Black Forest Chocolate Mousse Tart
Crunchy chocolate cookie crust filled with layers of ganache, cherry compote, chocolate mousse, and whipped cream. This black forest cake in tart form is simple and delicious!
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Oh my word. We went cherry picking on Memorial Day weekend—our annual summer kickoff tradition—and somehow we ended up with 16 pounds of cherries! We only had two buckets, yet somehow we filled those suckers up.
So I spent a few hours washing, drying, sorting, pitting, and freezing at least 8 pounds of cherries last week, on top of giving some away, eating a TON of fresh cherries, and making cherries jubilee and cherry cobbler.
So I thought I’d share another recent favorite: black forest tart. It’s black forest cake meets mousse meets tart. And it’s delicious.
Why this recipe works
The biggest appeal is how simple this recipe is. For the crust, you just grind up Oreos then stir in some melted butter and voila! You have a crust you can easily press into your pan. The key is stirring the butter in, not pulsing it in the food processor. I used to just toss it all in there to avoid making more dishes, but the Oreo’s usually turn gummy if you do this. Instead, stir it all quickly and you’ll get a perfectly crunchy crust.
The filling is a bit more involved than my typical tarts, but it wasn’t as time consuming as I expected. I made the cherry filling first. I used this recipe, omitting the lemon zest, and it was perfect. While that cooled, I simply made the ganache, spread some on the bottom of the now-frozen crust, then let that freeze while I whipped up some cream and folded that into the ganache to create mousse. One key is to get the mousse to a light enough consistency so that it doesn’t separate from the cherry layer when you cut it. Plus, it makes for such a light, airy texture that reminds me of the lightness of a black forest cake!
Key ingredients
Butter. As always use European style butter in shortbread. It’s creamier and has less water.
Oreo cookies. I suggest regular, as they have the right balance of cookie and filling to create the correct texture of crust.
Cherries. You can use fresh or frozen, although fresh always have such a vibrant taste!
Sugar. Just a bit is needed to help add some sweetness to the cherry filling.
Cornstarch. This is to help thicken the cherry filling.
Dark chocolate chips. Any brand will do, and you can also use chopped up baking chocolate. Semi-sweet also works, but won’t be as rich.
Heavy cream. Be sure you have heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, also known as double cream. Using just whipping cream or cream won’t yield the right texture, as that has less fat.
Powdered sugar. After my first try at this tart, I realized the mousse needed more flavor, so I added a bit of powdered sugar and that did the trick.
How to make black forest chocolate mousse tart
1. Make the cherry compote. You’ll whisk the cornstarch with water then cook it all over medium heat until the sauce thickens to a pie-filling consistency.
2. Crush the cookies. I use my food processor, but a blender would work, too.
3. Stir in the melted butter. Stirring it in a separate bowl rather than blending it keeps the crust crunchy.
4. Press crust into pan and freeze. I use my hands until it’s mostly in place then use a cup to get it nice and firm.
5. Melt chocolate and cream. Once the chocolate is about 75% melted, remove from heat and stir until smooth.
6. Spread a thin layer of ganache on the crust. Chill so the ganache can set.
7. Add the cherry compote. Adding this on top of a thin layer of ganache prevents the cherries from soaking into the crust and turning it soggy.
8. Whip the remaining cream and powdered sugar. You’ll want somewhere between soft and stiff peaks. When you start seeing a trail from the whisk/beaters, that’s when it’s ready.
9. Fold about 2/3 of the whipped cream into the ganache. Do this in increments, reserving about 1/4 to 1/3 of the whipped cream for topping the tart.
10. Refrigerate until set. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or freeze 30 minutes then transfer to the fridge). Don’t serve until the tart is fully set and no longer jiggly or shiny.
11. Top with remaining whipped cream (and extra cherry compote, if desired). Both are optional, but it’s part of what makes this tart so similar to the classic cake.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Are fresh or frozen cherries better?
Personally, I prefer fresh cherries. However, since they’re being cooked, either one works here. What I often do is freeze most of the cherries we pick each spring (since we pick WAY too many). Having a cherry pitter has been such a great investment, as freezing my own freshly picked cherries still tastes much, much better than using store-bought frozen cherries.
Can I make this tart in advance?
You can make this up to a week in advance. Only whip up 2 cups of heavy cream to fold into the ganache. Once the mousse layer is added, freeze the tart, covering well once it is fully frozen. Let thaw in the fridge. Whip 1/2 cup of cream and spread on top right before serving.
Can I make this gluten free?
