Lemon Curd Tart

How to make an easy homemade lemon curd tart recipe with a delicious fluffy meringue topping. Made with a crispy homemade sweet tart crust filled with tangy lemon custard and a beautiful meringue topping.

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Lemon meringue tart

Lemon curd tart is a classic pastry dessert very popular around the world, a recipe full of sweet and tangy flavors that no lemon lover can resist.

With only 3 preparations, this lemon tart is made of a homemade crispy Pate sucree sweet shortcrust pastry dough, with a creamy lemon curd filling, and as a decoration, a fluffy frosting made of Italian meringue.

As in my recipe for lemon meringue tarts, this tart is perfectly balanced, we find both the tangy taste of the yellow lemon on a crunchy and buttery sweet crust and a smooth and creamy meringue topping.

This recipe is delicious and very easy to make at home, perfect for any occasion, to enjoy the citrus season, for a birthday, Mother's Day or just for fun.

>> See all recipes for pies and tart from the blog

Composition

Here is the simple and delicious composition to make a lemon curd tart with meringue at home and the possible substitutions, scroll down the page to see the quantities in the recipe card.

Tart crust

For the tart shell which is blindly baked, we use the recipe of the sweet shortcrust pastry dough which is a basic in pastry making, very easy to make with a very crunchy and delicious texture.

You can easily replace this tart crust with a buttery sweet shortcrust (pâte sablée) to have a crumbly, sandy texture, a simple shortcrust pastry (pâte brisée) or simply a store-bought pie crust.

Lemon filling (Lemon curd)

Lemon curd is a creamy preparation made with whole eggs or egg yolks, sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest and unsalted butter. This creamy lemon mixture has a texture very similar to a custard but with a rich and tangy taste.

Homemade lemon curd is much better than those found in store-bought lemon curd tarts, which are often too sweet and too tart. Perfect to fill a pie crust, lemon tarts or as a cake filling.

Meringue frosting

For the meringue topping, I used an Italian meringue which is very easy to make and gives a nice shiny, fluffy frosting perfect for decorating cakes, cupcakes, and pies.

You can make the recipe without the meringue topping and replace it with sweetened whipped cream or just fresh berries.

⚠️ You will find the quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the page.

How to make lemon curd tart with meringue frosting

1 - Tart crust

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, place the softened butter with the powdered sugar, almond meal, egg, and pinch of salt and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy.
2. Then add the flour and mix again at medium speed, just until incorporated.
3. Gather the dough with your hands and form a ball of dough.
4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 3 mm.
6. Then line a pastry ring or tart pan with the dough.
7. Place the tart shell in the freezer for 1 hour before baking it in the oven at 347°F/ 175°C for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
8. Let the tart crust cool completely before carefully removing from the mold.

Tip: To blind bake the tart you can cover the dough with a sheet of parchment paper and fill the inside with ceramic balls, white beans or rice.

2 - Lemon curd

1. In a heatproof glass bowl, whisk together the room-temperature eggs, sugar, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.
2. Then cook the preparation in a double boiler by placing the bowl on a saucepan containing a little heated water over medium heat and while stirring constantly with a whisk until the cream thickens.
3. Remove from the heat and add the pieces of unsalted butter and stir vigorously to incorporate them.
4. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any residual cooked egg and lemon zest.
5. Transfer the lemon curd to a jar or cover it with plastic wrap and let cool completely in the refrigerator.
6. Garnish the center of the cooled tart shell with the lemon tart filling and smooth the surface with a spatula, then place the filled tart in the refrigerator.

Tip: For a lemon filling with a more firmer texture you can add a small tablespoon of cornstarch into the preparation during the cooking time.

Meringue topping

1. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and mix at medium-slow speed.
2. Place granulated sugar and water in a saucepan and heat over medium heat while controlling the temperature, which should be 244°F/118°C.
3. Pour the sugar syrup over the egg whites and continue mixing at high speed until you have a shiny, firm meringue.
4. Fill a piping bag with the frosting and decorate the top of the lemon curd tart, then apply a blowtorch to lightly burn the meringue.
5. Serve the lemon meringue tart immediately or place it in the refrigerator.

Tip: You can replace the meringue topping with a simple whipped cream or a mascarpone whipped frosting.

Storage instructions

The lemon curd tart can be kept for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, in a storage box, or under a cling wrap.

You can also freeze it, but preferably without the frosting, which might give off too much water when thawed. Let it thaw gently for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

You can make the tart crust and lemon curd filling 1 to 2 days in advance and preferably prepare the meringue frosting at the last minute.

More tart recipes

• French Strawberry Tart
• Salted caramel Chocolate tart
• Rhubarb and almond tart
• Classic apple tart
• Chocolate tartlets

More lemon recipes

• Lemon curd Cupcakes
• Lemon pound cake with Sugar Icing
• Lemon Muffins
• Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
• Lemon Poppy Seed pound Cake with Sugar Icing
• Lemon Bundt Cake
• Lemon Meringue Cake

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