Pomegranate Cake Tarts

I was skimming through all my dessert cookbooks one day. I stopped to look at a delicious lemon pound cake, some chocolate chip cookies, and a very good-looking pear pie. I was thinking to myself, “Someone should combine all the best parts of those desserts into one!” After some experiments I discovered the perfect combination. I present you with my very own creation to hit taste buds everywhere: Pomegranate Cake Tarts. These delicious tarts combine all the best parts of cakes, cookies, and pies. The merging of all these classic desserts makes this dessert special. The “filling” of the tart is a moist red-velvet-esque pomegranate cake. The crust of the pie is a classic cookie with little hints of white chocolate (if you choose) . And I have the perfect frosting to go along with this too: White Cream Cheese frosting. I’m proud to say I created this recipe and I’m glad to share it with all of you!

Don’ they look delicious? Well I love all my photos that I took of my final product this time but I want to know what you guys think. Leave a vote or comment saying which one you like best!

Well I know you’re anxious to get started ;), so here’s what you need to make these yummy tarts:

For the cake:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the cookie:

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 5 tablespoons of finely chopped white chocolate

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar
• 1 package (or 8 oz) of softened cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Gather all the ingredients for the cookie part of the dessert. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, add the 1/2 cup of butter (or 1 stick) with the brown sugar. Make sure the butter is softened a bit. You can leave it out at room temperature for about 10 minutes or heat it up for 20 seconds in the microwave.

After the mixture looks like a crumble, add the 2 cups of all-purpose flour, along with the salt and baking powder. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes pr just until the mixture starts clumping up a bit. Add the egg and vanilla to the mixture as well.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and make sure your rolling pin is floured as well. The dough shouldn’t be too thick (just thick enough to prevent ripping). Use a bowl that has around a 4 inch diameter to cut circles in the dough. Grease a cupcake tin with melted butter. This step is very important; you don’t want those gorgeous cake tarts to stick to the pan! Put each of the circles in its own cupcake spot and even out the sides (like you would do when making mini pies or tarts). Make sure the cookie goes all the way up the sides. Place the cookies in the oven for 10 minutes. Don’t w0rry if they’re not done because they are going in the oven again after adding the cake mixture.

Now for the cake part. Gather all the ingredients for the cake (use the measurements for the cake part ). Add all three eggs and the cup of sugar and blend until creamy. Sift your flour and add it to the mixture. Add the vanilla too. Beat until well combined.

Add the cup of pomegranate juice to the mixture and beat on high for 30 more seconds. Add the baking powder and the melted butter and mix until well combined.

Take the cookies out of the oven after the 1o minutes. If they have risen up use a fork to flatten them out a bit. Pour the cake batter into each of the cookie crusts. It’s okay to overfill the crust a little (as long as you greased the pan well). Put the tarts into the oven for about 5 minutes or just until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake. Let cool.

Gather the ingredients for the frosting while waiting for the tarts to cool. Cream the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer until smooth and insert into a plastic bag or piping bag.

You’re done! Whew what a journey. 🙂 I had so much fun coming up with this recipe and in the end it paid off! You should have seen my beaming face when I took these cake tarts out of the oven. They are so cute and when you bite into them its a mixture of crunchiness and moistness. I love the contrast of it and the two layers are appealing visibly too! Pomegranate Cake Tarts are the epitome of desserts: A combination of the best desserts that everyone loves definitely did not disappoint. Try making these sometime and with that cream cheese frosting, these are sure to please anyone who has any inkling of a sweet tooth.

Enjoy!