Lemon Curd Tart

This Lemon Curd Tart is a fantastic dessert recipe for any springtime occasion, like Easter or Mother’s Day. You’ll love the flaky pastry crust, the custardy tart curd, and of course that lightly sweetened whipped cream on top.

For more festive lemon desserts, try my Lemon Pound Cake, my Lemon Poppy Seed Cake, or my Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake recipes.

The Ingredients:

• Butter: Use salted Land O’Lakes Butter if in the U.S.A.; you’ll get the best flavor that way. If outside the U.S.A., use unsalted butter.
• All-Purpose Flour: No need to use pastry flour
• Egg Yolks: Egg yolks make the lemon curd rich and creamy while also providing structure. 
• Cornstarch: This will help the custard set up and prevent it from being too loose. 
• Salt: To spike the flavors
• Water and Sugar: The water will be used with the sugar to create a sugar water, which will form the basis of the lemon curd.
• Lemon Juice: Always use fresh lemon juice squeezed from a lemon (not anything bottled), you’ll get the best flavor this way.
• Butter: Will smooth out your curd after it thickens
• Heavy Cream: For the dollops of whipped cream on top. Always make whipped cream from scratch when decorating a tart like this. The store-bought variety does not hold and will melt in the refrigerator!
• Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is better for homemade whipped cream than regular sugar because it contains cornstarch, which makes it more stable and able to set up for hours while refrigerated. 
• Vanilla Extract: To flavor the whipped cream. 
• Pearl Sprinkles: These sweet little Pearl Sprinkles from Wilton are great for decorating the tart

Step#1: Create the Pastry Dough

• Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter cubes a little at a time, pulsing in between each addition, until a coarse meal forms.
• Whisk together egg yolk and ice water, and with the machine running, slowly add it to the flour mixture until a dough ball forms.
• Remove it from the food processor, then with floured hands flatten it into a disk, wrap it in parchment paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. 
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface and fit it into a removable-bottom 9-inch tart tin. Trim off the edges. And place in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.

Tips for Creating the Pastry Dough

• Use very cold butter. The dough will be less sticky this way.
• Use a food processor if you have one. It will combine the flour and butter a lot better.
• Be sure to mix the egg yolk with very cold water or ice water; it will help the dough ball form better.
• Continue pulsing until a dough ball forms in the bowl of the processor. Taking it out sooner will result in a crumbly dough that will be hard to roll out. 

Tips for Fitting the Dough into The Tin

• Use a 9″ removable Bottom tart pan. It will be easier to remove your tart once baked and place it on a cake stand.
• Be sure to refrigerate the dough for at least 1-hour before fitting it into the tin. This will prevent shrinking and will also make it easier to roll out.
• Once fitted into the tin, pop the tin into the freezer for 10 minutes. The dough should be very cold before it hits the hot oven; the butter will melt too quickly, and the dough will melt into the tin before it has a chance to set.
• Pierce the bottom of the tin with a fork to avoid buckling in the oven.
• Bake the tart tin on a baking sheet to make it easier to remove from the oven with an oven mitt without damaging the crust. 

Step#2: Make the Lemon Curd

• For the lemon curd filling, simmer the water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. 
• In a heat-safe bowl, combine egg yolks with cornstarch and salt, and whisk until combined.  Set aside.
• Slowly add hot sugar water to the egg mixture, with a ladle to begin, 1 scoop at a time, whisking all the while.
• Once you have added 2-3 ladles of the sugar water, then you can pour the rest of the sugar water from the pot.
• Return the egg mixture to the pot and heat on medium-high until the custard thickens to the consistency of a pudding. Turn off the heat.  Add the butter and lemon juice, then whisk until smooth.
• Pour the filling into the baked tart crust. Gently shake the tart tin to level out the curd. 
• Chill the curd, uncovered, for at least 2 hours before decorating the tart with the whipped cream.

Decorating Your Lemon Tart

I took my inspiration for decorating this tart from the citrus blossoms growing all over Southern California right now. If you live in a citrus-growing climate and have room for a small tree (we have Dwarf varieties that we keep in planters), not only will you enjoy the lemons, but the citrus blossoms will also make great cake garnishes! They also release the most incredible fragrance at night. 

Storing and Serving

• Place the decorated tart, citrus blossoms, and all! (Or fresh mint or edible pansies if you are using those instead) in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Leave the tart uncovered to avoid condensation buildup.
• Refrigerating the tart will stabilize the whipped cream dollops and make it easier to cut clean slices without ruining the whipped cream design.