This Stunning Lemon Tart is sure to take your breath away! It’s a vibrant yellow zesty lemon dessert that’s just as sweet as it is tangy. Excite your tastebuds with this homemade tart today!
Desserts that are stunning and delicious? Swoon! I hate when prettier desserts aren’t the tastiest – I always feel cheated.
However, this lemon tart is a book you can most certainly judge by it’s cover, as it’s just as scrumptious as it is beautiful. I love making this tart for friends and family, mostly because I love the two reactions I get when serving it!
The first reaction is always a big smile and a compliment on how picturesque the tart is, and the second reaction is usually them not being able to believe how perfect is tastes too!
This lemon tart is creamy, lemony, sweet, and all presented atop a buttery shortbread cookie crust. You can garnish is any way you’d like, or not at all. However, I love adding garnishes to my tarts, as they always look even more perfect.
August is just around the corner, which means in no time, we’ll all be back to making caramel apple and pumpkin recipes. While I’m excited for that season, I’m still clinging to the last weeks of summer with recipes like this one!
Everything about this homemade lemon tart is bright and sunny, making it perfect for spring and summertime. It’s perfect for your end of summer bash!
Ingredients to make this stunning lemon tart
For the crust, all you need is:
- Shortbread cookies – I use Lorna Doone cookies and always have amazing results.
- Butter – Use melted unsalted butter!
The creamy yellow tart itself calls for:
- Sugar – White granulated sugar is what you’ll need.
- Lemon juice – It’s very, very important that you use freshly squeezed lemon juice! None of that bottled stuff with all the preservatives and artificial flavors.
- Eggs – They need to be room temperature.
- Egg yolks – These will also need to be room temperature.
- Lemon zest – This will enhance the natural lemon flavor like you wouldn’t believe!
- Butter – Unlike the butter in the crust, this butter should be salted and cut into pieces.
What is a lemon tart filled with?
A lemon tart filling is typically the same thing as a lemon curd. Lemon curd can be made in a number of different ways, but we do it the simplest way by adding all the ingredients at once to a saucepan and then heating slowly while whisking constantly to ensure the eggs don’t scramble.
How do I make sure the eggs don’t scramble and curdle?
Keep the curd cooking over low-medium heat.
If it becomes too hot or boils too hard, it may curdle.
If you have been whisking for more than 10 minutes and the curd is still not thickening, turn the heat up just a bit. You should not need to turn the heat above medium.
What kind of lemons should I use?
I prefer to use Lisbon lemons for this recipe.
Meyer lemons are a bit sweeter – if you use Meyer lemons to make your curd, you can reduce the sugar a bit. Eureka lemons are closer to Lisbon in tartness.
How long will this stunning lemon tart stay fresh?
In an airtight container in the refrigerator, this summery treat will stay fresh for about 2 days.
With that being said, the lemon curd can be made up to two weeks in advance if kept in the refrigerator or 3 months in advance if kept in the freezer.
Also, don’t store any garnishes with the tart, as they don’t keep well with the consistency of the tart.
Hello, sunshine! Here are just a few of my other favorite summery desserts.
Stone Fruit and Blackberry Galette
Stunning Lemon Tart
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients:
- 10 ounce (284 g) Lorna Doone shortbread cookies
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling Ingredients:
- 1 ⅓ cup (267 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, grated finely
- ½ cup (114 g) salted butter, cut into pieces
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Spray a 10” tart pan with non-stick baking spray and set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse all cookies until finely crumbled.
- Add the melted butter to the cookie crumbles and pulse until the cookie crumbs begins to clump together.
- Press crumbs into a tart pan and tamp down with the flat bottom of a measuring cup or tamper to compact.
- Bake crust for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, lemon juice, eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest, and butter pieces.
- Heat over medium low, whisking constantly.
- After cooking and whisking for 8-10 minutes, the mixture should begin to thicken. If it does not thicken, turn the heat up just a bit, but keep it at medium heat or below.
- Pour the lemon filling through a sieve to remove any zest, stray seeds, or lumps.
- Pour filling into the baked crust and use an offset spatula to spread it smooth.
- Bake for an additional 5 minutes to help set the lemon filling.
- Cool completely and then chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before serving.
- Pop the tart out of the tart pan and place on a large serving plate.
- Top with lemon slices, fresh berries, edible flower petals, etc.
Recipe Notes
NUTRITION FACTS
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.
The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.
Lisa
Wednesday 5th of July 2023
3/4 cup of butter was WAY too much butter for the cookie crust. It absolutely soaked the cookies and made a mushy mess. I would recommended starting with 3-4 tablespoons of melted butter and added 1 tbsp at a time after that to get the right consistency.