The Best Classic Fruit Tart (video)
Simply the best ever classic fruit tart recipe! This stunning fruit and berry tart is made with a classic homemade tart crust, a fluffy cheesecake-style filling, homemade lemon curd and loaded with tons of fruit on top! Nothing beats all of that goodness combined! Make this easy fruit tart for your next get-together and it will be the first dessert to be devoured!
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How To Make a Fruit Tart
Any great tart starts with an equally fantastic tart crust recipe! For this fruit and berry tart, I went with a homemade pie crust that’s buttery and flaky! The easiest way to make the dough is to use a food processor (affiliate link) and first pulse the flour and butter together. The mixture should resemble fine crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, use a classic pastry blender or two large forks to break the butter apart and coat it in flour. Once you add in the cream, the dough just magical comes together! I like to use cream instead of water for a richer tasting crust! If you want a more in-depth tutorial for making the crust, check out my ‘Homemade Pie Crust’ recipe for more details!
Two Delicious Fillings!
For the filling this stunning fruit tart, I went with 2 different fillings: a creamy and fluffy cream cheese, cheesecake-style filling and a tart homemade lemon curd. For the cream cheese filling, you can use whipped cream cheese or simply whisk regular cream cheese first. To use regular cream cheese, first soften it at room temperature, then whisk for about 2 to 3 minutes, until it’s creamy and smooth. Then add in the heavy cream and sugar and whisk to stiff peaks. I love the combination of the creamy filling with the tart lemon curd. Homemade lemon curd is super easy to make and so much better than any store-bought version! I have a separate video recipe for my ‘Homemade Lemon Curd’ – make sure to check out it for more details!
Putting it together!
To put together this fruit tart, first bake the crust and allow it to cool completely; a warm crust will instantly melt the whipped cream filling! Add in the cooled lemon curd and top with a generous amount of the cream cheese, whipped cream filling. Wash and dry the fruit and berries first, then add on top of the tart. As you add the fruit, the filling will start to rise and come up to the edges; this is completely okay! Slice any larger berries in half. This fruit dessert is best enjoyed within but it will be perfectly fine in the refrigerator overnight!
More Recipes!
Love all things fruit and berries? Check out some of my other dessert recipes you’re sure to enjoy!
- Vanilla Citrus Tart – amazing, delicate tart made with citrus gems and vanilla custard filling!
- Chocolate Caramel Raspberry Tart – rich and decadent chocolate and berry tart!
- Raspberry Lemon Tartlets – sweet and tart tartlets with meringue topping!
- Easy Strawberry Tart – filled with a no-bake strawberry cheesecake and pretzel crust!
- Lemon Meringue Pie – the ultimate lemon dessert with flaky crust, zesty lemon curd and a mountain of fluffy meringue!
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Supplies/Tools
Need some supplies to make this recipe? You can get them here (Amazon affiliate links):
- Use this tart pan with a removable base to easily transfer the tart to a stand.
- I love my classic CuisinArt food processor – simple and powerful!
- This stainless steel pot is similar to the one I’m always using.
The Best Classic Fruit Tart Recipe (video)
Ingredients
For Crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3/4 cup butter, ice cold
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream, cold
For Lemon Curd:
- 2/3 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For Cheesecake Filling:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, cold
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces whipped cream cheese
- 4 to 6 cups Fruit and berries, for topping
Instructions
- Prepare the tart shell first. Place flour, salt and sugar into a food processor and pulse to combine. Cube the butter beforehand and place into the freezer until icy cold. Add cold butter into the food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Add the cold heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the dough starts to come together but stays slightly crumbly.
- Transfer the dough directly onto a tart tin; I used an 11-inch pan but a smaller pan will also work. Using your hands, spread the dough to the edges, creating a thick rim and even bottom. Pierce the bottom with a fork to prevent air bubbles. Place the tart shell into the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes and allow it to chill. Un-chilled tart shell will shrink once it's in the oven!
