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    Easy Lemon Tart

    January 3, 2021 by Style Sweet 6 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Easy Lemon Tart or Fancy Lemon Bars - you decide! No matter how you slice it, it’s the same simple recipe but baked as a tart and gussied up with dramatic sugar stripes.

    A lemon tart with confectioners' sugar dusted on top that has been sliced into wedges
    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love this Easy Lemon Tart
    • Ingredients
    • Tools and Equipment
    • Steps for Making Lemon Tart
    • For the Stripes
    • Substitutions
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Serving and Storage
    • More Lemon Desserts to Celebrate Citrus Season:
    • Recipe

    Celebrate citrus season with this Easy Lemon Tart. The recipe is the same as basic lemon bars.

    Instead of a square tin, the recipe is baked in a round tart pan that instantly elevates this lemony dessert.

    The ingredients and preparation for the filling are identical to lemon bars baked in a square pan. It is bright and pure, without any extra fuss. For a bit of added flavor, the crust comes together with almond flour and a pinch of cardamom.

    Why You Will Love this Easy Lemon Tart

    • bursting with fresh lemon flavor
    • celebrates citrus season
    • chewy yet buttery texture from the almond flour crust
    • the cardamon and lemon flavor pairing is on point!
    • a simple recipes get a show-stopping upgrade with its easy sugar design
    Slices of lemon tart with confectioners' sugar dusted on top

    Ingredients

    • Lemons - you'll need about 2 lemons for fresh juice and zest
    • Granulated sugar
    • Eggs
    • Unsalted butter
    • Almond flour
    • All-purpose flour
    • Cornstach
    • Confectioners' sugar
    • Ground cardamom - optional for the crust

    See recipes card for quantities.

    Tools and Equipment

    Here are some of the tools you will need to make this tart:

    • Large mixing bowl
    • 8 or 9-inch tart pan
    • Saucepan
    • Whisk
    • Rimmed baking sheet
    • General kitchen tools (measuring cups, spoons, etc)

    Steps for Making Lemon Tart

    Prepare the Dough - Mix up the dough by hand and press into the pan.

    Bake the Dough - Bake the shortbread-like crust until slightly golden.

    Thicken the Filling - Cook the lemon filling in a saucepan until thick.

    Bake the Tart - Pre-cooking the filling significantly reduces the bake time.

    Chill - The filling will set at the tart cools.

    Decorate and Serve

    For the Stripes

    The dramatic sugar stripes are easy to create and don’t require any extra tools or stencils. Simply lay strips of parchment paper over the baked, cooled tart before giving it a generous shower of confectioners’ sugar.

    Peal off the parchment carefully to preserve the stripes and integrity of the lemon tart filling underneath.

    Slices of lemon tart with powdered sugar on top

    Substitutions

    For a nut-free alternative, you can use any shortcrust pastry for the base. Use this similar press-in crust.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I bake this in another pan?

    Yes! You can press the dough into an 8 or 9-inch square pan and proceed to turn the tart into bars.

    Can I freeze a lemon tart?

    The lemon tart can be frozen for up to 3 months (without confectioners’ sugar). After the tart completely cools, wrap it in plastic wrap and place into a large bag to freeze. Thaw the tart in the refrigerator, then dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

    Serving and Storage

    This lemon tart will slice into 8 servings. Store in the refrigerator until about 20 minutes before slicing.

    Keep leftover in the refrigerator covered in plastic wrap for up to 1 week.

    The lemon tart can be frozen for up to 3 months (without confectioners’ sugar). After the tart completely cools, wrap it in plastic wrap and place into a large bag to freeze. Thaw the tart in the refrigerator, then dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

    More Lemon Desserts to Celebrate Citrus Season:

    Lemon Poppy Seed Raspberry Cake

    White Chocolate Lemon Tart

    Lemon Thyme Layer Cake

    Pink Lemonade Macarons

    Lemon Zucchini Cake

    Lemon Chess Pie

    Recipe

    slices of lemon tart with sugar dusted on top
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Easy Lemon Tart

    This Easy Lemon Tart recipe is similar to lemon bars but baked in a tart pan for mouth-puckering slices of the zesty dessert.
    Prep Time40 minutes mins
    Total Time2 hours hrs
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: French
    Keyword: lemon, lemon tart
    Servings: 8

    Ingredients

    Crust

    • ½ cup unsalted butter very soft
    • ½ cup almond flour
    • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
    • ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
    • 1 pinch salt

    Filling

    • zest of 2 lemons
    • ⅔ cup lemon juice
    • ¾ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 4 large eggs
    • 4 tablespoon unsalted butter diced

    Instructions

    Crust

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
    • Whisk together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, sugar, cardamom, and salt in large bowl.
    • Add the butter and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
    • Press the dough into an 8 or 9-inch tart pan.
    • Use a flat-bottomed measuring cup or drinking glass to press the dough evenly into the corners and bottom of the tart pan.
    • Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges start to brown slightly. Remove from the oven to cool.

    Filling

    • Whisk together the lemon zest, juice, sugar and salt in a saucepan.
    • Add the eggs and whisk to combine.
    • Heat the lemon mixture over medium-high heat, stirring slowly yet consistently so the eggs don’t curdle, until the mixture thickens and can coat the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes.
    • Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted.
    • Strain the lemon filling through a mesh sieve to remove the zest and any cooked egg and pour into the prepared crust.
    • Bake for an additional 12 to 13 minutes, or util the edges are slightly puffed and set yet there is still a slight jiggle to the center when given a shake.
    • Completely cool the tart before dusting with a generous shower of confectioners’s sugar and cutting into slices.
    • Store leftover covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

    Notes

    Lemon tart may be baked in an 8-inch square pan.
    « The Best Butter Cake Recipe
    How to Make Lemon Curd »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michele

      January 20, 2023 at 4:00 pm

      Hi, can I leave out the almond flour and just substitute it with more all purpose flour? I prefer a tart crust that is crisp and sounds like the addition of the almond flour would inhibit that.

      Reply
      • stylesweet

        January 20, 2023 at 4:38 pm

        Hi! This should work. You could use any shortcrust pastry. Happy Baking!

        Reply
    2. Shawn

      February 18, 2023 at 4:38 pm

      5 stars
      This reminds me so much of my grandmother’s recipe! The texture was perfect!

      Reply
    3. Wendy

      February 20, 2023 at 10:19 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic recipe. So easy to follow and very tasty

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Salted Honey No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie - Style Sweet says:
      October 7, 2022 at 6:21 pm

      […] Easy Lemon Tart […]

      Reply
    2. How to Make Lemon Curd - Style Sweet says:
      December 9, 2022 at 2:33 pm

      […] Easy Lemon Tart […]

      Reply

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