Looking for a special strawberry dessert that will leave everyone speechless? You don’t have to be a master pastry chef, with the recipe for strawberry and cream tart with heart decorations you’ll win everyone over at the first taste. A crumbly shortcrust pastry shell that embraces a creamy filling rich in strawberries… a delight for the eyes and the palate! Among the strawberry desserts, the classic tart with cream and strawberries is undoubtedly one of the most loved. However, traditional preparation requires blind baking the pastry shell, waiting for it to cool, and then assembling all the elements. With my strawberry and cream tart recipe, everything is easier: you assemble the ingredients raw, bake, and you’re done! Moreover, this dessert – inspired by the classic grandma’s cake – offers the possibility to get creative with decorations. Just a cookie cutter of your favorite shape and you can personalize your tart every time in a unique and creative way. And that’s not all: this tart can also be prepared gluten-free, simply by following the suggestions indicated among the ingredients. This way, you can delight everyone, even those with particular dietary needs.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 45 Minutes
- Preparation time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 10 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients for a 9-inch Strawberry and Cream Tart
If you are celiac, in addition to using the gluten-free shortcrust pastry doses that you find below, remember to check that the following ingredients have the label “gluten-free”: rice flour, corn flour, cornstarch.
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 7 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest (grated)
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 7 tbsp butter
- 1 1/4 cups gluten-free rice flour (very fine or powdery)
- 1/2 cup gluten-free corn flour (very fine)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest (grated)
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 3/4 cups milk
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 lemon (zest only, cut into large pieces)
- 7 3/4 oz strawberries
Tools
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Silicone Mat silicone
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Parchment Paper
- Electric Whisks
- 1 Tart Pan 9 inches in diameter
- 1 Heart-Shaped Cookie Cutter about 1.5 inches wide
How to Prepare the Strawberry and Cream Tart with Heart Decorations
To prepare the strawberry and cream tart with heart decorations, start with the shortcrust pastry base. You can use your favorite recipe, but keep in mind that, to ensure the decorative hearts maintain their shape during baking, it’s best not to add baking powder. Cut the cold butter from the fridge into pieces, place it in the mixer and add the flour (or corn and rice flour for the gluten-free version). Also add the grated lemon zest and a pinch of salt (1). Blend for a few seconds until you obtain a mixture similar to wet sand (2). Then add the eggs and sugar (3).
Blend again, until the mixer allows you to do so. When the mixture starts to clump together (4) turn it out onto the work surface (5) and knead it briefly with your hands, just enough to obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough. Form a block and cut about 1/3 of it (6). Wrap the two portions of pastry separately in plastic wrap and let them rest in the fridge for 45 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the custard: I use this recipe, but of course, you can use whichever recipe you prefer. Consider that you will need about 500 g. Once ready, let it cool completely (7). Wash the strawberries, remove the stem, and cut them into slices about 1/8 inch thick (8). Pat the slices obtained with a sheet of kitchen paper to remove excess water (9).
After the pastry has rested, take a 9-inch tart pan, grease and flour it (10). I have one with a removable bottom which makes it easier to unmold the dessert. If you don’t have a 9-inch pan, consult this article to help you recalculate the doses based on the size of your pan.
Take the larger portion of the pastry and roll it out not too thin, forming a disk about 11 inches in diameter (11). Place a silicone mat or a sheet of parchment paper underneath, and in both cases, dust it lightly with flour so the pastry doesn’t stick to it. Flip the whole thing over onto the pan and carefully remove the parchment paper or silicone mat. Press the pastry into the bottom and sides of the pan, then roll the rolling pin over the edges to remove excess dough (12).
Prick the bottom with the tines of a fork (13) and fill the pastry with the custard (14). Arrange the strawberry slices on top, slightly overlapping them (15).
Take the remaining pastry from the fridge and roll it out quite thin. With a heart-shaped cookie cutter that’s not too large (mine is about 1.5 inches wide), cut out as many hearts as possible (16). Re-knead the pastry scraps, roll it out again, and cut out more hearts. Arrange them in a radial pattern on the tart’s surface forming the outermost circle and making sure the top part of the hearts adheres to the tart’s edges (17).
Form a second inner circle, slightly overlapping the first (18). If you want, you can form a third, to cover the tart completely, but I liked being able to see the inside so I made only two. Bake the strawberry and cream tart with heart decorations in a preheated oven at 355°F (static) for about 45 minutes. When the shortcrust pastry is slightly golden, remove the dessert from the oven (19) and let it cool completely before removing it from the pan.
Once cold, if you don’t consume it immediately, it is best to store it in the fridge. However, remember to take it out about 30 minutes before enjoying it. You can serve the strawberry and cream tart as is or lightly dusted with powdered sugar.
Storage
The strawberry and cream tart with heart decorations can be stored covered in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
Tips and Variations
If you want to make this strawberry tart even more special, you can make almond shortcrust pastry by replacing 80 g of all-purpose flour with the same amount of almond flour. You can flavor the custard with a vanilla bean or with a tablespoon of rum.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What can I use instead of strawberries?
You can make this recipe using another type of fruit: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries (or even mixed berries), peaches, cherries, apples…
How can I make the strawberry and cream tart gluten-free and lactose-free?
You just need to follow the gluten-free recipe by replacing the butter with lactose-free butter and the milk for the cream with lactose-free milk or rice milk (certified gluten-free). If you don’t want/can’t use lactose-free products, you can make a gluten-free oil pastry and use a plant-based milk of your choice for the cream.
