French Silk Tart
This French Silk Tart Recipe with an Oreo crust made the cut this year for the holidays, but it is easy enough for any time you need a luscious, decadent dessert!
A rich Chocolate Tart is the way to a chocoholic’s heart, and this is one of the richest, dreamiest versions of a Chocolate Silk Pie that you’ll ever make!
Why You Must Make
- This is the ultimate chocolate dessert! The filling is really rich and silky!
- I fell in love with French Silk Pie when we’d get treated to the Baker’s Square version as kids after family shopping trips to the metropolis of Des Moines, Iowa.
- Making this tart means no messing with a pastry crust!!
Once again, I’m reinventing the wheel. I don’t know how many iterations of a French silk pie I’ve actually made, but the crusts have varied from buttery pastry to pretzel to chocolate, the fillings have had raw eggs and cooked eggs, the sizes have varied from mini tarts to a standard-sized pie, and now to a 10-inch tart. My family just can’t get enough of French silk desserts. And a food blogger can’t make the same thing twice!
Ingredient Notes
This French Silk Tart was our bonus Thanksgiving dessert this year (besides the traditional Pumpkin Pie). The chocoholic hubby and offspring feel it is their inalienable right to have a second dessert, even though there are only 5 of us at the dinner table. I have to admit I couldn’t help snitching little slivers as I cut big slices after the main feast. This decadent chocolate tart will continue to be a mainstay holiday dessert!
- Kitchen Staples – Butter (Salted butter is OK since a bit of salt will enhance the flavor of desserts), Sugar
- Regular Oreos (affiliate link) – Processed to crumbs. You can remove the filling, but I’ve made successful Oreo crusts with the filling included.
- Unsweetened Chocolate (affiliate link) – Chop, then gently melt. I use short spurts in the microwave, stopping and stirring frequently until smooth.
- Vanilla Extract (affiliate link) – Use real vanilla extract. Make sure the label does not say artificially flavored for the tastiest results.
- Eggs – Make sure to pasteurize or buy pasteurized eggs if you’re serving this to the very young, very old, or anyone who is immunocompromised. Raw eggs may contain Salmonella bacteria, which can cause a food-borne illness. Simply Recipes has shared How to Pasteurize Eggs at Home on their website.
- Powdered Sugar (affiliate links)- Sift before using for very smooth whipped cream. Use a Handheld Sifter or Sieve.
- Whip It (affiliate links) – An optional ingredient you can add to the cream before whipping. It will stabilize the whipped cream so it doesn’t separate for 2-3 days. You can always use a Whisk to re-whip the cream if it separates.
Recipe Tips
- This French Silk Tart recipe calls for raw eggs. The uncooked eggs give the filling a most satiny texture, which is why this is no ordinary chocolate tart, but a French “silk” tart. Unfortunately, raw eggs can harbor Salmonella, a food-borne illness. I won’t go into details, but you definitely don’t want it, especially around the holidays. So it’s worth searching out some pasteurized eggs, especially if you’re feeding this to children or the elderly. Note: I’ve been eating raw cookie dough for decades and have never gotten salmonella, but it still pays to be cautious.
- Safest Choice Eggs have been difficult to find lately, so check out this post from Simply Recipes on How to Pasteurize Eggs at home.
- I like the ease of making an Oreo crust, but you can also make a pastry or graham cracker crust. Or buy a premade crust (you may have extra filling depending on the brand you purchase).
- If you don’t want to mess with piping stars to garnish the top of your tart, serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
- To make chocolate shavings, use a Vegetable Peeler (affiliate link) to “peel” shavings from a chocolate bar. Gently warming your chocolate may make it easier to shave, but do this slowly with a couple of 5-second increments in your microwave.
- Due to the eggs in the filling, make sure to slice, serve, and promptly return the leftovers to the refrigerator.
How to Make
Frequently Asked Questions
One of the earliest mentions of a French Silk Pie was in 1951, as the $1000 winner of the Pillsbury Bake-Off.
After your first bite, you’ll understand. French silk filling is rich, satiny, and silky smooth.
Yes, many recipes call for raw eggs, which makes the filling super satiny. You can gently heat your whisked eggs over a double boiler until they reach 140° F. This will kill any Salmonella before the eggs are cooked. Use an Instant Read Cooking Thermometer (affiliate link) to monitor the temperature.
You’ll need eggs, sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract to make a French silk pie or tart.
You May Also Like
- French Silk Cake Roll from I Am Baker
- French Silk Shooters
- French Silk Brownies
- Frangelico French Silk Pie
- Plus, more of my Best Pies and Tart Recipes to inspire you!
French Silk Tart
A rich, satiny chocolate filling in an Oreo tart shell!
Ingredients
Oreo Crust:
- 32 Regular Oreos, processed to crumbs
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
- ½ cup butter, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs, pasteurized recommended
Topping:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted for the smoothest whipped cream
- 1 packet Whip It (whip cream stabilizer), optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Chocolate shavings, optional, to garnish
Instructions
- To make the crust, mix Oreo crumbs and melted butter until well combined.
- Pat into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch tart pan. Freeze for about 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar for about 2 minutes, till light and fluffy.
- With the mixer running, gradually add the melted chocolate and the vanilla.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating at medium speed for 5 minutes after each addition.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Loosely cover with plastic wrap, and cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- Whip one cup of heavy cream, adding powdered sugar, Whip It (if using), and vanilla to taste. Pipe stars of whipped cream over the surface of the tart, or just spread the cream over the surface.
- Garnish with chocolate shavings if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 642Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 368mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 3gSugar: 40gProtein: 5g
32 Comments on “French Silk Tart”
Double stuff Oreos! We are in! So silky and creamy and easy to make. Must get this on the dessert plan.
Wow, your French silk tart looks amazing! No doubt the Oreo crust adds some crunch and contrast to the filling. Honestly, the whole thing makes me drool. As always, love your tips.
Can this be frozen a couple days ahead of time?
Yes, French silk desserts can be frozen as long as they’re not garnished. Just defrost overnight in the refrigerator before serving. I hope you enjoy!1
The crust for this tart was SUPERB! It works so well with the silky filling. 5 STARS all the way!!
I loved it! Such a fantastic dessert!!
Mine did not look as pretty as yours but boy was it good! thank you for the tip on home pasteurizing eggs too!
This tart was so rich and delicious, my family loved it!
Loved the texture of the filling!
French silk is my favorite! Making this again soon.
French silk is one of my favorites! This is so heavenly and delicious!
that looks like it came from a 5 star restaurant you are so creative and talented