Mini Fruit Tarts With Pastry Cream (2024)

Before you start to make this mini fruit tartlets recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.

Full measurements are in the recipe card below.

For the crust

Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.

Eggs-you will need 1 egg for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.

Kosher salt-you will need about ¼ teaspoon ofkosher saltfor this recipe.

Butter-use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work. avoid margarine and coconut oil. Margarine has an odd taste that can ruin the flavor of this delicious crust. Ensure your butter is cold.

Powder sugar-you will need powdered sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in ablenderorfood processor.

Milk-use room temperature whole milk.

Egg yolks-you will need 5 egg yolks for this recipe. Use large eggs.

Vanilla extract-for extra flavor. You can also use vanilla bean extract or pure vanilla extract.

Granulated sugar– granulated sugar works best for this recipe, but caster sugar can work as well.

Cornstarch-you will needcornstarchfor the pastry cream. This can't be substituted.

These mini tarts are perfect for freezing! Simply cover them with a plastic wrap tightly (a few layers) and transfer them into an airtight freezer-friendly container and freeze it for up to 2 months.

I recommend freezing them without the fruit on top and after you thaw them, top them with fresh fruit.

To thaw, place it in the fridge overnight.

Gluten-free-make these gluten-free by replacing the flour withgluten-free flouror make your favorite gluten-free crust.

Dairy-free- to make these dairy free, make vegan pastry cream and follow the rest of the instructions as written. Also, swap the butter in the pastry crust with vegan butter.

Fruit- top these mini tarts with your favorite type of fruit like clementines, your favorite berries, apples, pears, passion fruit, kiwi, grapes, etc.

Filling- if you don't want to make your own homemade pastry cream, you can make this recipe with instant pudding mix, freshly made whipped cream, or my favorite- mascarpone whipped cream.

Lemon tart- This lemon tart is made with a buttery pastry crust and filled with a zesty lemon curd filling. This tart is a ray of sunshine in a dessert!

Mini Chocolate Tarts- These mini chocolate tarts are made with a buttery shortcrust pastry and filled with a silky smooth and rich chocolate ganache.

Oreo Tart- This oreo tart is made with an oreo tart crust, topped with an incredibly creamy chocolate filling, topped with whipped cream and oreo chunks.

If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.

Mini tart crust

• ½ cup Butter unsalted, cold
• 1 Egg
• ½ cup Powder sugar
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 cups Flour

Vanilla pastry cream

• 1 ¾ cups Milk
• 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 5 Egg yolks
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ½ cup Granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoon Cornstarch

Toppings

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• 1 tablespoon Apricot jam
• ½ teaspoon Water

• Start by making the tart dough. In afood processor, add the flour, powdered sugar, and salt, and mix until combined.

• Add the cold cubed butter, and blend until there are pea-sized pieces of butter. If you don't have afood processor, you can do it by hand, mixing the cold butter into the flour mixture. Make sure that your hands are cold.

• Then, add the egg, and thevanilla extractand mix until a dough forms. Try not to overmix the dough.

• Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

• Transfer the dough onto a clean floured surface and roll it with arolling pininto a rectangle.

• Use a cookie cutter or a round bowl (1 inch larger than themini tart pans) and cut small rounds of the pastry.

• Place the pastry inside the minitart pansand press it down using your clean hands.

• Cut off the extra edges. Make holes in the bottom of the pan with a fork and place them in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.

• Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let it cool while making the filling.

Make the pastry cream

• Place a saucepan over high heat and fill it with the milk andvanilla extract. Let it simmer, and remove it from the heat. Scoop ¼ cup of the milk and set aside.

• In a smallmixing bowl, add the sugar and cornflour. Mix with awhiskuntil combined. Add the egg yolks and mix.

• Gradually add the ¼ cup of milk and mix constantly with awhisk. This step is used to temper the egg yolks and avoid them from cooking too fast.

• Move the saucepan with the milk to the stovetop over low heat and add the egg yolk mixture into the milk mixing constantly with awhisk.

• Mix over medium-low heat and mix constantly with awhiskuntil the mixture thickens. Don't increase the heat, be patient it will be worth it!

• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap tightly. Place the bowl in the fridge. Allow it to set and cool for a few hours.

• Now it's time to assemble the tarts! Transfer the pastry cream into a piping bag with a round tip. Pipe the custard inside the mini tart shells, and top the cream with washed and dried berries or fruit of your choice.

• Optional: Make a simple glaze by mixing 1 tablespoon of apricot jam with ½ teaspoon of water and brush the fruit with the glaze.

• Use COLD butterfor the crust, we suggest cutting the butter into cubes and then placing it in the fridge, so when you are ready to use it, it will be very cold.
• If the crust puffs a bit while baking, press it down using a cup.
• Freeze the crust for at least 20 minutes before baking it. This will keep your crust from collapsing while baking.
• Let the pastry dough rest in the fridge for at least 1 hourbefore handling it. This will make it easier to roll out the crust and handle it.
• If your pastry cream is too thick, add a splash or two of milk to loosen it up.
• Use a piping bag for neat filling. Fill a piping bag with your cooled pastry cream for precise and mess-free filling of the tart shells. This technique will give your tarts a professional appearance.
• Select fresh, ripe fruits that are in season for the best flavor and appearance. Wash and dry the fruits thoroughly before arranging them on the tarts.
• Glaze for shine and preservation. Brush a thin layer of warmed, strained apricot jam or a neutral glaze over the fruit. This will give your tarts a beautiful shine and help preserve the freshness of the fruit.
• Use room temperature ingredients for the pastry cream.It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like milk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a hom*ogenous mixture.
• Use aneasy-release tartlets pan.We use an easy-releasetartlets panfor all of our tart recipes. This makes sure that your delicious mini fruit tart will be easy to release from the pan.
• Cool components properly. Allow both the tart shells and pastry cream to cool completely before assembling. This will prevent the cream from melting and ensure a stable structure for your tarts.
• Refrigerate your assembled tarts for at least 30 minutes before serving. This will allow the flavors to meld and ensure that the pastry cream sets properly, making the tarts easier to slice and serve.