Strawberry Tart

How to make a delicious strawberry tart recipe with this classic and traditional French recipe made with a crunchy and buttery shortcrust pastry filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with fresh strawberries.

The strawberry tart recipe is a traditional French dessert, a timeless favorite all over the world when spring comes with its delicious strawberries.

There are several versions of strawberry tart recipes, but the classic version is the one we like the most with its pastry cream filling (custard) and crispy, rich buttery crust.

Made with only 3 preparations, a tart crust - Pâte Sablée filled with almond cream and baked blank in which we add a generous layer of vanilla pastry cream and fresh strawberries.

Make this pretty strawberry tart recipe perfect for any occasion, for Mother's Day, or simply as a dessert for a family meal.

>> See all the tarts and pies recipes from the blog

Why you'll love this recipe

A perfect combination in this delicious strawberry tart with the crispy sweet crust with the flavor of the almond cream and the creamy vanilla pastry filling and fresh strawberries

• Easy to make at home with this step-by-step recipe and video.
• Traditional French recipe is full of flavor.
• Fresh and colorful dessert perfect for the summer season to serve on special occasions.

Composition of this dessert

Here is the sweet composition of this homemade strawberry tart and the possible substitutions, scroll down to see the quantities in the recipe card.

Sweet crust

The strawberry tarts is usually made with a shortcrust pastry, it's a sweet shortcrust dough with a more buttery and crumbly texture hence the name "pâte sablée".

It can be substituted with a simple pâte sucrée recipe, or a reconstituted cookie crust made with graham crackers crumbs or biscoff cookies.

Almond filling

We also often add an extra layer of almond cream in the bottom of the tart, which brings an extra melting layer and a very tasty texture.

Pastry cream

To fill the tart we add a delicious vanilla pastry cream filling that we use to fill the choux pastry. You can also replace this filling with mascarpone whipped cream frosting, cream cheese frosting, or a layer of strawberry jam.

Materials needed: pastry ring or pie dish, stand mixer or electric mixer.

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

How to make a Strawberry Custard tart

1 - Pastry cream

1. Heat the milk with half of the split and scraped vanilla bean until it boils, then remove from heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer for 1 - 2 minutes until you have a lighter mixture.
3. Stir in the flour and cornstarch and mix again to incorporate.
4. Pour the hot milk over the egg and sugar mixture, through a sieve to catch the vanilla bean and any residue.
5. Whisk to combine, then return to the saucepan over medium heat.
6. Cook the mixture until you obtain a thick cream, as soon as it starts to boil continue cooking for another minute.
7. Add the chopped butter off the heat and stir again to incorporate it.
8. Pour the pastry cream into a rectangular dish.
9. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until cool.

2 - Almond cream

1. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl, softened butter, almond meal, granulated sugar, egg, and a pinch of salt.
2. Mix with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and homogeneous.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until it is completely cooled.

Tip: You can add almond extract, vanilla extract, lemon juice or lemon zest to flavor the almond filling.

3 - Sweet shortcrust

1. Place the dry ingredients, all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, almond meal, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add the cold butter and cut it into pieces.
3. Mix without kneading with your hands, rubbing the mixture until the butter is incorporated and you obtain a sandy preparation.
4. Add egg and mix to gather the dough until you get a smooth and homogeneous ball.
5. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin between 2 sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 3-4 mm.
6. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Tip: You can also make strawberry tartlets instead of a large tart or replace the strawberries with other fruits such as raspberries, blueberries etc.

4 - Line a tart pan

1. Remove the parchment paper and place a 9-inch/ 24 cm diameter tart ring or pie dish on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Take the rolled-out sugar dough out of the fridge and put it in the tart pan.
3. Prick the dough with a fork and place your tart shell in the fridge for at least 2 hours or even 1 night ideally (or at least 30 minutes in the freezer if you are in a hurry)

Tip: The key to a perfect tart shell that doesn't fall apart during baking = let the dough rest in the fridge overnight or at least 1 hour in the freezer.

5 - Baking

1. Preheat oven to 338°F/170°C and bake the tart shell for 15 minutes.
2. Remove the tart crust and fill the inside with the almond cream filling and smooth with a rubber spatula.
3. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes until golden brown.
4. Remove the tart ring and bake for a few more minutes.
5. Let the tart crust cool completely at room temperature.

Tip: To blind bake the pie crust, you can line your tart shell with baking paper, then add dry beans, ceramic balls or rice.

4 - Assembly

1. Whip the pastry cream for 1 minute with a hand mixer to give it lightness and fluffy texture.
2. Fill a pastry bag with the vanilla pastry cream and fill the bottom of the tart shell.
3. Place strawberries hulled and arranged on top of the tart.
4. Place your strawberry tart in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Tip: You can sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the tart, or brush on a neutral topping glaze, jelly coating, or sugar syrup for a glossy finish.

Storage and freeze instructions

In the fridge: Strawberry tart can only be stored in the refrigerator, covered in a storage box or under plastic wrap for 2 - 3 days.

How to freeze it? Although I don't recommend freezing the tart with fresh fruit, you can still keep it for up to 3 months in the freezer, wrapped in plastic wrap or in a storage box.

Let it gently thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Strawberry recipes

• Strawberry milkshake
• Strawberry coffee cake
• Strawberry layer cake with diplomat cream
• Strawberry fraisier
• Strawberry galette
• Strawberry banana smoothie
• Strawberry macarons
• No-bake strawberry cheesecake
• Strawberry swirl cheesecake

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