French Lemon Tart (Tarte au Citron)
This classic French lemon tart features a buttery sweet crust and silky, tangy lemon filling—perfectly balanced and ideal for elegant desserts or tea-time treats.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes (5 for filling, 5 for baking)
- Total Time: ~35 minutes + cooling
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking, Stove-top
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
1 sweet tart crust (pre-baked and cooled)
1 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
1/2 cup lemon juice (from 1–2 lemons)
3/4 cup white sugar
12 tbsp / 170g unsalted butter, cut into 1cm (1/2″) cubes
3 large whole eggs
3 large egg yolks
Instructions
Prepare Tart Crust: Use your preferred sweet tart crust recipe. Fully blind bake the crust and allow it to cool completely before filling.
Preheat Oven: Preheat to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan).
Mix Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together lemon zest, juice, sugar, butter, whole eggs, and yolks.
Thicken on Stove: Cook over low to medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to mound when dolloped (approx. 5 minutes or more).
Strain: Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove any lumps.
Fill Tart: Pour the lemon filling into the cooled tart shell and smooth the top.
Bake Briefly: Bake for 5 minutes until set (should be soft but not liquid).
Cool & Set: Let the tart cool completely at room temperature so it fully sets before slicing.
Serve & Decorate: Serve as is or with crème fraîche, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. Decorate with lemon slices, raspberries, edible flowers, or a dusting of powdered sugar.
Notes
Eggs should be large for correct texture and consistency.
Do not remove the filling from heat until it visibly mounds when dolloped; this ensures it sets properly.
Tart can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.
Find it online: https://allcookedup.com/french-lemon-tart-tarte-au-citron/
