Coffee and Pecan Tart with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

I love making pies and tarts. It’s the most versatile cake you can make, and I try to make it different every single time.

This coffee and pecan tart is especially for coffee addicts. It combines pecan and maple cream, white chocolate and coffee truffles and cinnamon cream. Don’t be mistaken by the design – it’s actually quite easy to make!

Coffee and Pecan Tart with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

24 cm round tart pan

For coffee short crust pastry:
150 grams all-purpose flour
100 grams cold butter cut into cubes
40 grams sugar powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. instant coffee powder
1-2 tbsp. cold milk (add gradually)

Pecan and maple cream:
100 grams pecans
50 grams sugar
2 tbsp. maple syrup
100 grams cold butter cut into cubes
1 large egg
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour

White chocolate and coffee truffles:
100 grams white chocolate, chopped
30 ml. heavy cream
1 tsp. instant coffee powder

For cinnamon cream:
250 ml. heavy cream
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. cream stabilizer
1 tbsp. sugar powder

Decorations:
Halved pecans

Preparation:

Coffee Crust:

1. In a food processor with a steel blade put flour, butter, sugar powder, coffee and salt and blend until mixture is crumbly.
2. Gradually add milk and continue to blend just until large chunks of dough form.
3. Transfer the dough chunks on a lightly floured work surface and form a disc-shape with your hands.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
5. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface about 3-4 mm thick and line the pan. It is important to create a right angle between the sides and the base of the crust, which will ensure the edges remain high when baking.
6. Pierce the crust of each tartelette with a fork. Freeze the tartelette crusts for about 30 minutes before baking.
7. Preheat oven to 170c degrees.
8. Blind baking: put a sheet of heat-resistant plastic wrap or baking paper over each tartelette and fill with dry beans or special weights for baking.
9. Bake for about 12-14 minutes.
10. Remove the weights and the plastic wrap and continue to bake the crust for about 3-4 minutes or until it is lightly brown.
11. Cool at room temperature.

Pecan and maple cream:

1. In a food processor with a steel blade put pecans, sugar, maple and butter and blend until smooth.
2. Add egg and flour and continue to blend until you get a thick cream.
3. Pour the cream over the crust and flatten the top.
4. Bake the tart for 10-15 minutes or until the cream is set at the edges but still slightly soft in the center.
5. Cool completely before the decoration and assembly.

White chocolate and coffee truffles:

1. In a small bowl put white chocolate, cream and coffee and melt in the microwave until smooth.
2. Cool the mixture in the refrigerator for about 30-60 minutes until it sets and is in comfortable texture for drizzling.
3. Transfer the mixture into a pastry bag with round piping tip and pipe small mounds of truffles on the baked tart, at different intervals from each other.

Cinnamon cream:

1. In a bowl of a mixer with a whipping-attachment, whip cream, cinnamon, stabilizer and powdered sugar until you get a very stable cream.
2. Transfer the cream into a pastry bag with a round 1.5 cm piping tip and pipe mounds of cream in between the truffles, to cover the top of the tart.
3. Garnish with pecans and serve.

Notes:

• Keep the tart in the refrigerator in a closed container for up to 3-4 days.
• Instead of pecans you can use any other kind of nut you like.