The soft lemon tart with lemon custard and sour cherries is a showy, quick dessert that’s sure to succeed — perfect to prepare for any occasion. With Easter approaching it will surely be the perfect dessert to bring to the table for the holidays, but I wanted to prepare it for St. Joseph’s Day as an alternative to the classic zeppole, which many find complicated to make. Although with my step-by-step recipe they’re nearly impossible to get wrong, I thought of giving you a delicious alternative that will make all the dads happy. I made it lemon-flavored because I have a tree full of citrus, but you can also prepare it vanilla. So let’s see how to make it.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, St. Joseph's Day
Ingredients for soft tart with custard and sour cherries
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (00)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
- 5 tbsp butter
- zest of 1 organic lemon
- butter and breadcrumbs for the pan
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 medium eggs
- 1/2 + 2 tbsp cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup frumina (starch)
- lemon zest (a couple of strips, only the yellow part)
- to taste sour cherries in syrup (amarene)
Tools to prepare the soft tart with custard and sour cherries
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Clever tart pan
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Small bowl
Steps to prepare the soft tart with custard and sour cherries
In a bowl, grate the zest of 1 lemon. Add the eggs and sugar and beat with electric beaters until the mixture is fluffy and pale.
Add the melted butter in a steady stream, then the milk, and then the flour and baking powder, mixing at medium speed. Immediately pour into a clever tart pan (about 9 1/2–10 1/4 in), buttered and sprinkled with breadcrumbs. Bake in a preheated static oven at 356°F for about 25 minutes. Do the toothpick test: if it comes out dry, the soft tart is ready.
Remove from the oven and flip onto a serving tray.
Beat the eggs (whole, or only the yolks) with the sugar and the frumina in a saucepan, add the milk gradually to avoid lumps, mix well and then add the lemon juice. Also add a couple of strips of lemon zest (only the yellow part) and cook.
Cook the custard over low heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or nonstick pan, stirring constantly with a small spatula, until it comes to a boil. As soon as it’s ready, pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface so a skin does not form, and let it cool.
This base does not need to be soaked, but if you want a base to soak, I recommend the fake soft tart (which is a simple sponge cake) — you can find it in the links above.
Fill the surface of the soft tart with the custard; you can use a piping bag if you wish. Then decorate with the sour cherries in syrup, distributing them as you like. Add a slice of lemon and some fresh mint. Keep in the fridge until half an hour before serving. It keeps 2–3 days in the refrigerator.
You can also prepare vanilla pastry cream.
