Easy Lemon Tart Recipe - Happy Foods Tube (2024)

Easy homemade lemon tart is a great citrus dessert made from scratch & using basic ingredients. It’s a perfect baking project for kids as well!

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Easy Lemon Tart Recipe - Happy Foods Tube (1)

This homemade lemon tart is also perfect for beginner bakers! No special skills are required and the final result is well worth it!

I fell in love with lemon tart while living in Scotland. It was over 10 years ago. I loved everything about this citrus dessert. Even though I did not bake or cook much back then I made sure to write down this easy lemon tart recipe.

You see, lemon tart was not a common dessert where I come from back then and I dare to say that it is not much different now.

It is a shame because this is such a delicious homemade dessert! What do you think? Do you like citrus desserts? I like them a lot! Imagine thumbprint cookies or mini chocolate cups with homemade lemon curd! Easy to make desserts where lemon is the main or one of the main ingredients.

What do I like about this homemade lemon tart?

  • Its sweetness & tartness at the same time.
  • It’s simple preparation.
  • Basic ingredients – 7 basic ingredients that don’t cost much.
  • No kneading is required.
  • No rolling out is needed.
  • Great recipe for beginner bakers and a fun baking project for kids.
  • 100% made from scratch – you can’t beat the homemade lemon tart recipe with the shop-bought version.

Guys, making homemade desserts is easier than you think!

Easy Lemon Tart Recipe - Happy Foods Tube (2)

How to make homemade lemon tart – step by step

Let’s divide the process into 2 steps!

Step 1 – Making the crust:

Everyone can do this! And I really mean everyone. Even kids! Actually, this is a perfect baking project for kids. Do you know why? Well, the answer is in this crust.

Making lemon tart crust is easy and more importantly it’s fun. This is not the type of pastry that needs to be rolled out nicely. No no no! This one you basically stick to your cake tin. So kids will love doing this. Trust me!

So it goes like this: flour, butter & sugar are combined until a sticky dough is formed. That is it. This takes about a minute. All you have to do now is cover the bottom and sides of your cake tin with it. Evenly-ish, if possible.

Easy Lemon Tart Recipe - Happy Foods Tube (3)

Step 2 – Making the lemon tart filling:

Get a bowl and throw the rest of the ingredients in. Whisk. Pour over the pastry and bake. You see, this is really easy and I am telling you, your kids will love making this lemon tart with you!

A few tips:

Homemade lemon tart is one of my favorite pies and I’ve made it several times. It always tastes delicious. To make the baking as smooth as possible check out these tips:

  • Butter your cake tin well. Be more than generous. If you grease your tin properly, you will be able to take out this lemon tart without any trouble.
  • If for some reason you find the pastry too hard to work with, add some extra melted butter.
  • Bake until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown.

Toppings: Lemon tart tastes even better when topped with sour cream, ice cream or whipped cream. I personally prefer eating this lemon tart with sour cream.

Easy Lemon Tart Recipe - Happy Foods Tube (4)

So now that you know everything you should know about making this easy lemon tart recipe you can give it a try!

Good to know:

This recipe can be easily doubled!

Check out my other dessert recipes with lemon:

  • Lemon Cupcakes
  • Lemon Blueberry Poke Cake
  • Lemon Posset
  • Lemon Lavender Loaf

Want to see how to make Lemon Tart? Watch the video!

Easy Lemon Tart Recipe - Happy Foods Tube (5)

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4.73 from 74 votes

Simple Homemade Lemon Tart

Easy homemade lemon tart is a great citrus dessert made from scratch & using basic ingredients. It’s a perfect baking project for kids as well!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 5 (1 Pie – 7 inch/18 cm diameter)

Calories: 373

Author: Julia

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 cup plain flour (130 grams)
  • 1 stick unsalted butter (110 grams)
  • 4 tablespoons powdered sugar

For the lemon filling:

  • ¼ cup whipping cream
  • ¼ cup caster sugar
  • 1 egg (large)
  • lemon juice (from 1 large lemon – at least 1/3 cup)

Instructions

  • Mix flour, melted butter and icing sugar in a bowl until you get soft dough.

  • Press this soft dough into the base of your cake tin and up the sides. Pierce the dough several times with a fork.

  • Bake it blind for 20 minutes at 375°F/190°C. Take it out & let it cool down. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F/150°C.

  • In a bowl, whisk caster sugar, egg, cream and lemon juice. Carefully pour into the cooled pastry case.

  • Return to the oven and bake for a further 35–40 minutes or until the filling is set.

  • Take it out and let cool down completely before removing it from the tin.

  • Dust with icing sugar and serve.

  • Happy Baking!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Easy Lemon Tart Recipe, Lemon desserts, Tart recipes

Nutrition Facts

Simple Homemade Lemon Tart

Amount per Serving

Calories

373

% Daily Value*

Fat

23

g

35

%

Saturated Fat

14

g

88

%

Cholesterol

32

%

Sodium

20

mg

1

%

Potassium

64

mg

2

%

Carbohydrates

36

g

12

%

Sugar

16

g

18

%

Protein

4

g

8

%

Vitamin A

785

IU

16

%

Vitamin C

6.3

mg

8

%

Calcium

22

mg

2

%

Iron

1.3

mg

7

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

** As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Tried this recipe?Follow @happyfoodstube and tag #happyfoodstube

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Easy Lemon Tart Recipe - Happy Foods Tube (2024)

FAQs

How do I stop my lemon tart from cracking? ›

I was once told that the tarts crack because they lose moisture. They then sink and crack. Check that you have blind baked your pastry enough - this helps stop it absorbing moisture from the filling. Also, try brushing the pastry with butter before you put the filling in.

