Classic Lemon Tart
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Classic Lemon Tart

Prep
45 mins
Cook
55 mins
Total
1 hr 40 mins
Serves
8

Be the first to make this!

Sharp, silky, perfectly balanced. Looks like it came from a proper patisserie. Your secret? It's honestly not that hard.

What you need 🛒

Plain flour200 g
Cold unsalted butter, cubed100 g
Icing sugar50 g
Egg yolks (for pastry)2
Cold water2–3 tbsp
Whole eggs (for filling)4
Egg yolks (for filling)4
Caster sugar200 g
Fresh lemon juice (about 4–5 lemons)150 ml
Lemon zest3 lemons worth
Double cream150 ml

How to make it 👨‍🍳

1

Make the pastry: rub the Cold unsalted butter into the Plain flour and Icing sugar with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.

2

Add the Egg yolks (for pastry) and just enough Cold water to bring the dough together — it should not be sticky. Shape into a disc, wrap, and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to about 3 mm thick and line a 23 cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Press it firmly into the edges and trim any overhang. Prick the base with a fork and chill for another 20 minutes.

4

Line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with baking beans (or dried rice or lentils). Blind bake (pre-cook an empty pastry case before filling) at 180°C / 350°F for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for another 10 minutes until pale golden.

5

Whisk together the Whole eggs (for filling), Egg yolks (for filling), Caster sugar, Fresh lemon juice, Lemon zest, and Double cream in a bowl until smooth.

6

Reduce the oven to 140°C / 285°F. Pour the lemon filling into the hot pastry case — fill it while the case is still in the oven to avoid spills.

7

Bake for 30–35 minutes until the filling is just set with a gentle wobble in the centre. It will firm up as it cools.

8

Cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating. Slice only when fully cold — a warm tart will not cut cleanly.

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