Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Tart Recipe
Celebrate the season of fall with something different this Thanksgiving. This triple chocolate pumpkin tart has three layers of chocolate both white and dark infused with pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice in a homemade buttery shortcrust pastry.

Last week, I made this chocolate pumpkin tart to celebrate the Jewish new year, and guess what?
Personally, I am a dark chocolate person so the white chocolate on its own would be a tad bit sweet for me. So, I used 70% dark chocolate for the second layer which cuts down on the sweetness.
Why make this tart
The recipe is simple and easy and can be made ahead of time. As the name suggests there are three layers of chocolate or chocolate ganache to be more precise.
- The first layer of white chocolate is infused with pumpkin puree and then whipped to create a light and airy filling aka whipped chocolate pumpkin ganache
- The second layer is dark chocolate and I highly recommend you use a good quality dark chocolate. The bitterness in the dark chocolate cut into the sweetness of the other two white chocolate layers.
- The final layer is again a plain white chocolate ganache which is then stenciled with cocoa powder to create an image of a pumpkin to celebrate the festive season.

Ingredients and substitutes
- Pumpkin puree – I used homemade pumpkin puree but store-bought works just as well.
- White chocolate – yes, white chocolate is sweet and rich and works really well with the pumpkin flavor.
- Dark Chocolate – You can play with the percentage of the dark chocolate based on how sweet you want this tart. I used dark chocolate at 70% this time. The first time I made it, I used 90% cocoa and the kids didn’t quite like the second layer but the 70% worked just right for us all this time.
- Pastry – I am using homemade shortcrust but you can use store-bought ready-to-roll pastry.

Pumpkin Tart
Shortcrust pastry
- Food processor – Add the flour, salt, and sugar to the food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds. Then, add the chilled cubed butter. Pulse for 30 seconds at a time until you have a breadcrumb consistency.
By hand – Alternatively, you can do this by hand using a fork, pastry blender, or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour until you reach breadcrumb consistency. - Combine egg yolk and ice water, add to the mixture, and combine well but do not over mix.
Pro tip – The mixture will still be crumbly but when squished with your fingers it should form a dough. - Pour the crumbly mixture on a floured surface and gather it all into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disc and chill for 30 minutes.
Pro tip – We need to chill just until it is firm enough to roll. This dough can be kept in the fridge for 2 days, and thaw a few minutes before rolling. - When chilled, lightly roll on a floured surface to about 1/8 thickness.
Pro tip – If the dough cracks too much around the edges it means it is too chilled. Leave it on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes until you are able to roll again smoothly. - Use your 9-inch tart pan as a guide to see how big you need to roll it. Also, make sure the pastry is not too thick otherwise there will be no space for your filling.
Pro tip – If you live in a warm climate, roll the pasty over parchment paper and chill for 10 minutes before the next step.

- Gently press the dough into the tart pan making sure to press down into the shape of the pan.
Pro tip – This dough is delicate. So, if it breaks don’t worry so much. Just patch it and do the best you can. It will be filled so no one will see the patches ?. - Trim the excess dough at the edges with a rolling pin, or your thumb. Chill the tart shell for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5.
- Prick the pastry all over with the tines of a fork to prevent the dough from puffing. Line crust with parchment paper and fill it with baking beans or pie weights.
Pro tip – The best way to line the pie with parchment is to scrunch the paper into a ball, open it, and line it with the crumpled paper. - Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are lightly starting to brown. Remove the parchment paper and weights. Continue to bake the empty shell for 10 to 15 minutes more until lightly golden. Cool on a cooling rack until completely cold before you add any filling.
Pro tip – This is a fully baked tart shell and can be used to add any filling once cooled completely. Do not remove it from the pan until you have finished assembling.

Layer 1 – whipped pumpkin ganache
- Heat the cream to an almost boil. Pour over the finely chopped white chocolate. Let stand for a minute then stir until smooth.
- Add the pumpkin puree and the pumpkin spice. Stir well and refrigerate until chilled (at least 4 hours)
- When chilled whip the ganache with a whisk or electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Spread it evenly in the fully baked and cooled shortcrust pastry base. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour or more until set.

Layer 2 – dark chocolate ganache
- Heat the cream to an almost boil. Pour over the finely chopped dark chocolate. Let stand for a minute then stir until smooth.
- Pour in the tart over the set first layer. Chill until set an hour or more.
Layer 3 – white chocolate ganache
- Heat the cream to an almost boil. Pour over the finely chopped dark chocolate. Let stand for a minute then stir until smooth.
- Pour in the tart over the chilled second layer (dark chocolate ganache layer). Chill again for at least two hours or more.

Decorate
- I used the stencil of a pumpkin and dusted it with cocoa powder. Carefully remove the stencil and voila! You have a stencil design of a pumpkin on top of your chocolate pumpkin tart.
- Or you can just sprinkle some cocoa powder on the edges of the white chocolate surface for a quick finish.

