Our Low FODMAP Chocolate Caramel Tart features a not-too-sweet chocolate crust made with black cocoa. The filling is like a very rich pudding if it had married ganache. The sauce is our Salted Caramel Sauce dyed blood red, for a festive, “bloody” Halloween feel. You can, of course, make the it without the dye.
I was almost going to call this Chocolate Tart with Bloody Caramel, but I didn’t know how well that would go over.
Cocoa & FODMAPs
I like to use black cocoa for this tart crust both for its darkest of colors and for its rich flavor. You can use Dutch-processed instead. Cocoa has been lab tested by Monash University and we have done a deep dive in our article All About Cocoa & FODMAPs.
You might have noticed on the Monash app that they list both cocoa and cacao as separate app entries and they have varied lab results. The article linked above delves into this in detail.
Dark Chocolate & FODMAPs
You also need a good bittersweet chocolate for the tart filling, and I recommend between 60% and 70% cacao. If you are a chocolate fan – and we bet you are – be sure to read our article All About Dark Chocolate & FODMAPs. While you are at it, brush up on milk chocolate and white chocolate, too. You can have some of each!
Lactose-Free Dairy
There is a fair amount of heavy or whipping cream in this recipe. There is a tiny bit in the crust and it also appears in the filling and of course, in the caramel sauce.
Some of you will have access to lactose-free heavy cream in the stores. If you do not, you have a few choices for approach.
- Review our DIY Lactose-Free Dairy article for creating your own lactose-free heavy cream.
- If you have passed your lactose Challenge, then you can use conventional heavy cream.
- You could take a Fast Acting Lactaid tablet when you eat the dessert.
And, if you are not in the U.S. and want to understand what heavy cream is so that you can choose appropriately from what you have access to, please read our article All About Cream & FODMAPs.
How To Make Low FODMAP Chocolate Caramel Tart
Coat a 10-inch (25 cm) loose-bottom fluted tart pan with nonstick spray. Line a baking sheet with parchment; set aside.
First Make The Crust
Place flour, cocoa, sugar and salt in bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse on and off until it forms a coarse meal.
Whisk together the egg yolks and cream, then drizzle through feed tube and pulse until dough is moistened and just holds together if squeezed. It will form a ball on top of the blade.
Press over bottom and up sides of prepared pan.
Pierce all over with fork. Freeze for at least 15 minutes.
Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake crust directly on oven rack about 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to dry.
I LOVE this large “cake spatula” (seen above) to remove tart pans out of the oven. Cool pan on rack while you prepare filling. Turn heat down to 350°F (180°C).
Make The Filling
Heat cream in a saucepan until very hot. Remove from heat and add chocolate and butter.
Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then whisk to combine (the chocolate will melt from residual heat). Whisk in sugar and salt.
Allow to cool until just warm, then whisk in egg. You can temper the egg mixture first by whisking in a small amount of chocolate mixture.
It will look like this when you add the tempered egg mixture to the chocolate mixture.
Pour chocolate filling into crust, which is now on the prepared parchment lined pan.
Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until filling is set. It will be puffed a little bit around the edges.
Cool completely on rack. The tart can be served at room temperature or it can also be chilled overnight.
Meanwhile, heat the caramel until fluid, but not too hot, in a small saucepan. Whisk in the red food coloring, if using.
Serve the tart cut into wedges drizzled with “bloody” caramel.
Get creative with your “blood splatter”.
Low FODMAP Chocolate Caramel Tart
Our Low FODMAP Chocolate Caramel Tart features a not-too-sweet chocolate crust made with black cocoa. The filling is like a very rich pudding if it had married ganache. The sauce is our Salted Caramel sauce dyed blood red, for a festive, “bloody” Halloween feel. You can, of course, make the it without the dye.
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 1 cup (145 g) plus 2 tablespoons low FODMAP gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free baking Flour
- ¼ cup (21 g) sifted black cocoa or Dutch-processed cocoa
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch salt
- ½ cup (113 g; 1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons lactose-free heavy cream, chilled
Filling:
- 1 cup (240 ml) plus 2 tablespoons lactose-free heavy cream
- 10- ounces (280 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, about 60% to 70% cacao mass
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature, well beaten
“Bloody” Caramel:
- 1 cup (240 ml) Salted Caramel Sauce, fluid and ready-to-use
- Red food coloring preferably gel type; optional
Preparation:
-
For the Crust: Coat a 10-inch (25 cm) loose-bottom fluted tart pan with nonstick spray. Line a baking sheet with parchment; set aside.
-
Place flour, cocoa, sugar and salt in bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse on and off until it forms a coarse meal. Whisk together the egg yolks and cream, then drizzle through feed tube and pulse until dough is moistened and just holds together if squeezed. Press over bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Pierce all over with fork. Freeze for at least 15 minutes.
-
Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake crust directly on rack for about 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to dry. Cool on rack while you prepare filling. Turn heat down to 350°F (180°C).
-
For the Filling: Heat cream in a saucepan until very hot. Remove from heat and add chocolate and butter. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then whisk to combine (the chocolate will melt from residual heat). Whisk in sugar and salt. Allow to cool until just warm, then whisk in egg. Pour chocolate filling into crust set on parchment lined pan. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until filling is set. Cool completely on rack. The tart can be served at room temperature or it can also be chilled overnight. I like it served chilled as well as at room temperature; your choice.
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Meanwhile, heat the caramel until fluid, but not too hot, in a small saucepan. Whisk in the red food coloring, if using. Serve the tart cut into wedges drizzled with “bloody” caramel.
Notes:
Tips
FODMAP Information
Our recipes are based on Monash University and FODMAP Friendly science.
- Butter: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested butter. Monash states that a low FODMAP Green Light portion is 1 tablespoon or 19 g and also states that “butter is high in fat and does not contain carbohydrates (FODMAPs)”. FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Pass” at 1 tablespoon or 19 g. Both recommended serving sizes are presented as part of healthy eating guidelines, not as maximum FODMAP serving size. Fat can affect guy motility and trigger IBS symptoms in some people. Eat to your tolerance.
- Chocolate: Monash University has lab tested dark, milk and white chocolate all have low FODMAP amounts: 85% dark at 20 g; dark at 30 g; milk at 20 g; white at 25 g.
- Cocoa: Monash University has lab tested what they call “cocoa” and also “cacao” and they show different FODMAP content. The problem is that from the chocolate manufacturing industry’s perspective, there is no difference between cacao and cocoa powder. The FDA, The Food Standards for Australia and New Zealand, the ICCO (International Cocoa Organization) and the National Confectioners Association do not even recognize the term “cacao” to describe cocoa powder. We have an article, All About Cocoa, that we encourage you to read. It attempts to explain the discrepancies in the Monash lab testing.
- Eggs: Eggs are high in protein and do not contain carbohydrates, according to Monash University.
- Sugar: Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested white, granulated sugar. Monash states that a Green Light low FODMAP serving size of white sugar is ¼ cup (50 g). FODMAP Friendly simply states that they have tested 1 tablespoon and that it is low FODMAP. Regular granulated white sugar is sucrose, which is a disaccharide made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. Sucrose is broken down and absorbed efficiently in the small intestine.
Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
