Strawberry Custard Tart (2024)

This strawberry custard tart is made with a buttery shortcrust pastry tart shell filled with homemade custard, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries. It's a simple and classic combination but so delicious!

Why you'll love this recipe

• This strawberry custard tart is made with classic and delicious flavours.
• This recipe is a great base for many other flavour variations. You can change the filling or swap the fruit out for a completely new tart.
• The custard in this tart is made with whole eggs so you won't end up with a bunch of egg whites with nowhere to use them.

• 9" fluted tart pan - A fluted tart pan with a removable bottom is essential for making tarts. You can easily release the tart from the pan and the scalloped edges create a picture-perfect classic tart shell.
• Pie weights - Pie weights are small ceramic beads used to prevent the bottom of the tart shell from puffing up and distorting the shape of the tart during blind baking (baking the tart shell with no filling in it). They weigh down the pastry to keep it nice and flat. Pie weight are convenient if you bake tarts or pies often but you can also use uncooked rice or beans as a replacement.
• Electric hand mixer - I always use my KitchenAid hand mixer with the whisk attachment to mix tart dough evenly and quickly. I also use it to make whipped cream quickly without any manual whisking. A hand mixer is a convenient and inexpensive alternative to a stand mixer. I actually use my hand mixer way more often!
• Piping bag - If you want to pipe a design on top of your custard tart, you'll need a piping bag. 16" piping bags are a good size for most things.
• Piping tip - To pipe the whipped cream on this tart, I used an Ateco #809 jumbo round piping tip.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter - You'll need softened butter to make both the tart shell pastry and to help the custard filling firm up.
• Powdered sugar - You'll need this for both the tart shell and the whipped cream topping. Using powdered sugar in the tart shell gives it a smooth, soft, and crumbly texture.
• Eggs - We're using whole eggs to make the custard in this recipe. Normally, you would use egg yolks only but I don't like ending up with a bunch of egg whites. For a richer and smoother custard, you can use all egg yolks (about 8 egg yolks instead of 4 whole eggs).
• All-purpose flour
• Salt
• Milk - Use any dairy or non-dairy milk you prefer. The kind of milk that you use will influence the flavour of the custard. Almond milk is nice to use as it gives the custard a subtle almond flavour. Go with dairy milk for a classic custard flavour.
• Granulated sugar
• Cornstarch - This helps thicken the custard by soaking up excess liquid.
• Vanilla extract
• Whipping cream - Use whipping cream (30-36% fat content) or heavy cream (36%+ fat content). Skip it altogether if you don't want it!
• Strawberries -Use fresh, ripe strawberries. Cut them in half, use them whole, or chop them up into small pieces.

How to make a strawberry custard tart

For the tart shell

Cream butter and sugar - In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat softened butter until it becomes creamy. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until fluffy.

Mix a soft dough - Add the egg and mix until smooth. Add the flour and salt and mix again on low speed until the dough starts to come together and not too many floury patches remain.

Form dough - Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Use your hands to pack the dough together. Split the dough into halves and press them each into a flattened disc shape.

Chill dough - Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. You can freeze one of the dough discs to use another time.

Prep - Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Roll out the dough - When you're ready to roll the dough out, let one disc sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes to soften slightly. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to about ⅛" thick, lifting and rotating the dough occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the counter.

Press dough into pan - Transfer the dough to a 9" fluted tart pan. Press the dough into the edges and sides of the pan. Don't worry if the dough breaks - you can easily patch up any bald spots by pressing small pieces of dough on top of them.

Trim and dock dough - Use the rolling pin to roll across the top of the pan to cut the excess dough off the edges of the pan. Use a fork to dock the bottom of the tart shell (poke holes across the bottom of the shell).

Freeze - Freeze the tart pan for about 30 minutes until it becomes firm. This helps prevent shrinkage during baking. Gently press a sheet of foil into the tart shell and fill it with pie weights or uncooked rice.

Bake - Bake the tart shell for about 15 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Let the tart shell cool on a wire rack before releasing it from the pan.

For the custard filling

Heat milk - In a small pot, heat up the milk and vanilla extract on medium heat until small bubbles start coming to the surface and it just starts to simmer.

Mix egg mixture - Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract.

Temper eggs - With one hand, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking continuously and vigorously with the other hand to temper the eggs.

Cook until thickened - Pour the entire mixture back into the same pot and return it to the stovetop on medium heat. Cook the mixture while stirring often until it thickens into a custard, about 15 minutes. When you drag a spatula through the custard, it should be thick enough to part and come back together after several seconds.

Stir in butter - Turn off the heat and stir in the cubed butter, one piece at a time, until it has all melted into the custard. If your custard is lumpy, push it through a fine-mesh sieve.

Chill custard - Transfer the custard to a medium bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool completely in the fridge before filling your baked tart shell.

For the whipped cream and toppings

Whip cream - In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer or whisk to beat whipping cream, powdered, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed until it becomes firm peaks.

Add toppings - Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe the whipped cream on top of the custard in your tart. Top the tart with fresh strawberries.

Chill tart - Chill the tart in the fridge for at least 4 hours to let the custard firm up. Dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

Storage

This strawberry custard tart can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezing

I wouldn't recommend freezing the entire finished custard tart since the strawberries will become mushy and the tart crust can become soggy from the moisture when thawing it.

However, you can freeze baked shells very well. Wrap your tart shell in plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil and freeze it for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on at room temperature for a few hours before filling it.

Tips and tricks

Break up the recipe into parts and make them over a couple of days

I always recommend doing this with any recipe that has multiple components (e.g. crust, filling, topping).

It's more manageable and stress-free to make all the components ahead of time and then put them all together on the day you'll be serving the dessert.

This is also more time efficient if the recipe has a "chilling time" or periods of "hands-off" time - you can just leave it in the fridge and go to sleep as you normally would.

Watch the heat when cooking the custard

If the heat is too low, the mixture won't thicken. If the heat is too high, the mixture will cook too fast and you'll end up with scrambled eggs or a lumpy custard. Cook the custard slowly on medium heat and stir it constantly, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot occasionally.

It will seem like nothing is happening at first (for the first 5-10 minutes) until it suddenly changes in texture.

Cook the custard until it's very thick

A custard that's too loose and thin will cause the tart to fall apart the moment you cut into it. You want the custard filling to be thick enough to hold its shape and structure in the tart. It should be the consistency of a thick gel paste.

Chilling the custard and the tart overnight also helps it to firm up before you slice the tart.

Frequently asked questions

More strawberry recipes to try

• Strawberry Chiffon Cake
• Strawberry Matcha Boba
• Strawberry Soju co*cktail
• Matcha Strawberry Cake
• Strawberry Jelly Cheesecake
• Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons

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