Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m a bit of a lemon FREAK. {Proof:this, this and this.} I really like lemon desserts, especially. I take after my mother, who coincidentally is celebrating her birthday today….Happy Birthday Momma! {And while I’m at it, happy birthday to my older sister Shayna–who has the same birthday as my Mom–and my younger sister Chelsea who celebrated yesterday! I sure love you lovelies!}
Well, the other day I wanted to make some cute little lemon tarts because{1} tarts are cute {2} I like cute things {like tarts…and my husband} {3} I especially like cute things that happen to be lemon {4} I had some extra pie crust laying around from making too big of a batch originally from thispretty little quiche{5} I had a craving for something sweet {6} I have a carb addiction {7} I’m a lemon freak {8} I’m a lemon freak.
So there you have it. To make these, you need to start off with some lemons. I had no lemons in the house so I went out and got approximately twelve thousand….from Costco….in a large bag…..that wasbigger and heavier than my child.
I’m really smart sometimes.
Also, I feel it’s important to stress that I’m a lemon freak. Thank you for understanding.
Anyways, these are super simple and require very few ingredients. The filling consists of egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and sweetened condensed milk. Mix that all together and spoon it evenly between twelve pie crust lined muffin tins and bake.
Once they come out of the oven, let them come to room temperature and then refrigerate. When you’re ready to serve, whip some cream and pipe a border around the edges of the tarts leaving a spot in the middle to fill with berries. Cover the berries with more cream and voila! A tart!
I added a raspberry on top to make it extra purdy. Keep these refrigerated until ready to serve.
These are perfect portions–1 per person is plenty because they are so rich, sweet, creamy and tangy. Hands down one of the best summer desserts ever. EVER. That’s quite the statement I know, but it’s one I completely agree with.
If you’re not into the raspberry thing, check out this straight up lemon cream pie. Almost the identical recipe minus the raspberries.
Please make these soon! You will be glad you did! Also, I might make up some lemon freak t-shirts. I’m sure you’d all buy 17 and support the cause, right? 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Mini Lemon Tart Recipe
Creamy, sweet, zesty, and cute! This mini Raspberry Lemont Tart recipe is all this AND super simple made with few ingredients.
servings 12 tarts
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a glass or round cookie cutter, cut chilled pie crust into 2-3 inch circles and place into muffin tins to form tart shells. Refrigerate.
In small bowl, mix sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, lemon zest and lemon juice together until evenly combined. Spoon evenly between tart shells and bake 10-15 minutes or until filling is set and crust is cooked.
Cool tarts to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled (at least 2 hours.)
Before serving, whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Pipe a skinny boarder around the edges of every tart. Fill with fresh raspberries. Pipe more cream over top berries to cover. Garnish with more fresh raspberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 192mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 595IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lemon tart
FAQs
If the filling is runny and flowing out of the tart when you cut into it, then it is likely that the curd was not cooked for quite long enough. You need to be patient when cooking citrus curds as if you heat the mixture too quickly then it can curdle and become lumpy. You need to keep a low heat and stir constatntly.
How do I stop my lemon tart from cracking? ›
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. Love all things lemon?
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 does my lemon tart separate? ›
Burr explains that custard, especially ones that are heavy on fruit, have a tendency to split as a result of the moisture content and too-high oven temperatures. This is the chief issue you'll encounter when baking a lemon tart.
How do you know when a tart is done? ›
Once you've successfully got it in there, you can relax and let it bake for 20-30 minutes. You will know the tart is done when you can gently nudge the tin and the mix wobbles like set jelly.
How do you know when tart filling is set? ›
Tip 7: Half-fill the tart with custard
Bake it at a low temperature, checking and rotating it halfway through cooking to ensure it cooks evenly, until it's set but still has a bit of a wobble in the centre. The best way to check this is to nudge the pan gently.
How do you fix a broken tart crust after baking? ›
For a richer fix, you can combine flour with butter instead of water. To make this paste, mix two parts flour with one part melted butter and whisk until properly combined. Use this buttery paste to fill in cracks or gaps in the crust the same way you would use the flour-water paste.
Can you leave a lemon tart out overnight? ›
Can you leave a lemon tart out overnight? It's best to refrigerate your lemon tart after serving to prevent the filling from going bad. Leaving it out overnight could spoil the tart and make it unsafe to eat.
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 tart have a soggy bottom? ›
Soggy bottoms
And finally, the most frustrating pastry problem of all – the soggy bottom. This normally happens when the oven is not hot enough or the pastry is not baked for long enough. However, it can also be because too much water was added to the dough.
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.
Why is my lemon tart grainy? ›
Grainy or gritty lemon curd comes from curdled (over-coagulated) eggs, as a result of overcooking. The easiest way to prevent curdling is to use a double boiler to slow the rate of cooking-- and to monitor the temperature with a thermometer.
Can you refreeze lemon tart? ›
To serve cold: Remove from all packaging. Defrost thoroughly for a minimum of 2 hours in the refrigerator Alternatively defrost thoroughly for a minimum of 1 1/2 hours at room temperature. Once defrosted, keep refrigerated and use on the same day Do not refreeze Follow the cooking instructions to serve hot.
How do you fix a runny tart? ›
Last resort to fix a runny pie
- Remove the filling from the pie and add it to a saucepan on the stovetop.
- Add a bit of cornstarch (refer to the table above for measurements) and gently heat it to a boil.
- Turn the heat down and let the fruit simmer for a few minutes to activate the cornstarch.
Very soft, difficult-to-mould pastry: Either too little flour or too much water or fat was used, the pastry was not kneaded together until smooth or the pastry was still too hot and soft to roll out (to remedy this, allow to stand or knead gently for 1–2 minutes).
Why isn t my lemon meringue thickening? ›
If the meringue mixture becomes flat or runny when the sugar is added then it usually means that the egg whites were not quite whisked enough before the sugar was added. It sometimes helps to whisk the whites, then add a tablespoon of sugar and whisk the whites back to medium peaks before adding the rest of the sugar.
Why did my lemon filling not set? ›
I think you didn't cook it long enough after adding the eggs. Lemon pie filling has to be almost so thick you can cut it with a knife before you pour it into the shell or it won't set up. So you cook it until it becomes that thick.
