This stunning Lemon Tart has a sweet shortcrust pastry base and is filled with bright and zesty lemon curd. Topped with fresh berries and beautiful edible flowers it's a showstopper dessert.
I love anything lemon flavoured and I'm more likely to opt for something citrusy over chocolate any day of the week. This lemon tart reminds me of lemon posset in pie form. If you enjoy lemon you will adore this sunny, silky smooth dessert!
I almost titled this Tarte au Citron or French Lemon Tart, but strictly speaking, this is a cheat's version.
Being half French, I grew up with my Dad making wonderful French pastry, profiteroles and sweet tarts with pâte sucrée. While those desserts are wonderful and bring back lovely memories for me, I wanted to show you a really easy way to make a tasty and impressive-looking lemon tart from scratch.
Pastry base
The base of this lemon tart is not made from the classic French Pâte Sucrée, instead, I use a very easy version of sweet shortcrust pastry. Not at all authentic, but delicious and simple nonetheless.
The general rule of thumb with short pastry is to use half the amount of butter and lard to the quantity of flour. You then add a quarter of the amount of butter and lard in sugar, to make it sweet. That sounds a bit confusing now I've written it down, but it looks like this:
- 200g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 50g unsalted butter
- 50g lard (I'm vegetarian so I actually use Trex which is a vegetable shortening)
- 25g caster sugar
This isn't the easiest pastry to work with and it can feel and look very dry while you're making it. The result is worth it though because you'll end up with an amazing short, crispy and light sweet pastry. Perfect for filling with lemon curd.
Lemon tart filling
There are a number of ways to approach the filling for a lemon tart. I've had these ingredients written down in my recipe notebook for years. The recipe comes from my late Dad. Despite the fact my version is lacking in authentic French pastry, the filling at least, is authentic to a Tarte au Citron.
You will need unsalted butter, the juice of 4 large lemons and the zest of 2 of them. Some caster sugar and 4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks. These ingredients combined make a beautiful lemon curd/custard that is silky smooth and has just the right amount of zing for a tart...tart!
I tend to make this dessert every year, around springtime when edible flowers are abundant. There's nothing quite like decorating with edible flowers - they make everything look so pretty.
Bain-marie
One thing I will say about the filling is that if you're going to attempt to make it in a saucepan over a direct heat source then you must make sure you use a very heavy-bottomed pan.
Otherwise, the eggs will overheat and you'll end up with very undesirable scrambled eggs. For that reason, I've written the recipe stipulating the use of a bain-marie. This is just a posh term for a glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
How to make sweet shortcrust pastry
Step One: Add the flour, butter and lard (or Trex) to a large mixing bowl and use your fingertips to rub the fat into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the caster sugar.
Step Two: Add the ice-cold water and use a butter knife to cut the mixture together.
Step Three: Lightly flour a surface, then bring the mixture in the bowl together with your hands and tip it out on to the floured surface. Knead it a few times until it forms a dough. Wrap it in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Amy's top tip: The dough will look very crumbly, you can add a little more water to make it more pliable but take care not to add too much. Don't skip the chilling stage as this helps to prevent shrinking and cracking later on.
Step Four: When the pastry has been chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll it into a circle. Use your pie tin as a guide. The rolled out pastry needs to be bigger than the tin so that when you line the tin with the pastry it reaches all the way up the sides.
Step Five: Transfer the pastry into the pie tin. It will probably have some rips and tears. Just patch it up with spare pieces of pastry. The warmth of your fingers will mould the pastry back together again and any tears won't be noticeable.
Amy's top tip: Your fingernails might rip the pastry as you handle the pastry and press it into the tin. Use a rolled-up piece of spare pastry to ease the base into the tin instead of your fingers.
Step Six: Trim the edge of the pastry with a sharp knife. Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork.
Step Seven: Add a circle of parchment paper and fill it with pie weights: ceramic baking beans or uncooked rice. Blind bake for 15 minutes.
