This Raspberry Curd Fruit Tart is delicious to eat and fun to make. A simple to make shortbread crust is filled with raspberry curd and then topped with juicy fresh berries - raspberries, strawberries, blueberries - your choice. I love making fruit curds and this raspberry curd is one of my favorite.
If you've never made a fruit curd before, this is a great recipe to start with. Plus if you're looking for an easy to make tart crust you'll love the recipe for this crust and use it again and again for other desserts. Read on to learn how to make both.
How to Make the Tart Crust
I love this tart crust recipe. It is one of the easiest and most versatile recipes that I know. It has 4 ingredients:
- Flour
- Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Salt
Part of the success with this crust is to add the melted butter to the dry ingredients while it is still hot and then press the dough into the pan while it is still warm. There is no need to butter the pan before pressing the dough into the pan.
The crust needs to be thoroughly baked so it doesn't become too soft when the filling is added. I use this crust for my Rhubarb Tart with Hazelnut Crumble and the first time I didn't bake the crust long enough so the tart became soggy after a few hours with the rhubarb filling. Lesson learned. Bake the crust to match the filling.
If you're making this tart in one day, bake the crust as you're making the raspberry curd with pureed raspberries. The warm raspberry curd will be poured into the still warm tart crust.
The crust can be made 2 days in advance and then wrapped in plastic after it has cooled down. If you need to purchase a tart pan I make my tarts with the Fat Daddio Tart Pan.
If you're looking for other fruit tart ideas check out these other recipes:
How to Make the Raspberry Curd
Making the raspberry curd starts with 12 ounce of fresh raspberries. The raspberries are cooked with 1/2 of the sugar called for in the recipe until the berries are thoroughly broken down and the fruit juices have started to thicken.
Strain the berries through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds and you should be left with 1 cup of raspberry puree. It is okay if you have as little as 3/4 cup. Allow the puree to cool to room temperature. You can also make the fruit puree two days in advance and refrigerate it until you're ready to make the curd.
Use the temperature to determine when the curd is done. The curd takes about 10 minutes to cook, but the temperature is a better gauge to determine doneness.
In a 3-quart saucepan combine the raspberry puree, the remaining sugar, the lemon juice, and the eggs. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until the curd thickens and reaches a temperature of 185 degrees F.
Remove the curd from the heat and whisk in the room temperature butter 2 tablespoons at a time. Each additional should thoroughly combined before adding the next butter.
Do not attempt to rush this recipe by cooking over a higher temperature and do not leave the saucepan unattended. If you have to walk away remove the pan from the heat.
How to Assemble the Raspberry Curd Fruit Tart
If you're making everything the same day pour the warm raspberry curd into the baked tart crust and bake for 17 minutes or until the curd is firm to the touch - which means when you lightly touch the surface of the curd with the tip of your index finger it should not leave an impression.
If you make the crust and the raspberry curd a day in advance, you will need to add 3-5 minutes to the cooking time. As you can see the curd will go from a dark pink to a dark red when it bakes. The color of the final tart is just beautiful.
When the tart is finished baking place it on cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature. About 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven, loosen the sides of the crust by gently pushing up from the bottom, but leave the tart in the pan until it is cool.
When the Raspberry Curd Fruit Tart is completely cool decorate it with fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries or whatever berries you have on hand. The tart is best the day it is served, but we ate it over the next 3 days and it is was still delicious.
Please try the raspberry curd and this Raspberry Curd Fruit Tart while fresh raspberries are in season. It makes a great dessert for the family, for a celebration or just because. And if you do try it, leave me a comment to let me know what you think or tag me on Instagram @bakesbybrownsugar.
Happy Baking!
Raspberry Curd Fruit Tart
Equipment
- 9-inch round Tart Pan with removable bottom
Ingredients
Tart Crust
- 10 tablespoons (142 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 1/3 cups (189 grams) all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons (63 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Raspberry Curd
- 16 ounces (454 grams) fresh raspberries
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) white sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 (100 grams) whole eggs
- 4 (80 grams) egg yolks
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
Fruit Topping for the Tart
- 2 cups fresh berries raspberries, strawberries, blueberries
Instructions
- The recipe is below is written to make the crust, the raspberry curd filling and the finished tart all in one day. However, the tart crust and raspberry curd can be made one day in advance and the tart assembled and baked the next day.
For the Crust
- Adjust 1 oven rack to the middle position in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the butter is a small saucepan. While the butter is melting, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Add melted butter while it is still very warm and stir with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until a dough forms and there are no visible bits of flour left. Using your hands, press two-thirds of dough into the bottom of 9- inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press remaining dough into fluted sides of the pan. Press and smooth dough with your hands to even thickness.
- Place pan on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and bake on the middle rack, until crust is deep golden brown and firm to touch, 25-30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Set it aside until it is ready to fill with the raspberry curd filling. If making one day in advance, allow it to cool completely and then cover with a plastic wrap.
For the Raspberry Curd
- Place the raspberries, 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a 3-quart non-reactive saucepan. Cook the raspberries over medium heat until they start to break down. Use a potato masker to completely break down the berries Strain the berries through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Allow the raspberries to cool to room temperature. Add the lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and taste the mixture. If it is still a little tart add additional sugar 2 tablespoons at time until desired sweetness is reached.
- Place the raspberry puree back in the 3-quart saucepan. Rinse and dry the bowl and place it next to the stove with a medium-coarse strainer. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks to the raspberry-lemon mixture and whisk to combine.
- Cook the curd over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with silicone spatula or metal whisk, until the mixture is thickened and registers 180 degrees in multiple spots, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in butter, 2 tablespoons at a time until incorporated. Strain curd through the medium-coarse strainer into the bowl to remove any solids.
- If making the curd one day in advance, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of curd and refrigerate until ready to use. (Curd can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
Finishing the Tart
- Immediately scrape the raspberry curd into the tart crust and bake in a 350°F oven until the curd is firm to the touch, 15-17 minutes. If making the ingredients one day in advance, add 2-3 minutes to the baking time of the tart. This additional time is needed because the curd will be cold and will need additional time to come to temperature.
- Remove the tart from the oven and allow it to completely cool before decorating with fresh berries. If serving the tart the next day, refrigerate the tart, remove from the refrigerator and decorate with the fresh fruit.
TOLU says
I love it! Your recipe is the best ❤️
Cheryl Norris says
Thank you so much. I really appreciate the compliment.
Theresa Skelly says
I made the curd today and it took WAAAAAAAYY longer to cook to 180°—like 40 minutes! In spite of that it tastes really, really delicious and is a beautiful color. I plan on freezing this to make the tart for a dinner I’m having next week. I covered it with plastic wrap and have it in a tightly covered container. Anything else I need to do before filling the shell? How do I get it smooth again? Just whisk? Thanks for any suggestions.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Theresa
First of all, thank you so much for trying this recipe. The cooking time of 40 minutes is unusual. I've never had a curd take that long to come to temperature once the eggs where added. It is possible that you had the stove on really low?
For your other question about making the tart after you've frozen the curd - let the curd thaw in the refrigerator at least 24 hours before you're ready to make it. Whisking it is a good idea to loosen it up before adding it to the tart shell. It will be easier to spread. Since the curd is cold, you may need to bake it a few extra minutes. It's done when you're able to lightly tough the surface of the curd and your finger comes away clean.
Please let me know how it turns out.
Vivian says
This recipe looks amazing! But I currently don’t have any raspberries, would this recipe still work if I replace the raspberries with blueberries?