Lemon tartlets
These mini lemon tartlets are a delicious tangy little desserts. A buttery shortcrust pastry with a zingy lemon filling, they’re perfect for an afternoon tea and surprisingly easy to make.
These mini lemon tartlets are great individual desserts or afternoon tea treats. Made with a delicious buttery sweet shortcrust pastry which contrast beautifully with the zingy lemon filling, they’re a refreshing treat for any lemon lover.
How can kids help to make lemon tartlets?
There are lots of steps in this recipe which makes it a great one for getting kids involved. It’s not the easiest of recipes, but that’s not to say there aren’t things that children can do.
First of all, kids can help to make the pastry. If you’ve never done it before it’s simply a case of combining the butter and sugar with the flour. A food processor can make this step a bit quicker, but you can also do it by hand, which kids will enjoy.
If you want you can skip this step however if you buy some shortcrust pastry, or even some ready made tartlet cases.
The filling is quite an easy job for kids to get involved in. There are a lots of eggs so your kids will get a lot of egg cracking practice (an important kitchen skill to learn). And they can help to zest and squeeze all the lemons. Once you’ve done all that, it’s an easy job of combining it all together and pouring them into your cases.
What pastry is used for a lemon tart?
These mini tarts use a delicious crumbly shortcrust pastry. We’ve included the instructions on how to make your own shortcrust pastry below, but you could simplify things and use shop bought pastry.
How long do mini lemon tarts keep?
These lemon tartlets will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. I don’t recommend freezing them.
What else can you make with lemons?
If you liked these mini lemon tarts, you might like some of our other lemon recipes. They’re a great way of using up more lemons if there are a few left over in your pack.
Lemon meringue cheesecake
Lemon sponge cake
Mary Berry’s lemon cupcakes
Lemon biscuits
Lemon blueberry loaf
Lemon curd muffins
Mary Berry’s iced lemon traybake
Lemon curd tarts
Lemon drizzle cupcakes
No bake lemon cheesecake
Lemon blueberry muffins
Lemon meringue pie
Lemon meringue cheesecake
Or if you want another recipe that uses the same tartlet tins try our no bake mini chocolate tarts.
Useful equipment
Digital scales
Measuring cups
Palette knife
Loose bottomed tartlet tins / mini tart tins
Wire rack
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Ingredients
For the pastry
175g plain flour
100g cold butter
25g icing sugar
1 egg yolk
For the lemon filling
4 eggs
100ml double cream
150g caster sugar
4 lemons, zest and juice
Fruit to serve (optional)
How to make lemon tartlets
Make the shortcrust pastry
Start by getting your kids to measure out the flour and add it to a large mixing bowl. Or if you have a food processor you can use that instead.
Measure out the butter, then cut it into small pieces before adding that to your mixing bowl. Using your finger tips rub the butter and flour together until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
Alternatively you can use a food processor to blitz the butter and sugar together.
Add the sugar and mix it in.
Next, get your kids to separate the egg yolk and the egg white.
We find the easiest way of doing it is to crack the egg and split it open, then we tip the egg yolk between each half of the shell, letting the egg white fall into a small bowl below. When you’re left with just the egg yolk, add that to your mixing bowl.
Mix everything together, either using a spatula, or by pulsing your food processor until it starts to come together. If you need to, add up to 1 tablespoon of cold water to help bring it all together.
Tip it on to a lightly floured work surface then knead it very briefly so it stops crumbling and comes together in a nice ball. As soon as it comes together, stop working it as you don’t want to over mix it.
Wrap the pastry in cling film / glad wrap and pop it in the fridge to rest for 15 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 350F and grease 6 fluted 10cm round tartlet tins with oil or butter.
Make the pastry tartlet cases
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry out until it is around 3-4 mm thick.
When you’re rolling it out, turn it 90 degrees between rolls to stop it from sticking to your work top and to ensure you get an even roll.
To stop the pastry from tearing when it’s bigger and thinner, roll it around your rolling pin before rotating it. That should support it and stop it from tearing.
If you find the pastry is sticking, you can roll it out on top of a sheet of baking paper and put another sheet in between the pastry and the rolling pin.
Cut out 6 circles around 1-2 cm larger than the size of your tartlet tins. If you have a large cookie cutter, that’s an easy way of doing it. We didn’t so just marked round the tartlet tin with a knife.
Press the pastry into each tartlet tin. Get your kids to use a spare piece of pastry to push the pastry into the edges. Don’t worry if there’s still some hanging over the edges. The pastry will shrink a little in the oven, so you want there to be a little too much. We’ll neaten it up later.
Re-roll any excess pastry and cut out more cases until you’ve made all six, then prick the base of each tartlet case with a fork.
Pop the pastry cases in the fridge for another 10 minutes or so.
Blind bake the tartlet cases
Line your tarlet cases with baking or parchment paper. If you scrunch it up before you put it in your tin, it will fit into the edges more easily.
Set your cases on a baking tray then fill them with baking beans, rice, lentils or anything else dry and heavy and bake your empty cases for 7 minutes.
