Lemon tart is made with a buttery, crisp lemon shortbread crust and an easy lemon curd filling. It's bright, vibrant, and perfect for spring or summer!
This lemon tart is the perfect balance of tangy and sweet, it is incredibly fresh and seriously addicting! The crust tastes like a lemon shortbread cookie and is the perfect vessel for the thick, smooth lemon curd filling. You won't believe how easy this is to make! You only need 7 ingredients and there's less than 30 minutes of hands-on time.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE LEMON TART
Lemon Shortbread Crust:
- Flour: All-purpose flour.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar makes the crust perfectly sweet.
- Salt: Necessary for flavor.
- Egg yolks: 2 large egg yolks. Yolks add fat, flavor, and richness to the crust. They also help to bind the dough together.
- Lemon juice: Fresh-squeezed.
- Butter: Unsalted, melted and slightly cooled. It's always best to use unsalted butter for making pastry dough, but if all you have is salted butter you can use it and leave out the added salt.
Lemon Curd Filling:
- Eggs: 4 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks, large. Separate the eggs while they're cold and discard the whites or keep them for another use.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is perfect for balancing out the tart lemon flavor!
- Salt: A small amount of salt to bring out flavors.
- Lemon juice: Fresh-squeezed, never bottled! For ¾ cup of fresh lemon juice you'll need 4-5 large lemons. Squeeze the lemons into a bowl first and then strain the liquid into a glass measuring cup so you don't get any of the seeds in the curd.
- Vanilla extract: Pure or imitation, whichever you prefer or is easiest.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is what makes the lemon curd thick.
- Butter: Unsalted butter. Again, if all you have is salted butter then leave out the added salt.
HOW TO MAKE LEMON TART
Make the Lemon Shortbread Crust:
- Prepare the pan: Grease a 9" tart pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Add some flour and toss to coat the sides and bottom, then shake out the excess.
- Melt the unsalted butter in a saucepan or melt in the microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring between each.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, egg yolks, and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Pulse until combined. Add the melted butter and pulse until the dough comes together.
- Dump the dough into the prepared tart pan and use your hands or the flat side of a glass to pack it tightly and evenly into the bottom and around the sides of the pan. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom of the dough.
- Place the tart pan with the dough in the freezer and begin preheating your oven to 350°.
- Once the oven is preheated, take the pan out of the freezer, place it on a large-rimmed baking sheet, and pre-bake the crust for 15 minutes.
Make the Lemon Curd Filling:
- In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt until smooth and pale-yellow in color.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and vanilla extract until combined and the flour is dissolved.
- Melt the unsalted butter in a medium pot. Once melted, add the lemon juice/flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until starting to bubble and thicken (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and slowly pour the hot liquid into the bowl with the eggs, whisk the eggs vigorously as you do so they don't curdle.
- Once all of the hot liquid has been added to the eggs, whisk until the mixture is completely smooth, then pour everything back into the pot. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until very thick (about 7-10 minutes) *Note: If the curd starts thickening too quickly, lower the heat or take it off of the heat and whisk until it smooths out.
- Once the curd is thickened, immediately strain it through a sieve and into a bowl. Use a whisk to help get it through the sieve, then use a spatula or the back of a spoon to press the rest of it through. Use a separate spatula or spoon to scrape the strained curd from the other side and into the bowl.
- Pour the warm lemon curd into the pre-baked crust and use a spatula to spread it out smoothly and evenly. Bake the lemon tart for 15 minutes.
- Let the lemon tart cool completely at room temperature and then cover and cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight (recommended) before slicing and serving.
More Tart & Lemon Recipes:
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Strawberry Rhubarb Tart
- Lemon Bars
- Chocolate Caramel Tart
- Lemon Cheesecake
- Cranberry Lemon Bars
📖 RECIPE
Lemon Tart
This lemon tart features a buttery, crisp lemon shortbread crust with an easy lemon curd filling. It's bright, vibrant, and perfect for spring or summer!
Print Pin RateServings: 10 people
Equipment
- 9" tart pan with removable bottom
Ingredients
Lemon Shortbread Crust:
- 1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large egg yolks
- ½ tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Lemon Curd:
- 4 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 and ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
Instructions
- Prepare the tart pan: Grease a 9" tart pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Add some flour and toss to coat the sides and bottom, then shake out the excess. Greasing the pan and coating with flour makes it easier to get the crust out of the pan.
Make the Shortbread Crust:
- Melt the unsalted butter in a saucepan or melt in the microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring between each.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, egg yolks, and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Pulse until combined. Add the melted butter and pulse until the dough comes together.
- Dump the dough into the prepared tart pan and use your hands or the flat side of a glass to pack it tightly and evenly into the bottom and around the sides of the pan. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom of the dough.
- Place the tart pan in the freezer and begin preheating your oven to 350°.
- Once the oven is preheated, place the tart pan on a large-rimmed baking sheet and pre-bake the crust for 15 minutes.
Make the Lemon Curd Filling:
- In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt until smooth and pale-yellow.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and vanilla extract until combined and the flour is dissolved.
- Melt the unsalted butter in a medium pot. Add the lemon juice/flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until starting to bubble and thicken (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and slowly pour the hot liquid into the bowl with the eggs. Whisk the eggs vigorously as you do so they don't curdle.
- Once all of the hot liquid has been added to the eggs, whisk until the mixture is completely smooth, then pour everything back into the pot. Bring the curd to a boil, whisking constantly, until very thick (about 7-10 minutes). Note: Once the curd starts to boil it will thicken rapidly, if it's thickening too fast for you to whisk it and keep it smooth, lower the heat or take the pan off the heat for a minute and whisk until it smooths out.
- Once it's thickened to the desired consistency (think custard or pudding consistency), immediately strain the lemon curd through a sieve and into a bowl. Use a whisk to help get it through the sieve, then use a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to press the rest of it through. Use a different spatula or spoon to scrape the strained curd from the other side and into the bowl.
- Pour the warm lemon curd into the pre-baked crust and use an offset or rubber spatula to spread it out smoothly and evenly. Bake the lemon tart for 15 minutes.
- Take the tart out of the oven and allow it to cool completely at room temperature, then in the fridge for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 393kcal | Carbohydrates: 57.6g | Protein: 6.4g | Fat: 16.1g | Saturated Fat: 8.9g | Cholesterol: 210mg | Sodium: 118mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 40.7g | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg
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