Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (2024)

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Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (1)

Italian lemon mascarpone tart is creamy, tangy, lemony and delicious. Our friend Elle gave us this recipe and it’s one that she makes throughout the year. Elle uses a quality store bought artisan pastry which makes this super quick to put together.

War and Peace

Although the Italian lemon mascarpone tart recipe reads like war and peace with so many instructions it really is just a case of making and blind baking the pastry shell, make the filling in a food processor, then baking.

Candied Lemons

Although the candied lemon slices are optional we think they are worth the couple of minutes it takes to prepare them. They bring an extra lemon hit to the party that plays on your tongue. Also they look fabulous on the tart!

2 Minute Sour Cream Pastry

This recipe makes a beautiful short pastry that is both flaky and melt in the mouth. We find this pastry to be a great allrounder for both sweet and savoury pies.

What Tart Tin to use?

The original recipe for this Italian lemon mascarpone tart used a 25 cm x 2.5 cm (10 inch x 1 inch) round tart tin. We changed this to make in a rectangular tart tin 35 cm x 12 cm x 2.5 cm ( 14″ x 4 1/2″ x 1″) because of a platter we had wanted to serve the tart on for a luncheon. Using the rectangular tart tin then left us with a cup of the lemon mascarpone mixture left over. We simply baked the custard in a small ramekin and hid it for a late night treat.

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What’s your favourite tart recipe?

We would love to hear from you in the comments below when you make this Italian lemon mascarpone tart.

Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (12)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Italian lemon mascarpone tart is creamy, tangy, lemony and delicious. Quick to put together and quicker still if you use a store bought pastry.

Ingredients

pastry

  • 125 ml sour cream(4 ounces)
  • 250 g plain (all purpose) flour(9 ounces)
  • 200 g cold butter, cubed(7 ounces)

filling

  • 250 g fresh ricotta cheese(9 ounces)
  • 250 g mascarpone cheese(9 ounces)
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 large whole eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
  • 80 mls fresh lemon juice(3 fl ounces)

lemon slices

  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds
  • 1/3 cup castor sugar
  • 1/3 cup water

Instructions

Sour Cream Pastry

  • Put the butter and flour into the bowl of a food processor, then pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sour cream and pulse again until the dough just forms a ball.
  • Form into a flat disk, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 20 mins.
  • Roll dough out to fit a round tart pan 25cm x 2.5cm (10” x 1”) size tin, using a fork poke holes all over the pastry and then fit the pastry into the tin and chill again for 60 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 200c (390f ) bake not fan.
  • Trim the excess pastry from the tin using a sharp knife.

Blind Bake

  • Line the pastry case with a double layer of foil and fill with sugar to the top of the tin – we have found sugar to be a wonderful weight for pastries as it manages to fill into the corners and creases of pans and can be reused without loosing any of its qualities. Doubling the foil helps with lifting the sugar from the case without breaking.
  • Blind bake the pastry case for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and sugar. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the pastry is pale golden and the bottom is dry.
  • While pastry is blind baking prepare the lemon mascarpone mixture.
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 170c (340f )

Lemon filling

  • place ricotta and mascarpone into a food processor and process until smooth
  • add sugar, eggs and yolks, lemon rind and juice and process again
  • put the tart tin on the middle oven shelf
  • carefully pour the mixture into the pastry
  • bake for 30 minutes or until just set
  • there should be a slight wobble to the centre when you jiggle the tin
  • remove from oven and allow to cool in the tin, then refrigerate still in the tart tin (mixture thickens up as it cools)
  • remove from tin
  • serve and enjoy!

Lemon slices

  • put water and sugar into a frypan over medium heat
  • cook until mixture starts to turn golden brown
  • slide in lemon slices and cook for a couple of minutes then turn slices over
  • cook until slices are well coated with the toffee
  • remove slices and place on a sheet of baking paper to cool
  • arrange slices over the top of the tart

Notes

  • allow several hours in the refrigerator to cool and set.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 531Total Fat 43gSaturated Fat 25gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 230mgSodium 369mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 0gSugar 27gProtein 9g

Nutritional information provided here is only intended as a guide.

Cooper

Cooper like most retrievers loves soft toys and anything else he can grab, that includes socks, knickers, shoes……………………………. In the background you can see the paddocks have turned brown as the drought starts to bite even into the coastal areas of Australia.

Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (13)
Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (14)

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Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (2024)

FAQs

Why didn't my lemon tart set? ›

A custard with both eggs and starch needs to be thoroughly cooked. The reason is that yolks contain an enzyme which liquidifies starch. It doesn't happen outright, but will happen while your tart is cooling. The only way to prevent it is to heat the mix high enough so the enzyme is deactivated.

