Strawberry Rhubarb Cream Tart with Chocolate Crust

A strawberry cream tart makes a lovely and delicious dessert as the weather starts warming. I paired strawberries with rhubarb in this beautiful tart, with a buttery, chocolate shortbread crust, filled with mousse-like strawberry rhubarb cream. The pretty pink strawberry rhubarb mousse makes a stunning contrast to the dark chocolate crust, and it’s just the perfect way to celebrate strawberries and rhubarb in the spring. If you don’t have a tart pan, you can also make this recipe in a pie pan, for an easy strawberry cream pie that everyone will love.

You might also love this strawberry rhubarb jam, rhubarb layer cake, and strawberry cupcakes.

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Ingredients

Crust

• All-Purpose Flour. Gives the crust structure.
• Powdered Sugar. Sweetens the crust and balances the bitterness of the cocoa powder.
• Cocoa Powder. Adds rich chocolate flavor and a dark color.
• Coarse Kosher Salt. Enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
• Unsalted Butter. Makes the crust rich and flavorful.
• Milk. Moistens and binds the dough together.

Filling

• Strawberries + Rhubarb. Using a combination of strawberries and rhubarb gives the filling a sweet and tart flavor with a beautiful pink color.
• Granulated Sugar. Sweetens the filling.
• Cream Cheese. Thickens the filling and adds stability.
• Heavy Whipping Cream. Adds richness and a light, fluffy texture.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Instructions

Make the chocolate dough.

• Lightly spray the bottom and sides of your tart pan with non-stick baking spray.
• In a food processor, pulse the flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt until combined. With the processor running, drop in the cold butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the milk, and pulse just until the crumbs come together into a ball of dough. You can also make the dough in a bowl, and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Then use your hands to work the butter and milk into the crumbs until it comes together into a ball of dough.

Roll and chill the dough.

• Lay a piece of parchment paper on the counter, and dust with flour. Dust the ball of dough with flour, then roll out into a rectangular shape, large enough to fit into your tart pan. Use more flour as needed to make sure the dough doesn’t stick to the paper or your rolling pin.
• Use the paper to transfer the dough to the pan, by turning the dough over onto the pan, then peeling off the paper. Press the dough firmly against the bottom and sides of the pan, then trim the dough evenly with the top of the pan.
• Freeze the crust for 30 minutes.

Bake the crust.

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• Lightly spray a piece of aluminum foil with non-stick baking spray. Fit the foil, greased side down, into the frozen crust. Fill the foil with pie weights or dried beans.
• Bake the crust, covered with the foil and weights, for 25 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven, scoop out the weights, and peel off the foil. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 10-12 more minutes, until the crust is cooked through.
• Set aside to cool completely.

Cook the strawberry rhubarb compote.

• In a saucepan, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then simmer until the rhubarb is softened and can be easily mashed.
• Remove from the heat, and puree the strawberry rhubarb mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth.
• Refrigerate the puree until well chilled. You can speed up the chilling process by spreading the puree out onto a plate instead of chilling it in a bowl.

Make the filling.

• In a bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese for 1 minute until smooth. Beat in the chilled strawberry rhubarb puree and the vanilla extract.
• Gradually stream in the cold heavy whipping cream, and beat until the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape.
• Spread the filling into the cooled crust, or fill a piping bag to pipe it in more decoratively.
• Refrigerate several hours, until chilled and set.
• To serve, remove the sides of the pan, and cut the tart into slices.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

What size tart pan did you use?

I used a 14 inch tart pan.

Can I make this recipe in a round tart pan or a pie pan?

Yes, you can make this recipe in a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom instead.

Can I use just strawberries instead of strawberries and rhubarb?

Absolutely, just double the amount of strawberries if you omit the rhubarb.

What piping tip did you use?

I used tip 6B to pipe the filling into the crust.

How long does this tart stay fresh?

Loosely cover the leftover tart and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

What if I want a vanilla crust instead of chocolate?

For a vanilla shortbread crust, use this recipe.

For a flaky pastry pie crust, use this recipe.

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