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Calling all coconut lovers! This almond joy tart is the creamy coconut dessert of your dreams!

Almond Joy Tart

Creamy coconut filling topped with chocolate and almonds--this almond joy tart is delcious!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chilling time 3 hours 40 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Servings 8
Author Kelsie

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled and cut into cubes*
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Pastry cream:

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar divided
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 cups whole milk divided
  • half of a vanilla bean split lengthwise, seeds scraped
  • small pinch coarse salt
  • 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Topping:

  • 1 cup heavy cream well chilled
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Assembly:

  • 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup raw sliced almonds
  • 4 ounces milk chocolate finely chopped

Instructions

Crust:

  1. Whisk the egg yolks and cream together in a small bowl and set aside. Place the flour, butter, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture forms a coarse meal. With machine running, gradually add the cream-egg yolk mixture and process just until combined. (Over-processing will result in a tough crust.)

  2. Turn dough out onto the counter and knead just to incorporate any small crumbs, so you have one cohesive mass. Pat dough out into a 1-inch-thick round and tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Pastry cream:

  1. Whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch, and 1/2 cup of the milk. Set aside.
  2. Combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the vanilla bean and seeds, and the salt in a medium saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Gradually add the hot milk mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking egg yolk mixture constantly. Set a fine mesh strainer over the saucepan and strain the mixture back into the saucepan. Discard the solids.
  3. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Make sure the custard boils for 10 seconds in the center of the pan—not just around the edges.
  4. Transfer the pastry cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat mixture on medium speed for 3 minutes to cool slightly. With mixer set to low, gradually add the butter, then add the coconut. Turn mixer back to medium and beat for 5 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream. Refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours.
  5. Remove crust dough from the fridge and let sit at room temp for a few minutes, then roll out on a lightly floured work surface. You want the pastry to be about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8 of an inch thick. Carefully transfer the dough to a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. (I like to drape the dough over my rolling pin to do this without mangling it.)
  6. Press the dough into the edges of the pan and trim the dough so it comes a little above the edges of the pan. Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork. Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the chilled tart shell with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over the edges. Fill with pie weights and bake until the crust just starts to turn golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and weights. Return the tart shell to the oven and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden all over. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Assembly:

  1. While shell is cooling, place the 1/2 cup of coconut on one large rimmed baking sheet and the sliced almonds on another. Spread both the coconut and almonds out into single layers. Toast in the oven until golden, about 5 minutes. (The coconut may take a few minutes more—watch it carefully because it burns fast. If it needs to stay in the oven more than 5 minutes, stir it with a spatula every minute or so.)
  2. Set coconut and almonds aside to cool.
  3. Once tart shell and pastry cream have both cooled completely, place the chopped milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Brush half of the melted chocolate all over the bottom of the tart shell. Refrigerate shell for 15 minutes to set the chocolate. Set remaining melted chocolate aside.
  4. Spread the pastry cream into an even layer in the tart shell. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
  5. When ready to serve the tart, make the topping. Place the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until it forms soft peaks. Spread the whipped cream over the pastry cream.
  6. Re-melt the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle the chocolate over the whipped cream using a fork or a squeeze bottle. Sprinkle the almonds around the edge of the tart and the toasted coconut on top. Serve.

Recipe Notes

*I like to take my butter out of the fridge, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes, then pop it in the freezer while I prep the rest of my ingredients.

**To break the work up over a couple of days, you can make the tart dough and pastry cream the day before. Bake the tart shell off the next morning, then assemble the tart once the shell is cool.