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This festive White Chocolate Cranberry Tart is filled with a silky white chocolate ganache infused with the sweet and tart punch of fresh cranberry.
Tips for making the White Chocolate Cranberry Tart
- You can make this in either a tart pan or pie dish, just be certain you fully blind bake the crust with parchment paper and pie weights (or dried rice/beans, just don't reuse them). If you don't do this, your dough will slouch down the sides. If you see any moist spots still on the tart dough, continue cooking for a bit longer until totally dry.
- The cranberry makes the white chocolate ganache turn into a mauve color. This also happens with pomegranates and raspberries. Because of this chemical reaction, I chose to add a touch of pink food coloring to bring the color back to life. You certainly don't have to do this, but I much prefer the bright and fun color!
- After pouring the ganache into the cooled tart shell, give it a few taps on the counter to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Pop them with a toothpick.
How to make white chocolate ganache
Ganache sounds like a really fancy situation, but it's really just chocolate and heavy whipping cream. White chocolate ganache in particular can be a bit more of a pain than using other chocolates because it has a tendency to separate. But not to worry! Here are my tips to help you out.
Start by adding your white chocolate to a heatproof bowl - one that the chocolate will fill about halfway up. Bring your heavy cream just to a simmer and immediately pour over the white chocolate (you'll also add the cranberry puree at this point for this specific recipe). If any pieces aren't submerged, gently push them into the cream. Wait one minute, then begin stirring the ganache in small circles from the center. Start moving in wider circles as the mixture begins to homogenize. You can either use a whisk or spoon for this.
As mentioned above, white chocolate is finicky and all pieces may not completely melt and incorporate. If this is the case, go one of two paths:
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the cooled tart shell and discard the few chunks of chocolate. This option is best if you only have a small amount of chocolate that didn't melt.
- Use an immersion blender to pulverize the mixture and get all pieces incorporated. Note that this will slightly aerate the ganache, so you'll need to pour it through fine mesh strainer into another bowl, and then pour it into the tart. This gets rid of air bubbles. This option is best if you have a larger amount of chocolate that did not incorporate.
How do you fix split ganache?
If your ganache separates or becomes grainy, this can usually be fixed by adding in some warm milk and whisking. Don't try adding more cream, it has too much fat and could be the reason the ganache split in the first place. You can also use an immersion blender to bring it back together. Finally, try heating the ganache and re-mixing by placing the bowl on a saucepan filled with about 1 inch of water.
You should use the best quality white chocolate you can find. For both this recipe and my Blueberry White Chocolate Ganache Tart, I used Ghiradelli white chocolate chips and it worked just fine. While this isn't actually considered "good quality," it tastes absolutely delicious and is easily accessible to many!
Does ganache harden?
Yes! This can take a couple of hours to happen at room temperature, and even quicker in the fridge. Because of this, you want to pour your ganache into the cooled tart shell as soon as it has come together and allow it to set and harden up in the tart shell.
Making sugared cranberries for the White Chocolate Cranberry Tart
If you have never had a sugared cranberry, you are MISSING OUT. This may be one of my new favorite treats to snack on during the holidays. The sugar cuts the tartness of the cranberries perfectly and I just love the texture. This really adds additional flavor and texture to the tart, so I highly suggest you don't omit this step.
After coating the cranberries in the sugar syrup, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a wire rack. If you don't have a wire rack, place them on a piece of parchment paper or a silicon mat (you'll really want to make sure the sugar has drained if you go this route).
Be sure none of the cranberries are touching each other, and allow them to sit for one hour. At this point, they should feel tacky, but not sticky. If they are sticky, let them sit another 15 minutes and continue checking. Once tacky and ready, roll them in granulated sugar a few at a time until completely coated. Store the cranberries covered at room temperature for up to three days.
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White Chocolate Cranberry Tart
Equipment
- 9-inch tart pan or pie dish
- Stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachment, or handheld mixer
Materials
Sweet Tart Dough
- ½ cup + 1 T unsalted butter room temperature 128 g
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 g
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup flour 250g
Cranberry White Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup fresh cranberries 130g
- ¼ cup water 60g
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream 238g
- 12 oz white chocolate
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- Red food coloring to color
Sugared Cranberries
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100g
- ½ cup water 120g
- 1 cup fresh cranberries 130g
- ½ cup granulated sugar for rolling (100g)
Fresh Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream 238g
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar 40g
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Instructions
Sweet Tart Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and salt until smooth. Add in the egg and mix until incorporated, then scrape down the sides. Add the flour and mix on low until just incorporated.
- Weigh the dough and divide it into two equal pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and flatten into a 1 inch thick disc. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill. You will only need one disc of dough for this recipe – the other disc can be frozen.
- When ready, remove the dough and allow it to sit for 15 minutes on the counter. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin and roll out the dough until it’s between ⅛ - ¼ inch thick. This dough is very forgiving, so if it cracks, you can patch it later with scraps. Roll the dough so it’s about 2 inches wider than your tart pan.
- Transfer the dough to the pan and be sure to press it gently into the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim excess dough, then use any of the scraps to patch holes or weak spots.
- Transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the dough from the freezer and dock the bottom of the dough with a fork multiple times. Line the shell with parchment paper and fill completely with pie weights (or dried beans/rice).
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment, and continue to bake for another 5- 7 minutes until lightly golden. Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cranberry White Chocolate Ganache
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook down the cranberries and water, mashing with the back of a wooden spoon, until juices develop and the liquid starts to bubble.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the cranberry mixture into a bowl. Measure out ⅓ cup of the strained cranberry liquid and set aside.
- Add your white chocolate and cranberry liquid to a heatproof bowl and set aside. In a saucepan over medium high heat, bring the heavy cream to a simmer, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn on the bottom. Once simmering, pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to stand for about a minute. After a minute, stir or whisk the mixture until it comes together and is smooth and glossy, then add in your vanilla. Stir from the center the whole time to bring the mixture together*.
- After stirring, you will notice the mixture starting to turn mauve. This is an unfortunate (though normal event) for cranberries, raspberries, and pomegranates when combined with white chocolate and also happens in curds. Because of this, I add a small amount of red food coloring to the ganache to bring the cranberry color back to life.
- Pour the ganache into the cooled tart shell and allow the tart to cool and set at room temperature for 1 hour, then place in the fridge for at least two hours to finish setting.
Sugared Cranberries
- Add the sugar and water to a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the cranberries to the simple syrup and mix until they are all completely coated in the syrup.
- Remove to a wire rack and be sure the cranberries are all separated. Allow to sit for 1 hour.
- After sitting, the syrup will be tacky, but not too sticky. Roll the cranberries in the sugar.
Whipped Cream
- Place the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk attachment in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove, then whip the heavy whipping cream over medium high speed until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and mix on high until stiff peaks form.
Assembly
- When ready to serve, pipe or spread the whipped cream over the tart and add the sugared cranberries.
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