More pumpkin recipes
- Halloween Brownies
- Stenciled Halloween Sugar Cookies
- Eyeball Halloween Cookies
- Easy Halloween Kitty Mummy Cupcake Topper Tutorial
- How to Decorate Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin being a fruit is a perishable ingredient. This tart will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Each filling takes just 5 minutes and can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Whip the bottom layer just before adding it to the crust. Thaw the top two layers for 10 seconds in the microwave so it becomes pouring consistency again.
You can prepare the tart up to 2 days ahead. Fill the crust and chill in the fridge to set but make sure to bring them to room temperature before serving.
Room temperature. Chocolate tastes better when it is at soft room temperature, not warm and not cold from the fridge. So, I prefer to serve this at room temperature.
You certainly can. The fillings will be good for about 24 mini tartlets. You can half the recipe as well. Or try my other mini tarts
Pumpkin Pie chocolate Mini Tarts
White Chocolate Pumpkin Caramel Tart
Cinnamon Caramel Apple Tart
Blueberry cream cheese tarts
Cream Cheese Chocolate Mousse Tarts
Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Tart
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Ingredients
Makes one 9-inch tart
Rich shortcrust pastry
- 1 ½ cup (190 g) All-purpose flour
- 4 oz (113 g) Butter unsalted ((1 stick))
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ cup (50 g) Sugar
- 1 Egg yolk (large)
- 4 tbsp ice water (as needed)
Layer 1 – whipped pumpkin ganache
- 6 oz (170 g) White chocolate
- ½ cup (120 ml) Whipping cream
- ½ cup (120 ml) Pumpkin pure
- 1 tsp Pumpkin spice
Layer 2 – Dark chocolate ganache
- 7 oz (200 g) Dark chocolate
- ½ cup (120 ml) Whipping cream
Layer 3 – White chocolate ganache
- 6 oz (170 g) White chocolate
- ½ cup (120 ml) Whipping cream
Instructions
Shortcrust pastry
- Food processor – Add the flour, salt, and sugar to the food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds. Then, add the chilled cubed butter. Pulse for 30 seconds at a time until you have a breadcrumb consistency.By hand – Alternatively, you can do this by hand using a fork, pastry blender, or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour until you reach breadcrumb consistency.
- Combine egg yolk and ice water, add to the mixture, and combine well but do not over mix.Pro tip – The mixture will still be crumbly but when squished with your fingers it should form a dough.
- Pour the crumbly mixture on a floured surface and gather it all into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disc and chill for 30 minutes.Pro tip – We need to chill just until it is firm enough to roll. This dough can be kept in the fridge for 2 days, thaw a few minutes before rolling.
- When chilled, lightly roll on a floured surface to about 1/8 thickness.Pro tip – If the dough cracks too much around the edges it means it is too chilled. Leave it on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes until you are able to roll again smoothly.
- Use your 9-inch tart pan as a guide to see how big you need to roll it. Also, make sure the pastry is not too thick otherwise there will be no space for your filling. Pro tip – If you live in a warm climate, roll the pasty over parchment paper and chill for 10 minutes before the next step.
- Gently press the dough into the tart pan making sure to press down into the shape of the pan.Pro tip – This dough is delicate. So, if it breaks don't worry so much. Just patch it and do the best you can. It will be filled so no one will see the patches ?.
- Trim the excess dough at the edges with a rolling pin, or your thumb. Chill the tart shell for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven at 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5.
- Prick the pastry all over with the tines of a fork to prevent the dough from puffing. Line crust with parchment paper and fill it with baking beans or pie weights.Pro tip – The best way to line the pie with parchment is to scrunch the paper into a ball, open it, and line with the crumpled paper.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are lightly starting to brown. Remove the parchment paper and weights. Continue to bake the empty shell for 10 to 15 minutes more until lightly golden. Cool on a cooling rack until completely cold before you add any filling. Pro tip – This is a fully baked tart shell and can be used to add any filling once cooled completely. Do not remove from the pan until you have finished assembling.
Layer 1 – whipped pumpkin ganache
- Heat the cream to an almost boil. Pour over the finely chopped white chocolate. Let stand for a minute then stir until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree and the pumpkin spice. Stir well and refrigerate until chilled (at least 4 hours)
- When chilled whip the ganache with a whisk or electric mixer until light and fluffy. Spread it evenly in the fully baked and cooled shortcrust pastry base. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour or more until set.
Layer 2 – dark chocolate ganache
- Heat the cream to an almost boil. Pour over the finely chopped dark chocolate. Let stand for a minute then stir until smooth. Pour in the tart over the set first layer. Chill until set an hour or more.
Layer 3 – white chocolate ganache
- Heat the cream to an almost boil. Pour over the finely chopped dark chocolate. Let stand for a minute then stir until smooth. Pour in the tart over the chilled second layer (dark chocolate ganache layer). Chill again for at least two hours or more.
Decorate
- I used the stencil of a pumpkin and dusted it with cocoa powder. Carefully remove the stencil and voila! You have a stencil design of a pumpkin on top of your chocolate pumpkin tart.
- Or you can just sprinkle some cocoa powder on the edges of the white chocolate surface for a quick finish.
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Made this tart, this weekend. So delicious. NO one believed it had pumpkin.
Thank you, Victoria. So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe so much. Thank you so much for coming back to write this feedback. Appreciate it very much.
This is just the type of dessert that we love. It’s a real show-stopper! I can almost taste how smooth and creamy it is and I know our family would really enjoy it. This has got to be one of the desserts I make for Thanksgiving.
Thanks, Marisa. I think you will enjoy these.
Your creations always look and sound so delicious! I love that you make your own pumpkin puree. I will definitely have to try that!
Thanks, Denise. Yes, I always make my own pumpkin puree. It’s so easy.