With a candy pastry crust and clean mascarpone cream filling, do-it-yourself contemporary fruit tart is solely elegant. This eye-catching, colourful dessert is surprisingly simple to arrange. Plus, it can save you time and make the crust and cream prematurely! See my make-ahead directions beneath.
I initially revealed this recipe in 2016 and have since made some adjustments to the pastry crust so it’s faster and simpler, and added new pictures.
A contemporary fruit tart is the sort of dessert that appears such as you poured your coronary heart and soul into it, when in actuality you made the pastry crust yesterday, the cream filling takes about 5 minutes, and also you spent more often than not snacking on all of the fruit you had been reducing.
One other fantastic factor about this lovely dessert is that there’s minimal bake time, which makes it a favourite within the summertime! The crust solely bakes for about 25 minutes, then you definitely let it cool and fill it with the great things. You can also make the crust forward of time after which fill it the following day.
I’ve a variety of step-by-step photos for you at present. Whereas this recipe may be very manageable, I would like you to have full confidence earlier than starting. Let’s dive into this brilliantly coloured magnificence!
3 Components to Contemporary Fruit Tart
- Tender Pastry Crust
- Calmly Sweetened Vanilla Cream Filling
- Contemporary Fruit Topping with a Shiny End
Begin by Making the 5-Ingredient Pastry Crust
Since first publishing this recipe on my web site, I’ve made a couple of small updates to the crust to make it even higher. It’s now faster, simpler, and also you don’t want pie weights. It’s the identical base I take advantage of for the lemon curd tart in my cookbook Sally’s Baking 101, and it’s basically a French-style pâte sucrée (candy tart crust).
Its shortbread-like texture strikes the right steadiness between crisp and tender and holds up even after chilling, making it a great companion for the blanket of vanilla cream and mountain of contemporary fruit.
Listed below are all of the elements you want:
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the bottom of this pastry crust.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Simply sufficient to frivolously sweeten the crust.
- Salt: For taste steadiness.
- Butter: You want room-temperature butter: bear in mind, it’s cooler than you suppose!
- Egg: Make sure that it’s chilly.
A meals processor makes this dough come collectively simply. When you don’t have one, you should utilize a stand or hand mixer as a substitute.
Pulse/beat Tablespoon-size items of softened butter into your dry elements:
Then pulse/beat in an egg to make a smooth dough, like this:
Press the smooth dough right into a greased 9-inch tart pan with detachable sides.
Prick the floor of the underside crust throughout with a fork. That is referred to as docking, and we do it once we par-bake pie crust, too, to permit for steam to flee and assist forestall the empty crust from effervescent up because it bakes. It might nonetheless bubble up a bit—that’s regular.
Freeze the crust earlier than baking so it holds form within the oven. In any other case, it can soften and hunch within the tart pan. Freeze for no less than half-hour, or as much as 1 day if making forward.
To make for straightforward dealing with once you take it out of the oven, bake the tart crust set on prime of a baking sheet. It’s all too simple to neglect your tart pan has detachable sides, belief me on this!
That’s it, your crust is finished. It wants to chill utterly earlier than you fill it.
5-Ingredient Vanilla Mascarpone Cream Filling
Many fruit tarts name for an in depth pastry cream filling; whereas undeniably scrumptious (and it is best to completely be happy to make use of that as a substitute in case you’d like!), we’re maintaining it easy for at present’s contemporary fruit tart.
Simply 5 elements wanted for our low-effort cream filling:
- Heavy Cream: We’re whipping the cream into stiff peaks, then folding the whipped cream into the remainder of the filling. That is kind of how we put together no bake cheesecake, too.
- Mascarpone: Softer than cream cheese, this delicate creamy goodness is what we use to make tiramisu, so that you already know this filling goes to be one thing particular! When you don’t have (or don’t like) mascarpone, use a block of room-temperature cream cheese as a substitute. See recipe Notice beneath.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Identical to with the crust, we’re frivolously sweetening the filling with some powdered sugar, which retains the feel good and clean.
- Lemon Zest: A little bit contemporary lemon zest provides a zingy shiny notice to the filling, which pairs completely with the fruit topping.
- Vanilla: For greatest taste (and people attractive teeny specks), use a mixture of pure vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds, or vanilla bean paste. Vanilla pairs splendidly with subtly candy and buttery mascarpone, and since it’s the primary taste you’ll style on this dreamy, creamy filling, this isn’t the place to scrimp.
Beneath, left: Whipped cream, a lot of the confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla.
Beneath, proper: Mascarpone gently blended with the remaining sugar:
Fold the contents of each bowls collectively, after which unfold into the cooled crust:
Contemporary Fruit Topping
Right here’s the place you may have full inventive management. When choosing fruit for a fruit tart, I search for variation in colour, texture, and dimension—in addition to what flavors pair properly collectively. Beautify the tart with concentric circles or rows of fruit, or just pile all of it on prime.
Regardless of how creative you resolve to get, it can style scrumptious!
For a shiny shine, brush the highest of the fruit with a straightforward glaze. Select a light-color jam/preserves reminiscent of orange, peach, or apricot, and whisk it with some water to skinny it out. That is what’s going to make your fruit tart look identical to those you see in a elaborate pastry show case; and since the tart itself isn’t overly candy, it’s the right ending ingredient.
Right here is my all-berry model, with further whipped cream on prime:
A shiny and cheerful contemporary fruit tart is an excellent alternative for summer time vacation gatherings and celebrations. See extra 4th of July desserts.
