Our easy lemon tart takes 10 minutes to make and uses only four ingredients.
Lemon tart is an impressive dessert or afternoon treat but it can be a little time consuming to make your own pastry and curd. This easy lemon tart recipe uses some handy shop bought ingredients so you’ll have a gorgeous dessert you can serve in just 10 minutes!
Please note, the nutritional information provided for this recipe is calculated as a whole recipe and not per portion, jar, or person.
Ingredients
- 150ml (¼ pint) double cream, whipped
- 300g (10½ oz) lemon curd
- 2 lemons, zest only
- 20cm (8in) ready-made sweet pastry case
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- In a large bowl softly whip the double cream. Fold in the lemon curd.
- Spoon into the pastry case and use the back of a spoon to help push the filling to the edges of the pastry case.
- Sprinkle it with lemon zest just before serving.
Top tips for making an easy lemon tart
We recommend buying an all-butter pastry case where possible because the flavour is richer and more indulgent. We would recommend assembling the tart just before serving and avoid filling it in advance and refrigerating as you will soften the pastry. For ideas on how you can get ahead, read our tips below.
Can I whip cream and use it later?
Yes you could whip the cream for this recipe and mix it with the lemon curd in advance. Then cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble. We recommend taking it to just under the desired final texture as you will agitate the cream a little more when you finally transfer it to the pastry case.
By taking it just under soft peaks you minimise the chances that you will over whip the cream. We would recommend whipping the cream no more than four hours ahead of when you want to serve.
How can you decorate a lemon tart?
Food writer Jessica Ransom says: ‘A scattering of lemon zest is simple and chic but if you want to try something more striking, fresh raspberries and/or blueberries provide a lovely contrast in colour. You could also use some mini shop bought meringue if you want to play on the lemon meringue pie flavour combination.’
Alternatively, you could add more cream to the mix and use the canned, squirty cream to create little swirls around the edge of the tart.
What if I can’t find a pastry case?
If your supermarket doesn’t stock ready made sweet pastry cases, the best option is to buy some rolled and ready to use shortcrust. Don’t worry that it isn’t sweet, the lemon and cream filling is sweet enough to balance the pastry.
You will need to use the pastry to line a fluted case or a shallow cake tin will also work. Read our guide on how to line a tart tin with pastry if you’ve never attempted this before.
To decorate this tart we suggest using fresh lemon zest. You only want a very fine grating and a sharp zester is essential for this. If you need a new one, try the Joseph Joseph one below.
If you fancy another dessert with minimal ingredients we recommend our lemon creams. If the weather is a little cooler out our warm lemon pudding is a great option. Alternatively, our lemon meringue pie always looks impressive and a slice of lemon drizzle cake can turn any bad day around!