- Preheat oven to 375F. Bake chilled tart shell for about 25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow the shell to cool completely before handling or filling.
- While the shell is chilling, prepare the lemon curd. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the lemon juice (strain to remove pulp and seeds), eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a custard, about 7 minutes. To the hot custard, add the butter and vanilla; whisk until butter is completely melted. Cover the lemon curd with plastic wrap so it touches the surface; cool in refrigerator.
- Once tart shell and lemon curd has cooled, prepare the cheesecake filling. Pour cold heavy cream into a mixer bowl and add the sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk on medium speed to soft peaks. Add the whipped cream cheese, softened at room temperature. Whisk again until mixture is smooth.
- To assemble the tart, pour the cooled lemon curd first over the shell. Then add the cheesecake filling on top and use an off-set spatula to spread it evenly to the edges. The lemon curd will rise to the surface around the edges. Top with your choice of fruit and berries: blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, apricot, peach, kiwi, cherry, pineapple, etc.
- Place the fruit tart into the refrigerator and allow it to chill for a few hours or overnight before serving.
Thanks for the recipe! The cake was very tasty! The whole family was happy!))
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂
This looks amazing Tatyana !! 🙂 I’m so making this tomorrow.
Thanks a lot for the recipe
I made this for our family gathering and it was so good!
Hi, can I use frozen store bought pie crust rather than making the crust from scratch? Thanks!
Yes, absolutely! It will work very well, too 🙂
My dough didnt turn out to be crumby. It was soft. Does that matter?
If it’s too soft, just add a little bit more flour. Also, chill it in the refrigerator. It should still work well 🙂
How far in advance can the components for the tart be made? I am making a birthday dessert for my coworker, her birthday is Wednesday. Thanks. As well if assembled the night before would the crust be soggy?
Hi! You can make everything ahead of time and then assemble the night before. The crust should hold up well overnight! 🙂
Hi. Can I mix the crust with a hand mixer or the food processor is necessary?
If you don’t have a food processor, try using 2 large forks or a pastry cutter. You want to cut the butter into very small pieces or crumbs 🙂
I made this recipe this past weekend and it was a big hit!!
I’m so glad to hear that! 🙂
If using a 9 inch tart shell does the baking time change?
Not by much! Maybe just a few minutes less 🙂 Enjoy!
Thank you for the recipe and the carefully done video. We all loved the tart (5 votes) and rated a strong Repeat (means for me to plan to make it again) . I used a 9 inch pan so I had enough to fill 6 tart-lette pans.
The crust was so easy – and came out very well. The crust was voted – use this crust for all such desserts like a Chocolate Cream or banana cream and for whatever else would be a good filling.
I made a mistake with the lemon curd in trying to get organized I did not start stirring right away so I goofed and had some of the egg white cooked which I had to remove.. My error. Lesson learned and corrected- and the lemon curd was very nice.
The cream mixture was easy to make and very good as well. I referred to your video frequently, Assembly was fun as I had lots of different fruits to select – blueberries, kiwi, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. So thanks again.
Hi Bernie!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! This is one of my personal favorites! 🙂 Glad to hear that it will be on repeat!! 🙂
I made this last week for a friends birthday… huge success!! I was wondering if you have a vegan option recipe for this. I know I can use vegetable shortening or coconut oil for the crust, but how would you do the layer with whipped cream and cream cheese?
Hi Tracey! I’m so happy to hear that everyone loved the recipe! It’s one of my personal favorites!
For a vegan version, you can use shortening for the crust in place of the butter. You can also try this with vegan butter; it’s very similar to regular butter. I would go the same route for the whipped cream. Our Whole Foods sells vegan cream cheese (so good!). You can use coconut cream for the whipped cream. Enjoy!
Hi! I would love to make this for Easter but wondering if I could substitute a mango curd for the lemon curd and if so if you had a recipe for the mango curd?
Thank you so much!
Hi! This would taste amazing with mango, too. I don’t have a recipe for mango curd; however, you can also use mango puree. Enjoy!