These mini fruit tarts are made with easy and buttery tart shells, filled with homemade pastry cream, and topped with fresh fruit
These mini tartlets are perfect for hosting, parties, holidays, birthdays, or any occasion! These are not just beautiful, but they are extremely delicious.
The texture of shortcrust pastry that crumbles in your mouth melts with the creamy and smooth pastry cream and juicy and fresh berries.
These fruit tartlets will make you feel like you are in a pastry shop in Paris. Serve this for a delicious treat next to your coffee or tea or serve it on a special occasion like tea parties, events, and parties.
For more mini desserts, check out my mini chocolate tarts, mini strawberry cheesecakes, mini no bake cheesecakes, mini Oreo cheesecakes, mini pumpkin pies, brownie bites, and cheesecake balls.
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Why this recipe works
- Flavor- the flavor of this mini fruit tart is light, fresh, buttery, and just delicious.
- Texture- these tarts have the best texture and combination of crispy, creamy, and fresh from the tart shells, crème pâtissière, and fresh berries.
- Ease- these tarts are easy to make and can be made by anyone as long as you follow the instructions correctly.
- Individual portion size- these are perfectly portioned so there is no need to slice the tart with a tough dough and runny filling that can spill from the sides.
- Make ahead friendly- these tarts can be made ahead easily. Make the tart shells ahead of time and store them at room temperature, make the pastry cream and store it in the fridge and when you are ready to serve, assemble!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this mini fruit tartlets recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
For the crust:
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Eggs- you will need 1 egg for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Kosher salt- you will need about ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of this delicious crust.
Make sure that your butter is cold.
Powder sugar- you will need powdered sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
For the pastry cream
Milk- use room temperature whole milk.
Egg yolks- you will need 5 egg yolks for this recipe. Use large eggs.
Vanilla extract- for extra flavor. You can also use vanilla bean extract or pure vanilla extract.
Granulated sugar– granulated sugar works best for this recipe, but caster sugar can work as well.
Cornstarch- you will need cornstarch for the pastry cream. This cant be substituted.
Instructions
Start by making the tart dough. In a food processor, add the flour, powdered sugar, and salt, and mix until combined.
Add the cold cubed butter, and blend until there are pea-sized pieces of butter. If you don't have a food processor, you can do it by hand, mixing the cold butter into the flour mixture. Make sure that your hands are cold.
Then, add the egg, and the vanilla extract and mix until a dough forms. Try not to overmix the dough.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Transfer the dough onto a clean floured surface and roll it with a rolling pin into a rectangle.
Use a cookie cutter or a round bowl (1 inch larger than the mini tart pans) and cut small rounds of the pastry.
Place the pastry inside the mini tart pans and press it down using your clean hands.
Cut off the extra edges. Make holes in the bottom of the pan with a fork and place them in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let it cool while making the filling.
Make the pastry cream
Place a saucepan over high heat and fill it with the milk and vanilla extract. Let it simmer, and remove it from the heat. Scoop ¼ cup of the milk and set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, add the sugar and cornflour. Mix with a whisk until combined. Add the egg yolks and mix.
Gradually add the ¼ cup of milk and mix constantly with a whisk. This step is used to temper the egg yolks and avoid them from cooking too fast.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap tightly. Place the bowl in the fridge. to set and cool for a few hours.
Now it's time to assemble the tarts! Transfer the pastry cream into a piping bag with a round tip. Pipe the custard inside the mini tart shells, and top the cream with washed and dried berries or fruit of your choice.
Optional: Make a simple glaze by mixing 1 tablespoon of apricot jam with ½ teaspoon of water and brush the fruit with the glaze.
Expert Tips
- Use COLD butter for the crust, we suggest cutting the butter into cubes and then placing it in the fridge, so when you are ready to use it, it will be very cold.
- If the crust puffs a bit while baking, press it down using a cup.
- Let the pastry dough rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour before handling it. This makes sure that the pastry doesn't rise quickly while baking.
- If your pastry cream is too thick, add a splash or two of milk to loosen it up.
- Use room temperature ingredients for the pastry cream. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like milk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture.
- Use an easy-release tartlets pan. We use an easy-release tartlets pan for all of our tart recipes. This makes sure that your delicious mini fruit tart will be easy to release from the pan.
Faq's
The best way to prevent a fruit tart from getting soggy is to bake the crust until it's lightly golden brown and not underbake it.
Another way to keep the tarts from getting soggy is assembling the tarts right before you serve them.
The smaller version of the tart is called a tartlet or tartlets. This mini fruit tart is a great example as well as my mini chocolate tarts.
The clear jelly on fruit tarts that creates a shiny look for the fruits is an easy glaze made with apricot jam or preserves, or honey.
