Some of the best treats are the simplest treats. This lemon tart, with a shortbread-like crust and tangy filling, is a simple but elegant dessert far easier to make than you might imagine. Dust it with powdered sugar, add a few berries and some whipped cream, or just eat it plain – I promise, you won’t be disappointed. I have big plans for a raspberry or strawberry sauce to accompany this tart the next time I make it.
Adapted from The Best Lemon Tart Ever on Allrecipes, this tart remind me of a hybrid between lemon meringue pie and lemon bars. My version is very tangy, so you’ll want to serve it in small slices. I added more lemon zest than the original recipe called for, and also highly recommend blind baking your crust – I realized about halfway through baking that the crust had puffed up so much it really needed some weight to keep it from just ending up as a tart-shaped cookie, so I blind baked for the last 15 minutes or so of the total time.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dash salt
- 1 3/4 cups flour
For the filling
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 medium lemons)
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Preparation
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Add flour and mix to combine completely, then press crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Allow the crust to rise slightly above the edge of the pan because it will shrink slightly during baking. Chill for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the crust with foil or parchment and fill with dried beans or pie weights; bake for 20-25 minutes, until crust is light golden brown at the edges.
While crust is baking, make filling; whisk sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, flour, and powdered sugar together until smooth. Pour filling into a large glass measuring cup; keep cool while crust finishes baking.
When crust is ready, remove it from the oven and remove foil/parchment and pie weights. Place a sheet of parchment paper on your oven rack (or on the rack below) and return the crust to the oven, then slowly pour the filling into the crust. Carefully place a crust guard around the edge to prevent over-browning. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until center is set; my center was set at about 25 minutes.
Remove tart from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack to room temperature; remove edge from tart pan and store tart, covered, in the refrigerator. Dust with powdered sugar or serve with whipped cream and berries if you like.
amy bakes in the 'burgh 