Extra Recipes with Contemporary Fruit
Description
The best way to make do-it-yourself contemporary fruit tart with buttery pastry crust and mascarpone cream filling. Save time and put together the crust and cream forward of time! See my make-ahead ideas beneath the written recipe.
Crust
Vanilla Mascarpone Cream
Fruit Topping
- Calmly grease a 9-inch tart pan with a detachable base with nonstick spray.
- Make the crust: In a meals processor, mix the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt and pulse or course of on low pace to mix. Add the butter, 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing a couple of instances after every addition. Add the egg and pulse solely till the dough comes collectively in a clump. The dough ought to be smooth. Switch it to a frivolously floured floor and press it right into a 1-inch-thick disc. *When you don’t have a meals processor, use a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the dry elements collectively, after which beat within the butter on medium pace 1 Tablespoon at a time, after which beat within the egg.*
- Place the smooth dough within the ready pan and use your arms to press it evenly into the pan and up the perimeters. It might appear to be you don’t have sufficient dough at first, however maintain urgent. Use the underside of a metallic measuring cup to press the sides firmly towards the rim of the pan. Flatten the highest edge so it’s even with the rim of the pan, or use a paring knife to trim. Save the scraps to patch up any thin-looking areas. Prick the underside of the crust throughout with a fork. Cowl and freeze for no less than half-hour or as much as 1 day.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Take away the crust from the freezer and place the tart pan on a big baking sheet for straightforward dealing with.
- Bake for 25 minutes or till the crust seems set. Place on a cooling rack to chill utterly.
- Make the cream filling: Utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, 6 Tbsp (45g) confectioners’ sugar, the lemon zest, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds till stiff peaks type, about 3–4 minutes. In a small bowl utilizing a fork, gently combine the mascarpone with the remaining confectioners’ sugar. Don’t over-mix; you solely need to clean out the mascarpone right here. Over-mixing will lead to a separated combination.
- Switch the mascarpone combination to the whipped cream combination. Fold along with a silicone spatula or beat on low pace till mixed. Use straight away (subsequent step), or cowl and refrigerate the filling for as much as 3 days earlier than utilizing.
- Unfold the filling into the cooled crust. I normally use a small offset spatula for this. Refrigerate till able to garnish with fruit, or garnish straight away.
- Prime the tart: Garnish the tart with contemporary fruit. Use a fork to whisk collectively the jam and water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat for about 15 seconds within the microwave, then brush the glaze on prime of the fruit.
- Slice and revel in! Retailer leftover fruit tart, coated, within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Put together the crust via step 3 and refrigerate for as much as 1 day. You may as well put together and bake the crust, then let the crust cool within the pan to room temperature. Put the tart crust within the freezer for about 1 hour to let it agency up, then wrap it in plastic and freeze it for as much as a month. When able to serve, unwrap the crust and let it thaw earlier than filling and adorning. The mascarpone cream may also be ready forward and refrigerated for as much as 3 days earlier than utilizing.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Meals Processor | 9-inch Tart Pan | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Silicone Spatula | Small Offset Spatula | Pastry Brush
- Can I Use a Pie Dish As an alternative? Sure, you should utilize a 9-inch pie dish as a substitute of a 9-inch tart pan. Slicing into the pie neatly shall be difficult although. Chances are you’ll need to line the pan with parchment paper so you possibly can carry the baked and cooled crust out earlier than filling/adorning.
- Can I Use Cream Cheese As an alternative of Mascarpone? Sure, completely! Use 1 8-ounce block of full-fat cream cheese. Cream cheese ought to be room temperature. The remainder of the directions stay the identical.
- Can I Use Pastry Cream As an alternative of the Mascarpone Filling? Sure! Right here is my pastry cream recipe. Make sure that it has chilled earlier than utilizing.
- Crust Replace in 2025: The crust portion of this recipe was up to date in 2025 to be faster, simpler, and require fewer instruments. When you’d prefer to make the unique model, the crust referred to as for: 2 Tablespoons (30ml) chilly heavy cream, 1 giant egg, 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup (60g) confectioners’ sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, very chilly and cubed. Whisk the heavy cream and egg collectively. Put aside. To make use of a pastry cutter: Whisk the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt collectively in a medium bowl. Place the cubed butter on prime and reduce in utilizing the pastry cutter till your complete combination resembles pea-sized crumbs or use a meals processor for this. Pour the heavy cream combination on prime and stir/pulse to mix. Flatten dough right into a 1-inch thick disc. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or as much as 2 days. Take away dough from the fridge and use a rolling pin to roll out right into a 9-inch circle. Press evenly right into a greased 9-inch tart pan together with up the perimeters. Refrigerate because the oven preheats. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Take away crust from the fridge, line the within with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights. Bake the crust for 12 minutes, take away crust from the oven, scale back oven warmth to 350°F (177°C), and thoroughly take away the foil and weights. Use a fork to prick a couple of holes into the underside of the crust and bake, with out weights, for 7–10 extra minutes or till frivolously golden brown.
- Can I Make Mini Fruit Tarts? Sure. This crust suits properly into about six 4-inch mini tart pans, reminiscent of these mini 4-inch tart pans. You need to use bigger tart pans for fewer tarts. Bake the mini crusts till frivolously browned on the perimeters. The 4-inch dimension took about quarter-hour in my oven. Watch for them to chill, then fill and enhance.
