Chocolate and Espresso Pastéis de Nata | Recipe
Portuguese puff pastry tarts with two types of cream
Text:
Katharina Kuhlmann
Photography:
© Marzia Balza
15 October 2026
This recipe for Pastéis de Nata adds delicious hints of chocolate and coffee to these popular tartlets. Following the Portuguese tradition, the Pastéis are baked using puff pastry and filled with custard. In addition to the typical vanilla custard, this moderately difficult recipe includes a second custard, which is enhanced with Dark Cooking Chocolate and espresso. Once baked, each tartlet can be decorated as desired with a VIVANI Cremosini, which is also filled with an espresso cream and further enhances the coffee flavour. Pastéis de Nata make a lovely sweet afternoon treat.
Why the "Fine Dark Cooking Chocolate" goes perfectly with these Pastéis de Nata
Cooking chocolate is perfect for baking. Whenever cakes, tarts and pastries need to be covered or decorated with chocolate, cooking chocolate is the better choice. The higher cocoa butter content compared to chocolate makes melted cooking chocolate particularly easy to pour and work with. But cooking chocolate is also ideal for chocolate sauces or ganaches (chocolate cream).
In this recipe, the 70 per cent VIVANI Dark Cooking Chocolate adds a rich, chocolatey flavour to the dark cream. The bitter cocoa notes harmonise particularly well with the equally bitter coffee notes and, in these Pastéis de Nata, provide an intriguing contrast to the sweet vanilla cream.
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE AND ESPRESSO PASTÉIS DE NATA
Ingredients
Makes 10 Pastéis
For the Pastéis:
1 roll
puff pastry, approx. 275 g
a little
cocoa powder, for dusting
a little
sugar, for dusting
For the chocolate and espresso cream:
60 g
sugar
30 ml
water
150 ml
whole milk
15 g
cornflour
2
egg yolks
50 g
VIVANI Dark Cooking Chocolate
1 tsp
instant espresso
For the vanilla cream:
30 g
sugar
15 ml
water
100 ml
whole milk
10 g
cornflour
1
egg yolk
0.5 tsp
ground vanilla
To decorate:
10
VIVANI Cremosini Espresso
making
working time
approx. 45 minutes
baking time
approx. 12–16 minu
level of difficulty
medium
N°
01
Remove the puff pastry from the fridge and roll it out, then sprinkle with a little cocoa and sugar. Roll the pastry up tightly from the long side and chill for approx. 10–15 minutes.
02
For the chocolate and espresso cream, bring the sugar and water to the boil in a small saucepan and simmer for approx. 1–2 minutes until a clear syrup forms.
03
In a second saucepan, mix the milk, cornflour and instant coffee whilst cold, then heat gently, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly.
04
Slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the milk, cornflour and coffee mixture, stirring constantly.
05
Chop the cooking chocolate into small pieces and add to the hot cream. Stir until melted, forming a smooth, glossy chocolate cream.
06
Whisk the egg yolks and stir them into the warm chocolate cream, stirring constantly.
07
For the vanilla cream, bring the sugar and water to the boil in a small saucepan and simmer for approx. 1–2 minutes until a clear syrup forms.
08
Mix the milk, cornflour and vanilla together whilst cold, then heat gently, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly.
09
Add the hot sugar syrup as in step 4 and stir in the egg yolks as in step 6. The vanilla cream will remain slightly more liquid than the chocolate cream.
10
Now cut the puff pastry roll into 10 equal pieces. Place each piece, cut-side up, into a Pastel de Nata mould or a muffin tin cup. Press the pastry outwards with your fingers, starting from the centre. The base should be as thin as possible, whilst the edge should be slightly thicker. Then chill the moulds briefly once more.
11
Next, divide the chocolate and espresso cream between the moulds and pour a thin layer of classic cream on top. Carefully run a wooden skewer through the filling so that the two creams blend together slightly.
12
Bake the pastéis at 250 °C (top and bottom heat) on one of the upper shelves for approx. 12–16 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown and the surface of the cream has caramelised.
13
Leave the pastéis to cool completely or until lukewarm, then remove them from the moulds. Before serving, decorate each pastel with a Cremosini.
Tips & Alternatives
- For a more intense coffee flavour, you can slightly increase the amount of espresso powder.
- For a plant-based version, use vegan puff pastry. Replace whole milk with soya drink and add an extra 5 g of cornflour. VIVANI Choco Dragees Espresso, which are also vegan, are perfect for decoration
Dark Cooking Chocolate
70 % Cocoa | vegan
Cremosini Espresso
Dark chocolate drops with espresso filling
Choco Dragées Espresso
with 91% Dark Chocolate | peaberry | vegan
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