strawberry tart on a white wooden table with plates and a bowl of fresh strawberries in the background

Impress your guests at your next gathering with this eye-catching strawberry tart.

Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients, it comes together pretty easily. First you blind-bake a pastry shell, then you fill it with a silky-smooth lemon pastry cream. The strawberries add the perfect finishing touch, decorating the tart beautifully.

The shell and the pastry cream can be made a day ahead. When you’re ready to serve it, slice the strawberries and finish assembling the tart.

For the shell I used “pasta frolla”, a basic Italian pastry dough used for pies, cookies and tarts.

A few tips for making “pasta frolla”:

  • Use flour that is low in gluten (all-purpose flour is fine but pastry or cake flour is better), it will make the dough more elastic and less likely to crumble.
  • Use cold butter out of the fridge.
  • Work the ingredients quickly to avoid overheating the dough.
  • Once you have kneaded the ingredients into a ball, wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  • You can also make up several batches at one time and freeze them, well wrapped in cling film, for up to 1 month.

Pastry cream makes the perfect filling for cakes, tarts, and pastries. It’s very versatile and can be flavored with lemon, vanilla or chocolate. After it has cooled you can even fold in some whipped cream to lighten it up.

I used strawberries for this tart but you can use your favorite fruits and berries: raspberries, blueberries, peaches, kiwi, etc.

I hope you will enjoy this strawberry tart!

More berries recipes

Close-up of a strawberry tart with creamy pastry filling. The tart is beautifully decorated with fresh strawberries.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

How To Make It: Strawberry Tart with Pastry Cream

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
(5 stars) 16 ratings
This strawberry tart comes together easily. You blind-bake a pastry shell, then you fill it with pastry cream and top it with strawberries
This strawberry tart recipe is for a 26 cm (10 inch) tart pan

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 2 cups+1 tablespoon (250 g) all-purpose flour
  • 3.35 oz. (95 g) butter cold, cut into small cubes
  • ¾ teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest grated
  • a pinch of salt
  • ⅓ cup+1 tablespoon (85 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 egg at room temperature

Lemon pastry cream:

  • 2 egg yolks
  • ⅔ cup minus 1 tablespoon (120 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest grated
  • ½ cup (60 g) flour
  • 2 cups+1 tablespoon (500 ml) milk
  • 1 lemon zest cut into large pieces

To Decorate:

  • 17.6 oz. (500 g) fresh strawberries
  • Optional: chopped pistachios

Instructions

  • Put the flour, butter, salt and baking powder in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is the texture of coarse cornmeal.
  • Transfer it to a large bowl, add the sugar and egg and bring the dough together into a ball, without overworking it.
  • Flatten the ball slightly, wrap it tightly in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • strawberry-tart-with-pastry-cream
  • While the dough is chilling, prepare the lemon pastry cream.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the sugar, egg yolks and grated lemon.
  • fresh fruit tart with diplomat cream
  • Add the flour, a couple of tablespoons of milk taken from the total amount and continue beating until well combined.
  • Place the remaining milk and lemon zest in a saucepan over medium heat until the milk just comes to a simmer.
  • Remove from heat and discard the lemon zest.
  • While whisking, slowly add the milk to the egg mixture and return the mixture to the saucepan.
  • Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cream has reached the desired density.
  • fresh fruit tart with diplomat cream
  • To prevent a skin from forming, press a sheet of cling film directly onto the surface of the pastry cream. Refrigerate until chilled.
  • Finish the tart crust.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry about ¼ inch (0.5 cm) thick.
  • Place it in a 10 inch (26 cm) tart pan and carefully press the dough along the bottom and sides of the pan. With a rolling pin or with your fingers, press along the edge of the pan to remove the excess dough.
  • strawberry-tart-with-pastry-cream
  • Using a fork, prick the bottom of the pastry shell.
  • strawberry-tart-with-pastry-cream
  • Bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
  • Hull the strawberries and slice them ¼ inch (½ cm) thick.
  • strawberry-tart-with-pastry-cream
  • Remove the pastry cream from the fridge, whisk until smooth and spread an even layer in the crust.
  • Starting from the outside and working your way to the center of the tart, place the strawberries, in an overlapping circular pattern.
  • strawberry-tart-with-pastry-cream
  • Sprinkle chopped pistachios on top.
  • Serve the strawberry tart immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 80 g, Calories: 203 kcal, Carbohydrates: 31.8 g, Protein: 8.7 g, Fat: 4.5 g, Saturated Fat: 2.6 g, Cholesterol: 42 mg, Sodium: 127 mg, Fiber: 0.9 g, Sugar: 19.9 g
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment or share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #aseasyasapplepie. We’d love to see what you come up with!
Author: Elena Tomasi
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
strawberry tart with plates and a bowl of fresh strawberries in the background - close up