Yes! The only gluten in this recipe is the cookies, so just use gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies and you’re good to go! It will be a one-to-one substitution and works just fine.
Can I use any crust?
Yes! I really liked the ease of a no-bake crust and the taste of this particular Oreo crust, as it complements the richness of the filling. The taste and texture paired beautifully with the filling. However, any tart crust would work just fine. In fact, I’ve made this tart with a shortbread crust before (details on how to pre-bake it can be found here—but you’d use regular shortbread instead of peanut butter).
My tart tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making this tart. Affiliate links provided.
Heavy medium pot (ideal for making a double boiler)
Cherry pitter (if using fresh cherries)
Black Forest Chocolate Mousse Tart
- prep time: 20-25 minutes
- chill time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- total time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
servings: 10-12
Ingredients:
- 10 ounces (about 2 cups) cherries, fresh or frozen
- ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (10g) cornstarch
- 18-24 chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos)
- 3-4 tablespoons (42-56g) melted butter
- 9 ounces (255g or 1 ½ cups) chocolate chips (or chopped baking chocolate)
- 3 ¼ cups (780g) heavy whipping cream, divided
- ½ cup (65g) powdered sugar
Instructions:
- Make the cherry compote. Remove pits from cherries, if needed. Chop cherries until pea-sized. In a small prep bowl, whisk cornstarch and about 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Combine this with the chopped cherries and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened to a compote/pie filling consistency. Set aside to cool.
- Make the crust. Crush the cookies in a food processor then pulse in the butter (or stir in a separate bowl). If using a 10” pan, you’ll need the full 24 cookies and 4 tablespoons butter. If using an 8” or 9” pan, you’ll need 18 cookies and only 3 tablespoons butter. More information about the crust can be found here.
- Gently distribute crust mixture around your tart pan, spreading an even layer across the bottom and a little up the sides. Using a flat-bottomed cup or measuring cup, firmly press the crust in, going in concentric circles to slowly apply pressure across the tart. If you press too firmly at the beginning, it’ll just make a hole in the crust, so go in circles until it starts to stick in place.
- Freeze for 10 minutes, or chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, until firm.
- While the crust sets, make the filling. You need a small-ish, heatproof bowl and a small-ish saucepan that the bowl can sit on top of and be about halfway submerged in. Fill the bowl with the chocolate and 6 ounces (¾ cup) of the heavy cream. Fill the saucepan with one to two inches of water and bring that to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn the burner to medium-low and set the bowl of chocolate over it.
- Stir the chocolate mixture frequently, adjusting the temperature as needed to keep the water at a steady simmer. Once the chocolate is mostly melted, remove the bowl from the saucepan and stir until the chocolate is fully melted. If it doesn't fully melt, you can always return the bowl to the saucepan as needed.
- Spread a few spoonfuls of the chocolate on the chilled crust, getting all the way to the edges. This creates a seal to prevent the cherry layer from soaking into the crust. Refrigerate to set while you finish making the mousse layer. Also set the remaining ganache in the fridge at this time, so it is room temperature once the next step is done.
- Combine the remaining heavy cream (2 ½ cups or 600g) and the powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or whisk–if you’re up for the arm workout!). Beat on medium until frothy. Slowly turn the speed up to high, whisking until stiff peaks just barely begin to form. You’ll want to see some whisk tracks in the cream, but it should still be shiny and not yet matte in appearance.
- Remove about ¼ to ⅓ of the whipped cream (or however much you want to top your tart with). Cover and refrigerate while you finish the mousse.
- Stir the ganache. Once it’s room temperature but still stir-able, fold about ⅓ of the remaining whipped cream (the larger portion) into it, stirring gently to not deflate the cream. Fold another ⅓ of the whipped cream in, followed by the remainder, until the mousse is smooth and evenly colored.
- Spread most of the cherry compote in the bottom of the crust. You can reserve some for topping or serving. If you are using a smaller pan, you may not need all of the cherry compote–you only want a thin layer.
- Gently pour the mousse on top, spreading it evenly. If your pan does not have room for all of the mousse, you can pour the remainder into jars and serve with any remaining cherry compote!
- Chill for about 1 hour, until the filling is set and no longer jiggly. Alternatively, you can freeze the tart to set the filling faster, but it will need to go into the fridge as soon as it’s set to make it slice-able.
- Top with reserved whipped cream once the tart is set. Top each slice with any remaining cherry compote before serving.
Enjoy!
Keep tart refrigerated until serving.