Take them out the oven and carefully remove baking beans and baking paper.
Trim the edges with a sharp knife and return the pastry cases to the oven for another 5-7 minutes until they are golden and dry.
Turn the oven down to 170C /150C Fan / 340F.
Make the lemon tart filling
While the cases are baking, make the lemon tart filling. Start by getting your kids to break the eggs and add them to a large mixing bowl.
Give the eggs a wee whisk with a hand held whisk, then add the cream, and sugar.
Finally add the lemon juice and zest.
To get the most out of your lemon, pop it in the microwave if you have one for 10 seconds or so, then roll it around on your worktop. This should get it to release more juice.
Cut the lemon in half and get your kids to help squeeze it. Once they’re done, give it one final squeeze to make sure they’ve got all the juice out.
Give the lemon, egg and cream mixture a final whisk to make sure it is all well combined. Pour the lemon filling into a jug to make it easier to add to your cases.
Bake the lemon tartlets
Pour the lemon filling into your baked pastry cases. Your kids can help with this if they have a steady hand. It can be easier to half fill them, then put them in the oven on their shelf before filling them to the top.
Bake the tartlets for around 12 -15 minutes. They’re ready when they’re just set with a slight wobble in the middle.
Remove them from the oven, and leave them in their cases for a few minutes to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle carefully remove them from their tins and leave them to cool on a wire rack fully.
Decorate with fruit (optional) serve and enjoy.
Lemon tartlets
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Measuring cups
- Palette knife
- Loose bottomed tartlet tins / mini tart tins
- Wire rack
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 175 g plain flour
- 100 g cold butter
- 25 g icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk
For the filling
- 4 eggs
- 100 ml double cream
- 150 g caster sugar
- 4 lemons zest and juice
- Fruit to serve optional
Instructions
Make the pastry
- Measure out the flour and add it to a large mixing bowl. Or if you have a food processor you can use that instead.
- Measure out the butter, then cut it into small pieces before adding that to your mixing bowl. Using your finger tips rub the butter and flour together until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.Alternatively use your food processor to blitz the butter and sugar together.
- Add the sugar and mix it in.
- Next, separate the egg yolk and the egg white. We find the easiest way of doing it is to crack the egg and split it open, then we tip the egg yolk between each half of the shell, letting the egg white fall into a small bowl below. When you’re left with just the egg yolk, add that to your mixing bowl.
- Mix everything together, either using a spatula, or by pulsing your food processor until it starts to come together. If you need to, add up to 1 tablespoon of cold water to help bring it all together.
- Tip it on to a lightly floured work surface then knead it very briefly so it stops crumbling and comes together in a nice ball. As soon as it comes together, stop working it as you don’t want to over mix it.
- Wrap the pastry in cling film / glad wrap and pop it in the fridge to rest for 15 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 350F and grease 6 fluted 10cm round tartlet tins with oil or butter.
Make the pastry tartlet cases
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry out until it is around 3-4 mm thick.
- When you’re rolling it out, turn it 90 degrees between rolls to stop it from sticking to your work top and to ensure you get an even roll.To stop the pastry from tearing when it's bigger and thinner, roll it around your rolling pin before rotating it. That should support it and stop it from tearing.
- Cut out 6 circles around 1-2 cm larger than the size of your tartlet tins. If you have a large cookie cutter, that's an easy way of doing it. We didn't so just marked round the tartlet tin with a knife.
- Press the pastry into each tartlet tin.Use a spare piece of pastry to push the pastry into the edges. Don't worry if there's still some hanging over the edges. The pastry will shrink a little in the oven, so you want there to be a little too much. We'll neaten it up later.
- Re-roll any excess pastry and cut out more cases until you've made all six.
- Pop the pastry cases in the fridge for another 10 minutes or so.
Blind bake the tartlet cases
- Line your tarlet cases with baking or parchment paper. If you scrunch it up before you put it in your tin, it will fit into the edges more easily.
- Set your cases on a baking tray then fill them with baking beans, rice, lentils or anything else dry and heavy and bake your empty cases for 7 minutes.
- Take them out the oven and carefully remove baking beans and baking paper.
- Trim the edges with a sharp knife and return the pastry cases to the oven for another 5-7 minutes until they are golden and dry.
- Turn the oven down to 170C /150C Fan / 340F
Make the lemon tart filling
- While the cases are baking, make the lemon tart filling. Start breaking the eggs and add them to a large mixing bowl.Give the eggs a wee whisk with a hand held whisk, then add the cream, and sugar.
- Finally add the lemon juice and zest.
Bake the lemon tartlets
- Pour the lemon filling into your baked pastry cases. It can be easier to half fill them, then put them in the oven on their shelf before filling them to the top.
- Bake the tartlets for around 12 -15 minutes. They're ready when they're just set with a slight wobble in the middle.
- Remove them from the oven, and leave them in their cases for a few minutes to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle carefully remove them from their tins and leave them to cool on a wire rack fully.
- Decorate with fruit (optional) serve and enjoy.
Notes
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