This is our absolute favorite lemon tart. The filling is soft and full of lemon flavor that pair perfectly with the shortbread style crust and whipped cream topping. Plus, for this lemon tart, there is no baking required (other than the tart dough) making it an all around staple in our house.
The filling of this tart is a classic lemon curd. The curd is poured into a golden tart shell. The shortbread style tart shell is baked in advance since the filling does not need to be baked. After the tart is filled with lemon curd, it is topped with whipped cream. Each bite is filled with the most delicious creamy lemon flavor.
Recipe Notes:
- Blind baking the tart dough: we use a shortbread style tart dough here. Since the filling is cooked on the stove, the tart dough is blind baked. To blind bake it, we use parchment paper and baking beans. The tart dough is rolled and placed into a tart dish as usual, but then covered with a piece of parchment paper. After the parchment paper is covering all the dough, dried beans get poured to fill the tart. This allows for the tart to bake without unevenly rising. More details on blind baking can be found here.
- The secret for perfect lemon curd: For this recipe, we make a lemon curd on the stove. The ingredients are cooked together until a custard forms then removed from the heat. The secret to this lemon curd is after the custard is cooked, butter gets emulsified into the mixture with an immersion blender for the creamiest, silkiest curd.
- Meyer Lemons: the best lemons to use for baking are Meyer lemons. These lemons are more floral than regular lemons and make the tart that much more delicious. They can often be found in grocery stores or farmers markets.
Lemon Tart Steps:
Step 1: Make the tart dough – We use a sweet tart dough which is more similar to a cookie. This dough is made in a food processor and then refrigerated.
Step 2: Blind bake the dough – Since the curd is not baked inside the dough, it gets rolled and blind baked with baking beans until golden brown.
Step 3: Make the Lemon Curd – The curd is made over the stove and then butter is blended in for the creamiest lemon curd.
Step 4: Assembling the Tart – To assemble the tart the curd is poured into the tart shell and then scoops of cream are added on top.
Lemon Tart
Ingredients
Lemon Curd:
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons lemon juice we prefer Meyer
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter
Sweet Tart Dough:
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup flour
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick butter chilled and in ¼ inch pieces
Whipped cream:
- 1 cup cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
Lemon Curd:
- In a saucepan that a bowl can sit on top of, pour about 2 inches of water and bring it to a simmer. (The bowl should be able to sit on top without touching the water)
- In a bowl, add lemon juice, eggs, yolk, sugar, and salt. Place the bowl on the saucepan and whisk the curd continually until the mixture for 10-12 minutes or becomes very thick (or it is 180° F on a thermometer.)
- Remove the bowl from the saucepan and cool until it reaches 140° F, stirring from time to time to release the heat.
- While it is cooling, cut butter into 1-tablespoon cubes. When the cream is ready, whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until melted after each piece.
- Once all the butter is added, the curd will be pale yellow and thick.
Sweet Tart Dough:
- Makes enough for a 9” tart
- Whisk the egg yolk, cream and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt until evenly combined. Scatter over the chilled butter pieces and pulse until the mixture has butter pieces a little smaller than peas (this will be about 15 pulses).
- While the food processor is running, add in the egg mixture through the tube in the lid. Process the dough until it just forms a ball around the blade (10-15 seconds).
- Place the dough in plastic wrap and wrap it tightly. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more. Place on the counter for ~10 minutes before rolling.
Blind Baking the Tart Dough:
- To blind bake the tart dough, roll it into an 11 inch circle. Place the circle on the tart dish and gently press the dough into the bottom of the tart pan, moving in a circle motion until the bottom sits flat. Once the bottom is flat across the base, press in the sides of the tart with your finger and cut off any excess dough with a knife.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the entire crust. Place it over the tart and fill with dried beans or rice until the tart is filled.
- Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove from the oven and remove the parchment and baking weights (rice or beans). Prick the bottom with a fork 5-10 times and bake for 20-25 more minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool
Assembling the tart:
- In a kitchenaid or with a stand mixer, whisk together cream and sugar on medium high heat until medium peaks form. Set aside.
- Pour the curd inside the tart, use a spatula to even as needed, and top with scoops of whipped cream. Serve.
