This kiwi chia tart recipe boasts chia seeds in the kiwi jam filling and as decoration on top to mimic a slice of kiwi, using shades of green white chocolate ganache atop a vanilla sweet crust tart.
I partnered with Bob’s Red Mill on TikTok to showcase their organic chia seeds in a creative way. After my mom mentioned how chia seeds remind her of kiwi seeds, that gave me the idea to make a kiwi look-alike chia tart!
Kiwi chia tart recipe
This kiwi chia tart recipe is simpler than it appears. It consists of a vanilla tart crust, a kiwi chia seed jam and a white chocolate ganache filling. Here’s what you’ll need:
- kiwi
- agave or honey
- chia seeds
- lemon juice
- salt
- flour
- almond flour
- powdered sugar
- cornstarch
- vanilla extract or paste
- unsalted butter
- egg
- white chocolate
- heavy cream
- green food coloring
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How to make chia seed jam
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Chia seed jam is made by combining fruit, chia seeds and sweetener (if desired) in a saucepan over medium heat until thickened. I then let my chia seed jam sit in the fridge overnight to allow the chia seeds to absorb even more moisture.
I also added lemon juice and a pinch of salt to my jam. I like to add lemon juice because it adds a bright citrus flavor, which brings out the fruit’s flavor.
I was surprised at how easy and flavorful this jam was. I loved that it didn’t include a bunch of sugar, but was still plenty sweet. The chia seeds were also a fun texture variation and the added fiber was a bonus.
How to prevent a soggy bottom
Preventing a soggy tart bottom starts with properly cooking the tart case. I always prick my tart base before baking, add parchment paper and pie weights to help the case keep its shape. And then to finish crisping up the bottom, I remove the parchment and pie weights before baking for an additional 5-7 minutes. Sometimes this requires placing foil or a pie crust shield over the edges to prevent them from browning too much.
Then, my secret weapon to prevent a soggy bottom after filling is brushing on a thin layer of melted chocolate (either white, milk or dark) over the bottom of the tart crust to prevent moisture from seeping in.
This kiwi chia tart was the ultimate test as the kiwi chia jam is the most “wet” filling I have added to a tart before and the bottom stayed completely crisp.
Tips for kiwi chia tart
Keep your tart dough chilled for easier handling. Take the extra few minutes to pop it into the freezer in between rolling and cutting.
For a thicker kiwi jam, let chill in the refrigerator overnight to allow the chia seeds to absorb even more liquid.
Any leftover ganache can be stored in the freezer or whipped in a mixer to create a white chocolate ganache buttercream that can be used to top cupcakes or fill a cake.
📖 Recipe
Kiwi Chia Tart
Equipment
Ingredients
Kiwi chia seed jam
- 2 ½ cups diced kiwi (465g)
- 2 tablespoon agave or honey
- 4 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Pinch salt
Vanilla tart dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
- ½ cup almond flour (60g)
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar (85g)
- 5 tablespoon cornstarch (50g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10 tablespoon butter (130g) room temperature, cut in ¼ inch cubes
- 1 large egg beaten
- 3 oz white chocolate
White chocolate ganache layer
- 400 g white chocolate
- 150 g heavy cream
- green food coloring
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
Instructions
Do ahead
- The kiwi jam and tart dough can be made a day ahead.
Make the tart dough
- Whisk dry ingredients together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add butter and mix on low until a sandy texture forms. Dough should remain in a clump when grabbed.
- With the mixer running on low, add vanilla. Add half of the egg. If the dough comes together and looks like cookie dough it is ready. If it is still too dry, add the rest of the egg.
- Wrap in plastic and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate overnight or at least two hours. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Roll out on a floured surface or between two sheets of plastic (I cut up plastic from random stuff like packing material or cereal bags and wash them) into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to the 9-inch tart pan and trim edges using a paring knife. If using plastic, you may find it easier to remove the plastic after popping it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
- Prick tart base with fork. Place a circle of parchment on top of tart and fill with pie weights or dried beans or rice. Chill dough in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes. This dough will not take on a lot of color. Remove weights and parchment and return to the oven if the middle is still not done.
- Let cool completely. Melt white chocolate and brush the tart bottom. This will prevent a soggy bottom. Chill until chocolate is set.
Make the kiwi jam
- Combine diced kiwi and agave in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes. Mash kiwi with a fork or potato masher.
- Add chia seeds, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and green food coloring, if desired. Stir and heat an additional 5 minutes before removing from heat and storing in a heatproof bowl in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make the white chocolate ganache
- Combine white chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl. Place over a medium saucepan filled with an inch of water over medium heat. Mix and heat until the chocolate is melted.
- Add just a tiny bit of green food coloring to make the lightest, almost white shade for the center of the kiwi. Remove ½ cup to a squeeze bottle or piping bag.
- Add a bit more coloring to make the medium green shade and remove all but ¼ cup of the ganache to a squeeze bottle or piping bag.
- Finally, mix in more coloring to make the darkest of the greens. Set aside in a piping bag or squeeze bottle.
Assemble the tart
- Add the kiwi chia jam to the tart shell and smooth with an offset spatula.
- Pipe the medium green shade all over the surface of the tart over the kiwi chia jam, all the way to the edges. You may not use all of it. Do not overfill.
- Pipe a circle of the lightest cream shade of ganache in the center of the tart. It is ok if it is not a perfect circle. Most kiwi middles are not perfect circles.
- Pipe a thin line of the darkest green around the outside of the cream-colored ganache middle circle. Pipe another thin line of the darkest green around the outside of the middle green, to meet the crust.
- Using a cake tester or toothpick, drag lines from the cream-colored middle through the dark green inside ring to the medium green area. Now go the opposite direction to bring some of the dark green into the cream-colored middle.
- Add additional dark green lines in a radial pattern as you see fit.
- Finally, sprinkle chia seeds around the dark green middle ring to represent kiwi seeds.
- Chill at least 1 hour to fully set the ganache before slicing and serving.
