These Chocolate Spider Web Halloween Tarts have sweet chocolate crusts that are filled with pumpkin caramel cheesecake, chocolate ganache and are adorned with a white chocolate halloween spider web design.
These tarts are perfect for Halloween! I made them in mini tart molds this time, but I have also made it in one big tart pan before and it is just as cute and effective!
This was inspired by my Valentine’s Tarts for Two recipe, where I used white chocolate ganache and raspberry sauce to make little hearts by dragging a toothpick through the sauce. I always have so much fun making designs like this with ganache. Another recipe where I use ganache to make a tart design is my Kiwi Chia Tart.
Ingredients
This Halloween tart recipe is more involved, but it uses simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand!
- cake flour
- almond flour
- powdered sugar
- cocoa powder
- unsalted butter
- eggs
- semisweet chocolate
- heavy cream
- cream cheese
- pumpkin puree
- brown sugar
- vanilla
- pumpkin pie spice
- cinnamon
- salted caramel
- white chocolate
- white gel food coloring (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here’s how to build the spider web tarts:
Pipe chocolate ganache over cheesecake filling.
Pipe a center dot with white chocolate ganache and then pipe rings around it.
Using a cake tester or toothpick drag lines from the center dot outwards to create the spider web effect.
I found it best to drag 8 lines equally spaced out.
Good to know: Make sure you do not let your ganaches cool off too much. You want them runny enough to spoon or pipe. As soon as you pipe the white chocolate ganache portion, drag the toothpick to make the design before the ganache cools off and stiffens.
Substitutions
Here are some easy ingredient swaps if you want to make these tarts vegan:
- Egg — use a vegan egg replacer like The Neat Egg
- Butter — use a vegan butter
- Heavy cream — whip just the solids in a cold can of coconut cream
- Cream cheese — use a vegan cream cheese like Miyoko’s Creamery
- Ganache — use vegan chocolate and coconut cream instead of heavy cream
- Chocolate — be sure to use chocolate that does not contain milk solids
If you’re bringing these tarts to a Halloween party, you’ll want to check if anyone has any dietary restrictions. Luckily, these tarts can be easily modified to fit other diets.
Variations
One of the best things about tarts is how customizable they are. You can change the tart crust, the filling and the garnish to suit your taste.
- One big tart — Like I said earlier, I have also made this in one big 9” tart pan. It is just as pretty and effective.
- Less chocolate — I know a lot of people who don’t like a lot of chocolate! No worries, you can do a vanilla tart crust instead and do a white chocolate ganache as the base instead of semisweet or dark. Then do the spider web design with just a tiny bit of chocolate or white chocolate colored with black gel food coloring.
- More chocolate — don’t like pumpkin? Do a chocolate cheesecake filling instead by subbing the pumpkin and spices for melted chocolate or cocoa powder.
- Cookie crust — A much easier crust option would be an oreo or graham cracker crust.
Do you have any other variation suggestions? Let me know in the comments!
Equipment
I used perforated tart rings, but you can use traditional tart pans instead if that is what you have on hand. Just make sure whatever you use has a removable bottom or a means to remove the tart from the pan. I bet a cheesecake springform pan would even work!
This recipe also requires a rolling pin and piping bags or squeeze bottles. I actually have started to prefer squeeze bottles for piping more intricate ganache designs, but piping bags work too.
Storage
Keep the tarts in airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. These tarts also freeze well in airtight containers.
Serve at room temperature.
Top tip
Keep your tart dough CHILLED at all times when working with it. If you need to go in and out of the freezer many times that is ok. It is important that the unbaked tarts are fully chilled before baking so they don’t sag and lose shape in the oven.
Lastly, if you make these Chocolate Spider Web Halloween Tarts be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Spider Web Halloween Tarts
Ingredients
Chocolate tart dough
- ¾ cup cake flour (100g)
- 2 ½ tablespoon almond flour (15g)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (45g)
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder (15g)
- pinch salt
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter cold, cut in ¼-inch cubes (55g)
- ½ large egg beaten (25g)
- ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips melted
Pumpkin caramel cheesecake filling
- ½ cup heavy cream (120ml)
- 8 oz cream cheese (225g)
- ½ cup pumpkin puree (114g)
- 6 tablespoon powdered sugar (45g)
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar (25g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- salted caramel store bought or homemade
Chocolate ganache
- 7 oz semisweet chocolate (200g)
- 100 ml heavy cream (100g)
White chocolate ganache
- 5 oz white chocolate (100g)
- 50 ml heavy cream (50g)
- white gel food coloring optional
Instructions
Do ahead
- The tart dough and cheesecake filling can be made ahead of time, if desired.
Make tart dough
- Sift together cake flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt into a food processor.
- Add cold butter pieces and pulse until a sandy texture forms. The mixture should hold shape in a clump when pressed into your palm.
- Stream in the egg with the processor running. Process just until a ball forms, then stop so as to not overmix. Cover the dough in plastic wrap, flattening into a disk. Rest in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, or overnight.
- After resting, roll it out into 2mm thickness between thick plastic or two silicone baking mats. Do not use extra flour for rolling.
- Place the dough into the freezer for 15 minutes to make it easier to work with. Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
- Take the dough out from the freezer and cut out circles the size of the bottom of your tart rings. Place your tart rings onto your prepared baking sheet. Place circles into the bottoms of your rings.
- If your dough becomes too warm to work with, stick it back in the freezer for a few minutes.
- Next, cut long strips for the sides of your tart rings. Place strips into your tart rings without trimming the excess yet. Set the pan of unbaked tarts in the freezer to freeze solid for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 325°F.
- Take the pan out and trim excess dough. Prick the bottoms with a fork. Place parchment and pie weights in each cavity, then bake for 20 minutes. Remove parchment and pie weights and bake again until bottoms look dry and done, about 5-10 more minutes.
- Cool completely, then unmold and brush bottoms with melted semisweet chocolate to prevent a soggy bottom. Let cool.
Make the pumpkin cheesecake filling
- Beat heavy cream to stiff peaks with hand beaters or in a stand mixer. Set aside.
- Beat cream cheese until there are no lumps at all with hand beaters or in a stand mixer. Add pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt. Beat together until thoroughly combined.
- Fold in the whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Place the mixture into a piping bag for easier filling, if desired.
Make the ganaches
- Combine the semisweet chocolate and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl. Set it over a bain-marie, a medium saucepan with an inch of water, over medium heat. Stir until there are no lumps of chocolate left. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Place in a piping bag or squeeze bottle, if desired.
- Repeat for the white chocolate ganache, but add white gel food coloring, if desired, after heating. Place in a piping bag or squeeze bottle.
Assemble the tarts
- Fill the cooled tart shells ¾ of the way up with the pumpkin cheesecake filling. Add drops of salted caramel and swirl into the filling with a toothpick
- Pour or pipe chocolate ganache on top of the cheesecake filling up to the top of the tart shells.
- To make the spider web design, pipe a dot of white chocolate ganache in the center of the tart. Pipe rings of white chocolate ganache around the outside of the center dot.
- Drag a toothpick from the center dot to the outer edges.
- Move the tarts to the refrigerator to cool the ganache completely before serving.
