This chocolate shortcrust pastry is a crisp, deeply flavoured tart base made with cocoa powder, almond meal, and cold butter. It mixes quickly in a food processor and rolls easily between two sheets of baking paper. Perfect for mousse cakes, tarts, or individual desserts, it holds its shape beautifully and stays tender after baking.
This chocolate shortcrust pastry is designed for precision and reliability. It holds clean edges, resists shrinkage, and delivers a crisp, professional finish. Whether used for mousse cakes or tart shells, it performs consistently in both home and professional kitchens. The method is fast, efficient, and suited to streamlined production.
How to Make Chocolate Shortcrust Pastry (Step-by-Step) video:
Chocolate Shortcrust Pastry
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scales
- Food processor
- Rolling Pin
- Baking tray or tart rings
- Parchment paper
- Refrigerator
- Oven
Ingredients
- 208 g All-purpose flour
- 43 g Cocoa powder
- 100 g Icing sugar
- 38 g Almond meal
- 2.5 g Sea salt
- 138 g Butter 82% cold, cubed
- 50 g Whole eggs
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients: Place the flour, cocoa powder, icing sugar, almond meal, and salt into a food processor. Blitz for 5–10 seconds until evenly mixed.
- Add the butter: Add the cold, cubed butter and process for 30–60 seconds, or until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Add the egg: Add the egg and blitz just until the dough starts to clump together and form a ball. Do not overmix.
- Roll and chill: Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 2–3 mm. Place it on a tray and refrigerate until firm enough to line the tart shell—approximately 15 minutes.
- Bake at 170°C fan for 15–20 minutes.
Video
Ways to Use This Chocolate Shortcrust Pastry Recipe
Looking for inspiration on how to use this chocolate shortcrust pastry recipe? Try it in my Black Forest Mousse Cake — where the deep cocoa base adds a perfect contrast to the creamy vanilla mousse and tart cherry jelly. You can also use it in my Three‑Chocolate Tart for a rich, elegant dessert: https://andbonbons.com/three-chocolate-tart-recipe-018/
If you’re new to shortcrust or want to master the technique, here’s the full step‑by‑step shortcrust tutorial: https://andbonbons.com/shortcrust-pastry-recipe/
Craving more behind-the-scenes moments, step-by-step videos, and sneak peeks of upcoming recipes? Join me on Instagram @andbonbons for a closer look at the process, pastry tips, and plenty of chocolate inspiration.