Lemon Custard Tart
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This Lemon Custard Tart is the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and it’s surprisingly easy to whip up. So grab your apron and your whisk, and let’s get baking!
If you love lemon desserts, try baked lemon pudding or mini lemon pudding cakes next!
Why I Love Lemon Custard Tart
I will take lemon dessert in almost any form, any day of the year. But custard is a particular favorite. It’s cozy, heart-warming, and reminds me of carefree childhood days. When you add lemon to a creamy egg custard, it’s a slice of heaven on earth—bright and delicious!
Ingredients
With only a handful of ingredients, this lemon tart is a simple and delicious easy dessert recipe when you’re craving a lemon dessert.
For the Shortcrust Pastry
- All-purpose flour
- Butter (salted or unsalted)
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh lemon zest
- Large egg
While this crust is exceptionally easy to make, you can always substitute a prepared pie crust too. It doesn’t have the same shortcrust texture, but it will do in a pinch!
For the Lemon Custard
- Large eggs
- Powdered sugar (or icing sugar)
- Fresh lemon juice
- Milk or heavy cream (if using milk, whole milk is best)
How to Make Lemon Custard Tart
Begin by making the shortcrust pastry. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Food Processor Method: Add the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt into a food processor. Pulse to combine, then add the butter. Pulse until the mixture becomes coarse pea-size crumbs. Add the egg and process for 5 seconds before adding the water and processing for about 20 seconds or until it begins clumping. Add additional water if needed.
- By Hand Method: Add flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt to a large bowl; cut the butter in using your fingers or a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Combine the egg and 1 tablespoon of water, and make a well in the center of the flour. Stir just until the dough begins clumping, adding additional water sparingly as needed to bring the dough together.
- Roll out the pastry into a circle about ¼ inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Fit the pastry into the tart shell and trim the overhand. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork.
- Prebake the crust for 15 minutes or until slightly golden. Allow the pastry to cool in the tart tin.
As the tart cools, make the lemon custard filling.
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, powdered sugar, lemon juice, milk (cream), and salt until smooth.
- Pour the custard into the cooled tart shell and bake in a 350℉ oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted halfway between the center and the edge comes out clean and the middle is set with a slight wobble.
Once baked, let the lemon tart cool completely, or refrigerate it for about 2 hours. Just before serving, generously dust it with powdered sugar. Sweetened whipped cream on the side is also delicious.
Kitchen Tools
I’m using a 9-inch (23 x 2cm) tart pan with a loose bottom (they’re also wonderful for quiche recipes). You can also use a 9-inch tart shell if that’s what you have on hand. A food processor is handy but not needed. If making the pastry by hand, a pastry cutter is helpful, but you can also use two knives, or better yet, your fingers will do a beautiful job, too.
Tips for Making Shortcrust Pastry
With a few simple tricks, you can achieve flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pastry every time. Here are my top tips for shortcrust success:
1. Keep it Cool: This is the golden rule! Cold ingredients are key. Use cold butter (cubed!) and chilled water (with a few ice cubes in the water). The colder the ingredients, the less the butter will melt, resulting in lovely flaky layers.
2. Don’t Overwork It: Resist the urge to knead the dough like bread. Overworking develops the gluten, making pastry tough instead of tender. Mix just until the dough comes together. A shaggy dough is perfectly fine!
3. Rest and Relax: Once your dough is formed, wrap it in cling film and chill it in the fridge until cold. This resting period allows the gluten to relax and the butter to solidify again, preventing shrinkage during baking.
4. Roll with Confidence (But Gently): Roll your pastry out on a lightly floured surface, using even pressure. Don’t press down too hard – let the rolling pin do the work. If the dough starts to stick, lightly flour the surface again.
5. Prick It Before Blind Baking: Prick the base of your pastry with a fork before baking; this helps prevent the pastry from puffing up unevenly.
Storing
Store the custard pie well-wrapped in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Freezing is not recommended, as the texture tends to change between freezing and thawing and the shortcrust pastry can become soggy.
Serving Ideas
Dust the cooled or chilled lemon custard tart with powdered sugar just before serving. You can also add dollops of sweetened whipped cream (homemade or prepared).
Lemon Custard Tart vs Lemon Tart: It’s all in the filling.
- Lemon Custard Tart: This tart features a filling made with eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and dairy (like cream or milk). The dairy gives it a creamy and richer texture.
- Lemon Tart: This tart’s filling (like our French Lemon Curd Tart) is typically made using eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and butter. This combination creates a lemon curd tart that is intensely lemony, slightly tangy, thicker, and almost jam-like.
Here’s a simple way to remember:
- Custard: Creamy and smooth, like a pudding.
- Curd: Tangy and thick, like a jam.
A lemon custard tart is a milder, creamier experience, while a lemon tart delivers a more concentrated, zesty lemon punch. Both are delicious, but the difference in their fillings makes them distinct desserts!
More Lemon Recipes to Try Next
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Lemon Custard Tart Recipe
Equipment
- 9 Inch Tart Shell with Removable Bottom (23 x 2cm)
Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter cold, cubed
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1-2 tablespoons cold water or as needed
Lemon Custard
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup powdered sugar (or superfine)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2-3 large lemons)
- 3/4 cup milk (whole is preferred) or heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the shortcrust pastry
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Food Processor Method: Add the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt into a food processor bowl fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to combine, and then add the cubed cold butter. Pulse for about 10 seconds until the mixture becomes coarse pea-size crumbs. Add the egg and process for about 5 seconds before adding the water and processing for about 20 seconds. The dough should begin clumping. If the dough is too dry or crumbly to pinch together, add additional water in tiny increments. If it's too wet, add tiny amounts of flour as needed.
- By Hand Method: Add flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt to a large bowl and mix. Add cold butter cubes into the flour and using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut it into the mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Combine the egg and 1 tablespoon of water, and make a well in the center of the flour. Stir just until the dough begins clumping, adding additional water sparingly as needed to bring the dough together.
- Gather the dough into a ball and flatten it into a disc shape, kneading as lightly as possible. Then, turn it out onto a floured surface and roll out the pastry into a circle about ⅛- ¼ inch thick. Transfer the pastry to the tart and ease it into the base and sides. Trim off the excess and patch any holes with the remaining pastry. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and chill for a few minutes until cold.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is slightly golden. Allow the pastry to cool in the tart tin.
For the Lemon Custard
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, powdered sugar, lemon juice, milk (cream) and salt until smooth.
- Pour the custard into the cooled tart shell and bake in a 350℉ oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted halfway between the center and the edge comes out clean and the middle is set with a slight wobble.
- Cool completely or refrigerate. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving or serve with sweetened whipped cream.
Notes
- Chilling the shortcrust: The longer you leave the dough in the refrigerator, the more the dough relaxes, which is a good thing. I will often make the dough the evening before and blind bake the next day. But when time is short, I chill just until cold.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.