Easy homemade lemon tart is a great citrus dessert made from scratch & using basic ingredients. It’s a perfect baking project for kids as well!
This homemade lemon tart is also perfect for beginner bakers! No special skills are required and the final result is well worth it!
I fell in love with lemon tart while living in Scotland. It was over 10 years ago. I loved everything about this citrus dessert. Even though I did not bake or cook much back then I made sure to write down this easy lemon tart recipe.
You see, lemon tart was not a common dessert where I come from back then and I dare to say that it is not much different now.
It is a shame because this is such a delicious homemade dessert! What do you think? Do you like citrus desserts? I like them a lot! Imagine Thumbprint Cookies or Mini Chocolate Cups with Homemade Lemon Curd! Easy to make desserts where lemon is the main or one of the main ingredients.
What I like about this homemade lemon tart?
- Its sweetness & tartness at the same time.
- Its simple preparation.
- Basic ingredients – 7 basic ingredients that don’t cost much.
- No kneading required.
- No rolling out needed.
- Great recipe for beginner bakers and fun baking project for kids.
- 100% made from scratch – you can’t beat homemade lemon tart recipe with the shop-bought version.
Guys, making Homemade Desserts is easier than you think!
How to make homemade lemon tart – step by step
Let’s divide the process into 2 steps!
Step 1 – Making the crust:
Everyone can do this! And I really mean everyone. Even kids! Actually this is a perfect baking project for kids. You know why? Well, the answer is in this crust.
Making lemon tart crust is easy and more importantly it’s fun. This is not that type of a pastry that needs to be rolled out nicely. No no no! This one you basically stick to your cake tin. So kids will love doing this. Trust me!
So it goes like this: flour, butter & sugar are combined until sticky dough is formed. That is it. This takes about a minute. All you have to do now is cover the bottom and sides of your cake tin with it. Evenly-ish, if possible.
Step 2 – Making the lemon tart filling:
Get a bowl and throw the rest of the ingredients in. Whisk. Pour over the pastry and bake. You see, this is really easy and I am telling you, your kids will love making this lemon tart with you!
A few tips:
Homemade lemon tart is one of my favorite pies and I’ve made it several times. It always tastes delicious. To make the baking as smooth as possible check out these tips:
- Butter your cake tin well. Be more than generous. If you grease your tin properly, you will be able to take out this lemon tart without any trouble.
- If for some reason you find the pastry too hard to work with, add some extra melted butter.
- Bake until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown.
Toppings: Lemon tart tastes even better when topped with sour cream, ice cream or whipped cream. I personally prefer eating this lemon tart with sour cream.
So now that you know everything you should know about making this easy lemon tart recipe you can give it a try!
Good to know:
This recipe can be easily doubled!
Check out my other dessert recipes with lemon:
Want to see how to make Lemon Tart? Watch the video!
Simple Homemade Lemon Tart
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup Plain Flour (130 grams)
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter (110 grams)
- 4 tablespoons Powdered Sugar
For the lemon filling:
- ¼ cup Whipping Cream
- ¼ cup Caster Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- Lemon Juice (from 1 large lemon – at least 1/3 cup)
Instructions
- Mix flour, melted butter and icing sugar in a bowl until you get soft dough.
- Press this soft dough into the base of your cake tin and up the sides. Pierce the dough several times with a fork.
- Bake it blind for 20 minutes at 375°F/190°C. Take it out & let it cool down. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F/150°C.
- In a bowl, whisk caster sugar, egg, cream and lemon juice. Carefully pour into the cooled pastry case.
- Return to the oven and bake for a further 35–40 minutes or until the filling is set.
- Take out, let cool down completely before removing it from the tin.
- Dust with icing sugar and serve.
- Happy Baking!
Erren says
This looks so delicate yet so perfect! I love a good lemon tart recipe and this has to be my favorite, thank you for sharing this with me :)
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Glad you like it, Erren! I love this recipe!
Heather Stockton says
I am in Australia, and lemons are a plenty, so thank you for this easy Yummy recipe :)
Suzy | The Mediterranean Dish says
This is calling my name!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
:) :)
Kathi says
I just bought my first tart pan …say what? :). This looks like a great way to break it in! Love how simple and fresh it is!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
:) Just remember to grease the pan well. I sometimes underestimate it and then it’s a nightmare taking it out :)
Jehan Hale says
Oh wow! I cannot wait to try this recipe out! You make it sound so easy!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
It is easy! :) Let me know what you think once you’ve tried it!
Shumaila says
When I was in college, one of my hostel friends would get lemon tart from her home town. A bakery made it and it was always a delight to eat. This lemon tart looks great, and glad you took down the recipe from your Scotland days and sharing it with us now!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Lemon tarts rock, don’t they! :)
Janice says
I’ve been craving lemon squares, but this tart would also work for me ;)
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
:) I am sure it would! :)
Georgie @ The Home Cook's Kitchen says
lemon tart would have to be one of my favorite desserts an I haven’t made it for ages! I’ve been watching a lot of The Great British Bake Off and they are always making these!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
I loove the Great British Bake Off! :)
DB says
What size cake pan do you use? Do you need to line and fill pie crust before baking? How do you remove tart from a cake pan?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi. You will need a 7inch/18cm in diameter cake pan. I used sandwich pan. Just make holes in the crust with a fork or a knife. If you fill it, it won’t cook properly. It’s better to let it bake as it is. However, you have to grease your pan very well. By greasing I mean using a very thick layer of butter (check out the video to have a rough idea). Use cold butter right from the fridge. If you grease your pan well, it will not stick to the pan. You will just place a cooling rack over the tart and flip it over. Hope this helps!