Why does my lemon tart filling crack? ›

Why does my lemon tart crack? The most common reasons why your tart has cracked is because the oven was too hot or the tart baked too long and overbaked. We recommend pulling your lemon tart from the oven when it's still a little jiggly in the middle when the pan is gently shaken.

What is mascarpone made of? ›

It is a fresh cheese that is most commonly made with pasteurized cow's milk. Unlike some cheeses, which have animal-derived rennet added, mascarpone is vegetarian. It's made by heating heavy cream and adding an acid like tartaric acid (aka cream of tartar), citric acid, or lemon juice to solidify and thicken the cream.

Why is my lemon tart runny? ›

A runny lemon tart could be the result of two things: not cooking the filling long enough or not chilling the tart long enough. To know how long to cook the filling, you'll need an instant-read thermometer. The filling should reach 175 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit before it's pulled from the heat.

How do you know when a lemon tart is set? ›

Half-fill the tart case with lemon mixture, then place tart on an oven shelf, ensuring it's level. Fill to the rim with remaining filling (you may have a little left over). Bake until the tart is set but with a little wobble in the centre (about 30 minutes).

How do I stop my lemon tart from cracking without? ›

Take from the oven and whilst still hot carefully run around the edges of the tin with a serrated knife to trim the pastry overhang. Cutting whilst still warm will prevent the pastry from breaking. This next step is optional but I often do this when making a lemon tart, quiche or custard tart.

How to tell when a tart is done? ›

Carefully pour your filling into your cooled (or slightly warm) tart shell and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling has set. To test, gently jiggle the tart pan- if the centre of the tart jiggles slightly, the tart is done.

Why is my tart filling not setting? ›

If the filling is runny and flowing out of the tart when you cut into it, then it is likely that the curd was not cooked for quite long enough. You need to be patient when cooking citrus curds as if you heat the mixture too quickly then it can curdle and become lumpy. You need to keep a low heat and stir constatntly.

Is mascarpone good or bad for you? ›

No, mascarpone cheese is not healthier than cream cheese as it contains 25% more fat than cream cheese. Yet mascarpone cheese is only preferred for its extra smooth texture. You can use cream cheese and mascarpone cheese for salty and sweet dishes.

What can I use instead of mascarpone? ›

Crème Fraîche and sour cream bring unique tastes and handle heat like pros. Then there's ricotta, Mascarpone's flavor buddy, perfect for cheesecakes and spreads. Cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese are also the go-to for rich textures.

Does mascarpone go bad? ›

Check the "use by" date on the package for storage time, but it's generally a week. Mascarpone tends to go bad quickly, so use an open container within a few days; return any unused portion to the fridge with the lid tightly sealed. If it develops mold or if its aroma or color is off, discard the entire package.

How do Italians eat mascarpone? ›

Most famous for being the creamy hero of the classic Italian dessert tiramisù, mascarpone is used in a myriad of both savoury and sweet recipes. For example, it features as the main ingredient for the filling of the Sicilian fried pastry dessert, cannoli, as well as in decadent, mascarpone filled tarts.

Can I eat mascarpone by itself? ›

Mascarpone cheese isn't very good to eat by itself (imagine eating a spoonful of butter), but it is perfect to use as an ingredient for savory and dessert recipes alike. Next time you want to try out a recipe calling for mascarpone cheese, give this recipe a try!

Can you eat mascarpone straight? ›

Straight up: Spoon some Mascarpone into a small bowl, drizzle with honey, and scatter some fresh fruit on top. This creamy and buttery cheese also makes a great dip for strawberries, raspberries, or any other seasonal fruit.

What to do when lemon bars won't set? ›

Underbaking: This is the most common reason for gooey lemon bars. The filling needs enough time to set, which can be tricky since oven temperatures can vary and the visual cues for doneness are subtle. Solution: Bake the bars until the filling is just set and no longer wobbles when you gently shake the pan.

Why is my tart dough so soft? ›

May be you are not using cold water to make the tart dough or you are not letting it rest to develop gluten. There are only two things going on. One is gluten and other is fat in shape of butter. If fat melts before gluten adds structure to tart, the end result is soggy.

Why is my lemon meringue not thickening? ›

If your pie filling is runny, add in one additional tablespoon of cornstarch to the lemon filling, and stir over medium heat. It should thicken in 1 to 2 minutes.

References

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