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    Egg Custard Tarts

    14/09/2013 by thebakingexplorer 15 Comments

    Egg Custard Tarts
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Egg Custard Tarts are one of my absolute favourite things, and if you love them too, you are going to love this homemade version! I know you can get them quite cheaply in the shops, but there's just something about making them yourself that makes them all the more satisfying! These egg custard tarts are the classic English kind which are made with a sweet shortcrust pastry. The pastry is so simple to make - but of course you can use a shop bought pastry if you prefer. You don't even have to blind bake the pastry first, once the custard is mixed up you pour it in and bake everything together.

    How to make Egg Custard Tarts...

    In a mixing bowl I used my fingers to rub together butter, plain flour and caster sugar until it looked like breadcrumbs. Then I added milk and brought the mixture together into a dough.

    I wrapped it in clingfilm and chilled it in the fridge for 30 minutes. On a lightly floured surface I rolled out the dough and cut out 4" rounds.

    I greased my tin and put strips of greaseproof paper in them to lift the tarts out with. Then I put the rounds of dough into each hole and neated the sides gently with my fingers.

    For the custard, I warmed the milk and vanilla in a pan. In a bowl I whisked the egg yolks and caster sugar together until smooth.

    I poured the warm milk into the eggs, whisking as I poured. Then I poured the mixture into a jug through a sieve. I placed the tarts onto the shelf, then poured the custard in and added a sprinkle of nutmeg.

    Once the tarts were baked I let them cool for 30 minutes before removing from the tin.

    Egg Custard Tarts

    Recommended equipment & ingredients*

    Cupcake tin Mixing bowls Cooling rack
    Kitchen scales Rolling pin Silicone mat
    Round cutters Nutmeg

    *I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!

    Egg Custard Tarts

    Tips for making the Egg Custard Tarts:

    • You will have keftover egg whites from this recipe. Don't discard them. You can make meringue, omelettes or quiche with them to name a few. If you don't want to use them the same day, then you can store them in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of days. Or you can freeze them and defrost before using again.
    • I used ground nutmeg for this recipe, but you can also use fresh if you prefer. I woul advise pre-grating it into a bowl and having it ready to go.
    • If you prefer, you can use shop bought ready made shortcrust pastry or ready made tart shells.

    Egg Custard Tarts

    More custard tart recipes:

    Chocolate Orange Custard Tart
    Chocolate Orange Custard Tart
    Egg Custard Tarts

    Egg Custard Tarts

    Delicious egg custard in a sweet pastry, with a sprinkle of nutmeg
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: Dessert
    Prep Time: 1 hour
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Author: thebakingexplorer

    Ingredients

    For the pastry

    • 120 g Butter
    • 200 g Plain flour
    • 45 g Caster sugar
    • 2 - 2 ½ tbsp Milk

    For the filling

    • 5 Egg yolks (from large eggs)
    • 65 g Caster sugar
    • 500 ml Whole milk
    • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
    • Nutmeg for sprinkling
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • In a mixing bowl use your fingers to rub together the butter, plain flour and caster sugar until it looks like breadcrumbs
    • Add the milk (you may not need it all, or you may need a little more as different flour brands absorb differently) and bring the mixture together into a dough. Wrap it in clingfilm and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes
    • Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 180C Fan/200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 and grease a muffin/cupcake tin with butter, and strips of baking paper so you can easily lift the tarts out once baked
    • Roll out the pastry onto a floured work top and use an 4" cutter to cut out 12 circles, you may need to re-roll the pastry to get all 12
    • Place the pastry rounds into the tin, use your fingers to gently shape the pastry to the holes in the tin, smoothing the sides down. Put into the fridge while you make the custard
    • For the custard, heat up the whole milk and vanilla extract on a low heat until luke warm
    • In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the caster sugar together until smooth
    • Pour the warm milk into the egg mixture, continuously whisking as you pour. Then pour the mixture, through a sieve and into a jug
    • Place the muffin tin onto the oven shelf, then pour the custard into the pastry cases using a jug. Fill up the cases as much as you can, then sprinkle the nutmeg over the top. Very slowly and carefull push the shelf into the oven, trying not to spill the custard mixture over the sides of each tart
    • Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for the final 10 minutes. Take the tarts out and let them cool for 30 minutes in the tin. Then remove from the tin using the greaseproof paper strips to assist you
    • Store in the fridge and eat within 2 days
    Made this recipe?Share on Instagram with me @TheBakingExplorer or tag #thebakingexplorer!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 435IU | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg

    If you like this, check out more of my Sweet Tarts & Pies recipes!

    Egg Custard Tarts

    Pin it for later!

    Previous Post: « English Muffins
    Next Post: Apple Cake Traybake »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Stuart Vettese

      September 14, 2013 at 10:16 am

      5 stars
      Your custard tarts look GBBO worthy - very impressive. I could go for one, right now!!

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        September 14, 2013 at 8:02 pm

        Thanks Stuart! Me too...I need to make more soon!

        Reply
    2. vohnmcg.com

      September 14, 2013 at 5:21 pm

      5 stars
      Great going Kat!

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        September 14, 2013 at 8:04 pm

        Thanks Vohn!

        Reply
    3. underthebluegumtree

      September 18, 2013 at 7:35 am

      5 stars
      I really love the look of your custard tarts. To me the filling looks perfect.

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        September 18, 2013 at 6:38 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    4. Tina Jui

      September 18, 2013 at 11:06 am

      5 stars
      Nice custard tarts!

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        September 18, 2013 at 6:38 pm

        Thanks Tina!

        Reply
    5. Dawn Brinn

      September 13, 2020 at 7:15 pm

      Hi if using a shop bought pastry case, how long would the custard take to be ready, please, also what gas mark. Will be trying your full recipe as no blind baking, Looks scrummy

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        September 13, 2020 at 9:50 pm

        Hi Dawn, is the pastry case you are using pre-baked? I have never baked them in a pre-baked case so I can't say exactly. I would suggest checking them after 20 minutes, then giving them longer if needed. They should have a slight wobble to them and some will have started to go golden on top. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    6. Suenell Liebenberg

      November 20, 2020 at 10:44 am

      In South Africa we make a similar one... Melktert or a Milk tart with cinnamon on top.
      Love this.

      Reply
    7. Ang

      March 07, 2021 at 11:48 am

      Greetings from South Africa, your egg tart is called a Milktart(melktert) here. Its one of our traditional desserts. We sprinkle cinnamon in the egg custard and on top of the tart

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        March 07, 2021 at 1:55 pm

        Cinnamon on top sounds delicious!

        Reply
    8. Shona

      March 22, 2021 at 6:21 pm

      5 stars
      Made these, taste.much better than shop bought but they did sink slightly in the middles

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        March 22, 2021 at 8:09 pm

        Hi Shona, I'm so glad you enjoyed them! The sinking is totally normal, the custard puffs up in the oven and as they cool it drops down a bit 🙂

        Reply

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