Zingy, buttery, and bright, this lemon tart recipe is the perfect treat for a lemon lover. All encased in a sweet cookie crust shell which perfectly complements the tartness of the filling.
It's really simple to "dress up" with some vegan whipped cream, berries or nuts, etc. Or leave it "undressed" for those who love their lemon pure and simple.
You can see the plain version below.
I went "halfsies" on mine this time to please everyone enjoying it. But if it was purely up to me, I'd cover the entire pie with lots and lots of whipped cream. Because lemon curd + billowy whipped cream is what my dessert dreams are made of :)
And speaking of that, if you're not in the mood for pie, you can always just make the filling and serve it with some whipped cream on its own. It makes for a beautiful dessert of its own.
I liked it both ways, served on its own and as a tart. I think on its own it's a perfect "light" little treat. In a tart it becomes more substantial, and the cookie-like crust completes it quite nicely, adding nice crumb texture and sweetness to offset the tartness. It's like 2 recipes in one, depending on your mood and occasion.
Lemon Butter Tart
Deliciously zingy and buttery lemon tart encased in a cookie-like crust. The filling can be made on its own as a lovely lemon curd spread as well.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 48 minutes
- Yield: 7" tart
- Category: Pies & Tarts
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert, Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Crust
- 9 tbsp white rice flour
- 3 tbsp natural creamy cashew butter
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Filling
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- ¾ cup vegan butter (I used Melt)
- zest of 2 lemons
- ⅔ cup lemon juice (from 5-6 large lemons)
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 1 tbsp agar agar flakes
Optional Toppings
- vegan whipped cream (I used coconut whipped cream)*
- fresh lemon slices
- almond slices
Instructions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Oil a 7" tart pan with a removable bottom and set aside.
2. Process all cookie dough ingredients in a mini food processor until the mixture begins to form a ball (note if the mixture is too sticky, add a bit more flour, if too dry, add a bit more maple syrup). Form the mixture into a ball with your hands and knead briefly, then flatten into a disk (can use a rolling pin to roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper into a flat circle). Place the disk in the prepared tart pan and shape into a crust by pressing the dough with your finger tips to gently spread it around the base and walls of the tart pan. Poke a few small holes in the base of the crust using a fork.
3. Bake in a pre-heated oven for approximately 18 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
4. While the crust is baking, mix all filling ingredients, EXCEPT agar agar, together in a small sauce pan, and bring to a gentle boil on medium heat. Keep cooking and stirring occasionally on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
5. Reduce heat a little (you want things to be bubbling lightly, not vigorously) and add agar agar flakes. Simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly to dissolve and allow the heat to activate the agar agar.
6. Carefully transfer the filling mixture into the prepared crust. Allow everything to cool off in the pan to room temperature, then carefully transfer to a fridge to set for 5-6 hours (or overnight).
7. When ready to serve, garnish with coconut whipped cream or any other toppings of choice, slice and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge.
Notes
*Coconut whipped cream can be made at home from a can of full fat coconut milk -- I like the Thai Kitchen brand best for this purpose (the "premium" milk, and not the "lite"), and for this recipe I used the one large 400ml can. Chill the can in the fridge overnight, which will cause the cream to separate in the can and firm up near the top (when you open the can you'll see firm firm white stuff gathered at the top -- you should get about ¾ cup of it). You want to scoop out this solid white cream only into a mixing bowl, taking care not to scoop any of the coconut water along with it (as it will make your whip runny and not stiff). Whip that mixture with a hand mixed until fluffy, then add in a tablespoon of maple syrup and a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and whip again to create the whipped cream. Note that it’s very important for the full fat coconut milk can to be chilled first so it separates. If the solids aren’t this thick when you open the can, the whip isn’t going to work as well and will be too liquid:
Laura says
I love the taste of it! ❤️
Audrey says
Thank you, Laura. I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)