Lemon Berry Tart
This lemon berry tart is a lovely and elegant dessert for spring and summer. It has a sweet tart dough, creamy lemon filling, and a topping of fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.
I think one of the first things I baked at home once I decided to attend culinary school and become a “serious” baker was a tart just like this— a sweet pastry dough crust with a homemade vanilla pastry cream and fresh berries. It wasn’t a huge challenge, but there was just something about being able to make one of my favorite bakery treats at home all by myself.
It was definitely a proud moment, and one that made me think “okay, I can do this.” And you know what, you can do it too!
There are a few separate steps to make the crust and filling, and then put it altogether, but it’s definitely worth it. This lemon berry tart is just lovely and absolutely delicious. The crust is crisp and buttery, the creamy filling has a nice subtle lemon flavor, and the brightness of the summer berries steals the whole show.
Table of Contents
- 3 parts to this recipe
- Ingredients you’ll need
- How to make this lemon berry tart
- Recipe FAQs
- More recipes
- Get the recipe
3 parts to this recipe
- Buttery sweet tart crust. Similar to pie crust, but with more butter, sugar and an egg yolk to make it sweeter and richer. It’s delicious!
- Lemon pastry cream. It’s similar to pudding, and flavored with lemon and vanilla. It’s cooked over the stove and thickened with egg yolks and cornstarch before chilling in the fridge.
- Fresh berry topping. This is the really fun part because you can top this tart with pretty much any berries (or sliced fruit) you like. I used sliced strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, but you could use just one of these or a different combination.
Ingredients you’ll need
How to make this lemon berry tart
- Prepare the tart dough. The dough mixes up super quickly in a food processor, but it is possible to mix by hand with a pastry blender. Form it into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for about 1 hour (or store for up to 3 days).
- Make the lemon filling. Combine egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and lemon zest in a bowl. Add warm milk into the bowl slowly, while whisking the egg yolk mixture constantly. Pour it all into a saucepan and cook until thickened. Whisk in butter and lemon juice off the heat, then chill in the fridge while you bake the tart shell.
- Bake tart shell. Roll out the dough, then transfer and press into a greased 8-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Cut off excess dough, or tuck it under. Do a quick freeze while the oven preheats, then line and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes until set, then remove the weights and bake a few more minutes until dry and slightly golden.
- Wash berries. While everything cools, prep the berries by gently washing them and letting them air dry in a single layer on paper towels.
- Assemble tart & chill. Remove the tart from the pan and place on a plate or cake stand. Spread the pastry cream into the baked tart crust and top with berries. Chill for at least 30 minutes so the filling sets in the crust.
- Enjoy! Carefully slice the tart, wiping the knife clean in between each cut. I use my knife to wiggle the berries to the side of my cuts so they stay intact. Serve immediately.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, the crust and filling can be prepped ahead of time. Tart dough and pastry cream filling can be stored in the fridge for about 3 days. The baked tart shell can be stored at room temperature, wrapped tightly, for a few days. However, the assembled tart is best the day it’s assembled and berries should be added just before serving.
I usually serve this tart the day it’s made. It’s best within 1-2 days of assembly, but leftovers will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
If you don’t have a tart pan, you can bake this in a shallow 9-inch pie pan. The filling will be thinner, but it should work. Follow the same par-baking instructions as outlined in the recipe, and serve the tart straight from the pan.
More recipes
If you love this lemon berry tart, you should try these other fruit desserts!
Get the recipe
Lemon Berry Tart
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ⅓ cup (160 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar (25 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter , cubed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2-3 tablespoons ice water
For the filling:
- 2 cups (450 grams) whole milk
- 5 large egg yolks
- ½ cups (100 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (28 grams) cornstarch
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup (56 grams) unsalted butter , cubed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 cups (240-360 grams) fresh berries , such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor.
- Add the cubed butter and cut into the other ingredients with a pastry blender until coarse and sandy, or if you're using a food processor, pulse in short bursts.
- Whisk together the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of the ice water. Add to the flour mixture and use a spoon or your hands (or a few pulses) to bring it together into large chunks. If needed, add more ice water ½ tablespoon at a time. (Don't add too much water, the dough won't completely come together in a ball if you're using a food processor, and that's okay.)
- Dump it out on your counter and form dough into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge 1 hour. (Can be made up to 3 days ahead.)
- On a floured surface, roll the crust out to a rough 12 or 13-inch circle. Transfer to a greased 8-inch tart pan and press it in gently. Remove any overhanging crust, you can cut it off with a knife or fold it under.
- Freeze for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line chilled crust with greased foil or parchment paper and fill tart with baking weights, dry rice, or beans. Bake for 18-20 minutes until set. Remove foil and weights and bake for 5-8 minutes more, until it appears dry and lightly golden brown. Cool completely.
For the filling:
- Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear at the edges. Do not bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest. Mixture will be very thick. When milk is warm, add to the egg mixture in a small steady stream while whisking constantly.
- Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick, while stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. This should take about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in butter, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
- Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the custard. Chill completely, 1-2 hours.
To assemble tart:
- Stir cooled custard until smooth and spread into the tart crust.
- Top tart with fresh berries. Serve immediately, or chill in the fridge for up to 2 hours. Tart is best the day it is assembled, but can be stored in the fridge for a few days.
Notes
- Make it easy and use a tart pan with a removeable bottom!
- Crust can be made in advance. Store crust dough in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month. Store baked (unfilled) tart shell at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.
- Prepare the filling at any time while the crust dough is chilling or being baked, and up to 1 week in advance.
- If you don’t have a tart pan, you can bake this in a shallow 9-inch pie pan. The filling will be thinner, but it should work. Follow the same par-baking instructions as outlined in the recipe, and serve the tart straight from the pan.
This recipe was originally published July 2016.
Can I use parchment paper instead of foil for baking the crust?
Sure!
Delicious! My family loved it. I did run into trouble with my custard, which I’ve never made before, being soupy. I read online that it could be re-thickened. I’m not sure if I didn’t cook enough the first time, but I added a 1/2 tablespoon more cornstarch, brought to boil, and continued to stir for 2 minutes and it came out perfect!
Absolutely beautiful tart!! And oh so perfect for the season 🙂
Thank you so much Sues!
May I ask a few crust questions? (I apologize if you’ve already talked about this elsewhere.) When you say coarse and sandy, is that different from pie crust with the bigger blobs of butter? I’m imagining more like a panko texture, is that close? Finer than pie crust, but not homogenous like cookie dough? I’m not super experienced with crusts and am trying to figure out what to look for. I’ve also never made pudding before, but this looks fairly doable, especially the part about tempering the eggs with warm (not hot) milk. Thanks!
Hi Erin! Yes, you are on the right track. Sweet pastry dough is not meant to be flaky like pie crust, so you don’t need big chunks of butter within the dough. The butter should be broken up and mixed pretty uniformly within the dry ingredients, but you don’t want to blend it so much that it softens the butter and it blends into the dry ingredients. Does that make sense? Feel free to send any other questions my way! 🙂
This looks absolutely succulent!
Thanks Sandra! 🙂