Easy Chocolate-Mandarin Tart
By Yankee Magazine|Dec 29 2025|
Easy Chocolate-Mandarin Tart
Photo Credit: Styled and photographed by Liz NeilySenior food editor Amy Traverso writes:
Chocolate ganache tarts are always impressive but also deceptively simple—an ace in the hole that’s great for entertaining. The filling is merely a mixture of melted chocolate, heavy cream, and butter with some mandarin zest for flavor (I tend to prefer the sweeter flavor of mandarins over oranges when paired with chocolate). The tart shell is a basic press-in crust that you can stir together with a bowl and spatula.
This recipe was originally published in “Choc It Up” in the January/February 2026 issue of Yankee.
Yield:
8 to 10 servings
For the crust
Ingredients
Baking spray, for the pan
1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour
¹⁄3 cup (40 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
¹⁄3 cup (85 grams) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
First, make the crust: Preheat your oven to 350°F and set a rack to the middle position. Use baking spray to coat a 9-inch tart pan with a removable rim.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and use a spatula to evenly combine. (The mixture will look crumbly.) Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared tart pan and up the sides as neatly as possible. Set on a baking sheet and bake until fragrant and firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
For the filling
Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1¼ cups heavy cream
Zest of 2 mandarins
2 cups (12 ounces) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (or a combination of both)
2 mandarins, cut crosswise into thin slices, for garnish
Rosemary sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
In a 3- or 4-quart pot, melt the butter with the cream and mandarin zest. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Add the chocolate chips and whisk until smooth and evenly combined. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell. Bang on the counter to smooth the top. Chill in the refrigerator until set, 2 to 4 hours. When set, remove the tart from the pan and garnish with mandarin slices and rosemary sprigs, if desired. Serve at room temperature.
