth and glossy. If it splits, my chocolate ganache recipe has the fix.
Wait until the pistachio layer has cooled before you pour. Warm paste melts into the ganache and blurs the green line. Spread the ganache to the edges, scatter the roasted pistachios while it is still soft, and chill for at least 2 hours.
Dubai Chocolate Tart vs My Chocolate Pistachio Tart
Both start with a cocoa crust. This one has one thick, dense layer of cooked ground pistachios under a single ganache layer. The pistachio flavor is strong, closer to the inside of the bar.
My chocolate pistachio tart uses a softer pistachio cream set with cornstarch, sandwiched between two ganache layers, and cuts into 12 slices. Pick it for more chocolate and a creamier middle. For a lighter summer version, try this pistachio tart.
Slicing, Storing and Making the Tart Ahead
For clean slices, cut it straight from the fridge with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts. Let the slices sit about 20 minutes before serving so the pistachio flavor comes through.
The tart keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge. Cover it loosely with foil or a cake dome, because plastic wrap sticks to the ganache and smudges it. You can bake the shell and cook the pistachio paste a day before, then assemble on the day. The paste also freezes well, so a double batch gives you a head start on the next tart.
Dubai Tart Questions
Does a Dubai chocolate tart have kataifi in it?
Not in this recipe. It uses the pistachio and dark chocolate of the Dubai chocolate bar without the crunchy kataifi; you can add a thin layer of butter-toasted kataifi over the pistachio paste if you want the crunch.
Can I use jarred pistachio cream instead of making the paste?
You can, but jarred pistachio cream is softer and sweeter than this cooked paste, so the layer will not set as firm. Chill the filled shell before adding the ganache and expect softer slices.
Why did my chocolate tart shell shrink?
The dough was warm or overworked when it went into the oven. Chill the disc for the full 30 minutes, do not stretch the dough into the pan, and keep the weights in for the first 15 minutes.
More pistachio and chocolate: pistachio ganache truffles, a Dubai chocolate strawberry cup or a chocolate ganache tart.
Dubai Chocolate Tart Recipe
This Dubai chocolate tart is a chocolate pistachio tart made with a cocoa shortcrust shell, a cooked pistachio paste of ground pistachios, milk, sugar and butter, and a dark chocolate ganache topped with roasted pistachios. It takes about 45 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of baking and stovetop time, then 2 hours in the fridge, and makes one 9 inch tart, about 10 slices. The pistachio paste is cooked on low heat until it pulls away from the pan, so it holds a clean green layer when you slice. Serve this Dubai chocolate dessert for birthdays, dinner parties or holiday tables with espresso or mint tea. For crunch like the Dubai bar, add toasted kataifi. It keeps 3 days in the fridge.
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHOCOLATE TART SHELL
- 1 ¼ cups (160g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ⅓ cup (40g) powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1–2 tbsp cold milk, if needed
- Pinch of salt
- FOR THE PISTACHIO FILLING
- 1 ½ cups (200g) shelled pistachios (unsalted)
- ⅓ cup (70g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) milk
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE TOPPING
- ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
- 100g dark chocolate (around 70% cocoa), finely chopped
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- FOR GARNISH
- ¼ cup chopped or whole roasted pistachios
Instructions
- MAKE THE CHOCOLATE TART SHELL: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and use your fingertips or a pastry cutter to rub it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and mix to combine. If the dough is too dry, add cold milk one tablespoon at a time until it comes together.
- CHILL AND SHAPE THE DOUGH: Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Once chilled, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and press it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Prick the base with a fork, line it with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
- BAKE THE TART SHELL: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the tart shell with weights for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment, then continue baking for another 5–8 minutes until the crust is firm and cooked through. Let it cool completely in the pan.
- MAKE THE PISTACHIO FILLING: Place the shelled pistachios in a food processor and blend until finely ground into a crumb. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, milk, and butter, stirring until melted and smooth. Stir in the pistachio crumbs, vanilla extract, and salt. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5–8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens into a paste.
- FILL THE TART: Let the pistachio paste cool slightly, then spread it evenly over the cooled tart shell using a spatula or offset knife.
- MAKE THE GANACHE: Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Remove from heat and add the chopped dark chocolate and butter. Let sit for 1–2 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy.
- ASSEMBLE THE TART: Pour the ganache over the pistachio layer and spread it evenly to the edges. While the ganache is still soft, sprinkle the top with roasted pistachios.
- CHILL AND SERVE: Transfer the tart to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours, or until the ganache is fully set. Slice and serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
Use raw unsalted pistachios for the paste and pulse them in short bursts so they stay crumbs and do not turn into butter. Cook the paste until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and a spatula line stays open for a second; if it turns greasy, stir in a spoonful of milk off the heat.
A cocoa crust is baked when the base looks dry and matte and feels firm; chill the dough the full 30 minutes so it does not shrink.
Let the pistachio layer cool before adding the ganache. For a sweeter tart, use 60 to 65% chocolate.
Slice cold with a knife warmed in hot water and wiped between cuts. Store covered loosely in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 323Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 60mgSodium 120mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 3gSugar 12gProtein 7g