How to make the lemon tart filling
Step One: Fill a medium-sized saucepan with approximately 4 inches of water and bring it to a simmer. Place a heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan, but make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
Amy's top tip: If you're not sure, there's more information on the Bain Marie method here.
Step Two: Add the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, caster sugar and eggs into the bowl. Whisk until the mixture thickens and is holding its shape. This will take around 10 minutes using a bain-marie or 2-3 minutes if you have a heavy-based saucepan over direct heat.
Step Three: Place a sieve over a clean bowl, pour the lemon curd into the sieve pushing it through with a rubber spatula. This creates a silky smooth filling.
Step Four: Pour the lemon curd into the baked pastry case and put it back in the oven for 6 minutes.
Step Five: Remove from the oven and put the lemon tart into the fridge for two hours, this will allow the filling to completely set in the tin before removing to decorate and slice.
Topping and decoration
You can leave the lemon tart just as it is or add a simple dusting of icing sugar, if you wish.
You will often see Tarte au Citron in French bakeries with cream or meringue piped on top.
I like to add fresh berries and edible flowers in a crescent shape around one edge of the lemon tart.
I hope you love this beautiful, bright and zesty lemon tart as much as we do!
More lemon recipes
- Lemon Posset
- Perfect Every Time Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes
- Lemon Buttercream
- White Chocolate and Lemon Truffles
- Lemon Cheesecake
- Lemon Cake
- Lemon Cordial
Easy Lemon Tart
This stunning Lemon Tart has a sweet shortcrust pastry base and is filled with bright and zesty lemon curd. Topped with fresh berries and beautiful edible flowers it's a showstopper dessert.
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry
- 200g (1.25 cups) plain flour
- 50g (3 tbsp) lard or Trex
- 50g (3tbsp) unsalted butter
- 25g (2 tbsp) caster sugar
- 2 tbsp cold water
For the lemon filling
- 170g (0.75 cup) unsalted butter
- juice of 4 lemons
- zest of 2 lemons
- 150g (0.75 cup) caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
Instructions
To make the shortcrust pastry
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC Fan/Gas 4/350ºF
- Add the flour, butter and lard (or Trex) to a large mixing bowl and use your fingertips to rub the fat into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the caster sugar.
- Add the ice-cold water and use a butter knife to cut the mixture together.
- Lightly flour a surface, then bring the mixture in the bowl together with your hands and tip it out on to the floured surface. Knead it a few times until it forms a dough. Wrap it in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Turn the chilled pastry out on to a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a circle bigger than your pie tin. Transfer the pastry into the pie tin. Repair and tears with spare pastry. Use a sharp knife to trim the edges of the pastry. Use a fork to prick the pastry all over.
- Cut a circle of parchment paper slightly bigger than your pie tin. Place it on top of the pastry and fill the tin with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
To make the filling
- Fill a medium-sized saucepan with approximately 4 inches of water and bring it to a simmer. Place a heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan, but make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
- Add the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, caster sugar and eggs into the bowl. Whisk until the mixture thickens and is holding its shape. This will take around 10 minutes using a bain-marie or 2-3 minutes if you have a heavy-based saucepan over direct heat.
- Place a sieve over a clean bowl, pour the lemon curd into the sieve pushing it through with a rubber spatula. This creates a silky smooth filling.
- Pour the lemon curd into the baked pastry case and put it back in the oven for 6 minutes. Put the lemon tart into the fridge for two hours, this will allow the filling to completely set in the tin before removing to decorate and slice.
Notes
- The pastry is very short and crumbly and not the nicest pastry to work with but it can be easily patched up with spare pastry if it tears.
- If you have a very heavy-based saucepan then you don't have to use a bain-marie although please be warned that if your eggs overheat this will cause them to scramble. So use a saucepan with caution!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 333Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 158mgSodium: 9mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 4g
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