These tarts will last for up to 4 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
Yes. You can make these with store-bought pastry shells. Simply skip the process of making the crust.
Storing
Store these tarts in the fridge in an airtight container to prevent them from soaking the aromas of the fridge. These will last for up to 4 days.
Freezing
These mini tarts are perfect for freezing! Simply cover them with a plastic wrap tightly (a few layers) and transfer them into an airtight freezer-friendly container and freeze it for up to 2 months.
I recommend freezing them without the fruit on top and after you thaw them, top them with fresh fruit.
To thaw, place it in the fridge overnight.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can make these ahead of time by prepping the pastry cream for up to 3 days in advance, making the tart shells a day or two ahead, and when you are ready to serve, assemble them as written in the instructions and serve!
Substitutions
Gluten-free- make these gluten-free by replacing the flour with gluten-free flour or make your favorite gluten-free crust.
Dairy-free- to make these dairy free, make vegan pastry cream and follow the rest of the instructions as written. Also, swap the butter in the pastry crust with vegan butter.
Variations
Fruit- top these mini tarts with your favorite type of fruit like clementines, your favorite berries, apples, pears, passion fruit, kiwi, grapes, etc.
Filling- if you don't want to make your own homemade pastry cream, you can make this recipe with instant pudding mix, freshly made whipped cream, or my favorite- mascarpone whipped cream.
More tart recipes
Lemon tart- This lemon tart is made with a buttery pastry crust and filled with a zesty lemon curd filling. This tart is a ray of sunshine in a dessert!
Mini Chocolate Tarts- These mini chocolate tarts are made with a buttery shortcrust pastry and filled with a silky smooth and rich chocolate ganache.
Oreo Tart- This oreo tart is made with an oreo tart crust, topped with an incredibly creamy chocolate filling, topped with whipped cream and oreo chunks.
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📖 Recipe
Mini Fruit Tarts With Pastry Cream
Ingredients
Mini tart crust
- 115 g Butter unsalted
- 1 Egg
- ½ cup Powder sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 250 g Flour
Vanilla pastry cream
- 1 ¾ cups Milk
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 5 Egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon Cornstarch
Toppings
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- 1 tablespoon Apricot jam
- ½ teaspoon Water
Instructions
- Start by making the tart dough. In a food processor, add the flour, powdered sugar, and salt, and mix until combined.
- Add the cold cubed butter, and blend until there are pea-sized pieces of butter. If you don't have a food processor, you can do it by hand, mixing the cold butter into the flour mixture. Make sure that your hands are cold.
- Then, add the egg, and the vanilla extract and mix until a dough forms. Try not to overmix the dough.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Transfer the dough onto a clean floured surface and roll it with a rolling pin into a rectangle.
- Use a cookie cutter or a round bowl (1 inch larger than the mini tart pans) and cut small rounds of the pastry.
- Place the pastry inside the mini tart pans and press it down using your clean hands.
- Cut off the extra edges. Make holes in the bottom of the pan with a fork and place them in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let it cool while making the filling.
Make the pastry cream
- Place a saucepan over high heat and fill it with the milk and vanilla extract. Let it simmer, and remove it from the heat. Scoop ¼ cup of the milk and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the sugar and cornflour. Mix with a whisk until combined. Add the egg yolks and mix.
- Gradually add the ¼ cup of milk and mix constantly with a whisk. This step is used to temper the egg yolks and avoid them from cooking too fast.
- Move the saucepan with the milk to the stovetop over low heat and add the egg yolk mixture into the milk mixing constantly with a whisk.
- Mix over medium-low heat and mix constantly with a whisk until the mixture thickens. Don't increase the heat, be patient it will be worth it!
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap tightly. Place the bowl in the fridge. to set and cool for a few hours.
- Now it's time to assemble the tarts! Transfer the pastry cream into a piping bag with a round tip. Pipe the custard inside the mini tart shells, and top the cream with washed and dried berries or fruit of your choice.
- Optional: Make a simple glaze by mixing 1 tablespoon of apricot jam with ½ teaspoon of water and brush the fruit with the glaze.
Notes
- Use COLD butter for the crust, we suggest cutting the butter into cubes and then placing it in the fridge, so when you are ready to use it, it will be very cold.
- If the crust puffs a bit while baking, press it down using a cup.
- Let the pastry dough rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour before handling it. This makes sure that the pastry doesn't rise quickly while baking.
- If your pastry cream is too thick, add a splash or two of milk to loosen it up.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture.
- Use an easy-release tartlets pan. We use an easy-release tartlets pan for all of our tart recipes. This makes sure that your delicious mini fruit tart will be easy to release from the pan.
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