Why is my lemon tart runny? ›

Why is my lemon tart runny? If your lemon tart is runny, the mostly likely cause is not cooking the filling long enough. It should be nicely thickened when you pull it off the stove.

Why is my lemon tart bubbling? ›

Bubbling pie dough is caused by steam getting trapped under or inside the dough during baking and having nowhere to go. The steam comes from the butter in the dough, which turns to liquid and then to steam in the oven.

What does lemon tart contain? ›

A lemon tart (French: tarte au citron) is a dessert dish, a variety of tart. It has a pastry shell with a lemon flavored filling. In the United Kingdom, lemon tart consists of a pastry case (often made in a fluted tart tin) containing a baked lemon custard (usually composed of eggs, sugar, lemon juice and cream).

Why won't my lemon tart set? ›

A custard with both eggs and starch needs to be thoroughly cooked. The reason is that yolks contain an enzyme which liquidifies starch. It doesn't happen outright, but will happen while your tart is cooling. The only way to prevent it is to heat the mix high enough so the enzyme is deactivated.

Why is my lemon tart grainy? ›

Avoid Over-cooking The Curd

Your lemon curd could get chunky and grainy if you let it overcook. One thing you should remember while making lemon curd is that you should never let it reach a point where it starts boiling.

How can I thicken my tart filling? ›

Cornstarch has thickening power similar to Instant ClearJel. Like flour, it lends a cloudy, semi-transparent look to filling. It can also give filling a starchy taste. For full effectiveness, make sure the pie filling is bubbling up through the crust before removing your pie from the oven.

Why does my lemon tart taste eggy? ›

Although lemon curd uses egg yolks and/or egg whites, the final product shouldn't taste eggy. If it does, it may mean that you've overcooked your eggs. In saying that, traditional lemon curd does have a distinct after taste which doesn't sit well with some.

Why is my tart base so hard? ›

Richard's solution: Tough pastry is very common, but easily avoidable. It usually occurs when you've been a bit heavy-handed with the water when you're initially bringing the pastry together (by adding water to the flour and butter), or if you have over-worked the dough and developed the gluten in the flour.

How to tell if a lemon tart is set? ›

Half-fill the tart case with lemon mixture, then place tart on an oven shelf, ensuring it's level. Fill to the rim with remaining filling (you may have a little left over). Bake until the tart is set but with a little wobble in the centre (about 30 minutes).

Why does my lemon juice taste weird? ›

Lemon juice can go bad. At first, you may notice it has a slightly off taste or smell. But over time, it can grow mold and bacteria, making the taste and smell 10/10 rancid.

Why does my tart crust crack after baking? ›

Your dough might be too dry or unevenly hydrated.

When dough doesn't have enough water, or if it's not properly hydrated (more on that below), it will feel and look dry and be prone to cracking.

What does lemon tart mean in slang? ›

Contestants guess the word we have replaced with its co*ckney slang equivalent, which rhymes with the word it's replacing. For example, the slang for the word "smart" is "lemon tart" — "smart" rhymes with "tart."

Why does my lemon tart filling crack? ›

Why does my lemon tart crack? The most common reasons why your tart has cracked is because the oven was too hot or the tart baked too long and overbaked. We recommend pulling your lemon tart from the oven when it's still a little jiggly in the middle when the pan is gently shaken.

What drink goes with lemon tart? ›

Sauternes and Barsac, or their country cousins, Sainte Croix du Mont and Monbazillac would be splendid, or opt for liqueur muscat or Vendange Tardives wines from Alsace.

Why is my tart cracking? ›

Zestful Kitchen tells us "the most common reason why your tart cracked is because the oven was too hot." It's easy to be tempted by the lure of the myth that jacking up the oven temp will lead to a faster bake. But recipes have been painstakingly developed to help you achieve the best possible result.

How do you fix a cracked tart? ›

While pie is still hot fill with a paste made from 1 part butter 2 parts flour. Gently and carefully fill crack and smooth bake for 5-10 min until dry at 375F.

How do you stop pastry from cracking? ›

Here then, in brief, are the 5 things you can do to help prevent your pie dough from cracking.
  1. Make sure you cut the fat in enough. ...
  2. Add the water all at once. ...
  3. Knead the dough once. ...
  4. Put the dough in a plastic freezer bag and roll it out to about 8 inches in diameter.
Nov 8, 2013

How do you keep a pie from cracking? ›

To avoid this, make sure to allow your pie to cool down completely before chilling. Pro tip: when your pie is done baking, shut the oven off and leave the pie inside with the oven door slightly ajar (you can prop it open with a wooden spoon). Let the pie slowly cool in the oven just like a meringue.

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