Dena Squaires says
I think you left a couple of ingredients out. List of ingredients shows 1 egg but the instructions say the word “eggs”. Also, no flour? Not much liquid for the trait—not even enough to cover crust.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Dena. There are no ingredients missing from the recipe. However, there was a mistake in the text where it stated “eggs” instead of “egg”. I have already fixed that typo. Please note that the filling does not contain any flour and the amounts stated in this recipe are enough for a 7 inch pan. You might have a deeper pan which might require more filling. If this is the case, simply double the ingredients for the filling. Hope this helps :)
Kay Price says
What is caster sugar and where do you get it ?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Kay! Caster sugar is also known as fine granulated sugar/superfine sugar. You should be able to get it in any supermarket. If you need any more help, please let me know.
Yvonne says
when you say powdered sugar, do you mean icing sugar??
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Yvonne. Yes, powdered sugar is icing sugar :)
Lim Mei Lee says
Hi, what does “bake it blind” means for the crust? Thanks..
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi! Baking blind simply means pre-baking the crust without its filling first.
Sarah says
Hello would like to k ow can we use cream instead of whipping cream….the Ones we have here r those in spray cans ready to top something
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Sarah, you could try using cream. Try to find one that has 18% fat content. I think it should work. Yeah, the spay whipped creams are no good for this. Let me know once you’ve tried!
Marsha says
Hi there – is there a substitute I could use for the whipping cream due to intolerance? Everything else looks so good – possibly coconut milk? Thanks so much
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Marsha! Thank you. I haven’t tried using anything else but whipping cream in this recipe so I am not sure. I am quite new to using coconut milk in cooking (I mostly use it in soups) but I like the idea of using it in this recipe and perhaps it is worth a shot. If you try it, let me know. I am putting it on my list and will definitely give it a shot to see how it works.
Winnie says
When you say juice of 1 lemon could you specify how much cup wise? 1/3; 1/4? My home grown lemons make mor juice than a store bought lemon. Looking forward to making it!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are lucky you have lemons growing in your garden! Don’t be scared adding more juice. The crust is sweet enough and even if the filling is more sour it will still balance off perfectly. However, it should be at least 1/3 cup.
Christina Downs says
Hi. I’m from New Zealand. What is whipping cream? Is it just normal liquid cream? Thanks
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Christina, I think it’s what you call thickened cream. Any cream with a fat content somewhere between 30-36% will work well.
Megha says
Can this b made in a microwave???
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Megha. I am afraid this recipe is not developed for microwave cooking.
Oren says
Hi Julia, I tried this recipe today and it didn’t turn out well. The sides of the pie crust was very ‘crusty’ even though I baked it for only 20 minutes while the bottom wasn’t as crusty looking. I made the filling with a 25% fat cream and it wasn’t cooked even at 40 minutes. Also, the pie didn’t come out of the pie pan. What should I do to improve upon it? Thank you!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Oren. I am sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out perfect for you. To prevent the edges from over-cooking you can cover them with aluminium foil (but not the sides). I normally use 35% whipping cream to make it and the cake sets well. Maybe with lower fat-content cream you need longer time but not sure about this, Oren. To get the pie out of pan I only grease it with butter. However, I make sure there is a very generous layer of it. That way it comes out of my tin easily. If in doubt, line the bottom of the pan with baking parchment and generously grease the sides. Hope this helps. This is one of my favorite cakes so hopefully it will work better for you the next time you try!
Eunice says
I made this for family gathering and everyone loves it! Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe :)
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome, Eunice! :) I am glad to hear you and your family loved it!
Mirinda says
I have a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom, would this work for this recipe?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Yes, it should work. However, you might need to double the recipe (or increase it at least by half – e.g. instead of 1 cup flour, use 1.5 cup, etc) as it will not be enough for a 9-inch pan.
Lynne says
Hi. Hi. I have made this a couple times and love it. I just read the comments and I see you state to use at least 1/3 cup lemon juice. The recipe calls for the juice of one lemon. The lemons I have used did not yield that much juice. Maybe you should put 1/3 cup lemon juice In the recipe? I would have loved to know that.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Lynne. Thanks for your comment! I have updated the recipe card to make it clear for everyone.
Christine says
Hi,
I made the the lemon tart yesterday. Is yummy. Can I refrigerate the dough for the crust before lining on the cake pan? As it melts easily an the crust sink or out of shape when oven.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Christine. I am happy to hear you liked this easy dessert. I haven’t tried it so not sure. What you could do is line the crust into the pan (yes, it will be very soft but there is no kneading required so you just “stick it” there. Then, try to refrigerate as is before baking. Hope this helps.
Amy says
We are making this today for a party tomorrow. Should it be refrigerated overnight?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Amy. Yes, store it in the fridge before serving.
Danielle Bisaillon says
Hello,
I recently created this recipe for my family and it was a big hit. I even added fresh strawberries sliced up and laid them all over the tart. I’d just like to thank you for helping me find such an easy recipe with as little ingredients possible.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks so much for finding time to leave the feedback, Danielle! It means a lot!
Bambi Rodriguez says
Hi, I’ve tried this twice and it is yummy! I also found that at 20 minutes it was set already. Is it okay to take it out of the oven?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
If you check the tart after 20 minutes and it’s ready, then you can take it out. Thanks for your feedback!