Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Health
  • TV
  • Hard to Find
Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Health
  • TV
  • Hard to Find
Subscribe
  1. Home
  2. Food

Easy baked custard tarts using ready-made pastry

Crisp pastry and smooth custard make a great combo! - by Karen Martini
  • 21 May 2021
Prep: 15 Minutes - Cook: 45 Minutes - Serves 8
Proudly supported by

Trips to the bakery as a kid were a real treat, weren’t they? If you had taste, a baked custard tart, gently dusted with nutmeg and ever so slightly scorched by the oven, would be your top pick. Nevermind all the other enticing sweets lined up in the glass cabinet; vanilla slice, apple turnovers and lamingtons had nothing on the wonder of a classic custard tart.

Here, Karen Martini recreates the classic favourite using ready-made pastry and homemade custard filling.

Ingredients

Cooking oil spray, to grease

3 sheets store-bought frozen shortcrust pastry

1 free-range egg white

5 free-range egg yolks

1 free-range egg

2 Tbsp custard powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

500ml thickened cream

250ml milk

125g caster sugar

1 whole nutmeg

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C fan- forced (220°C conventional). Lightly grease 8 x 10cm round foil pastry cases with cooking oil spray. Cut pastry sheets to fit tart shells. They will shrink a little, so allow them to overhang slightly. Line pastry cases with baking paper and fill with baking weights or dried beans to blind bake.

  2. Bake for 15 minutes and reduce heat to 140°C fan-forced (160°C conventional). Remove tarts from oven and remove baking paper and weights. Brush inside of cases with egg white and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully trim off excess pastry using a small sharp knife. Set aside to cool.

  3. Put yolks, egg, custard powder and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Put cream, milk and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring, until just about to simmer. Then pour hot milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly as you pour.

  4. Strain mixture through a fine sieve, over a large jug. Put tart shells on 2 large oven trays, then pour custard mixture evenly into pastry cases. Bake for 25 minutes, then check if the custard has set. Cook a little longer if necessary.

  5. Remove from oven and grate fresh nutmeg over the top. Allow tarts to cool before serving.

Baked custard tart on a wire cooling rack
Marina Olyphant / Styling: Jamie Humby
  • Food
  • Desserts Recipes
Karen Martini
Karen Martini
Melbourne chef, restaurateur and food writer Karen Martini has been cooking professionally for more than 20 years. A passionate ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Research, Karen aims to build the awareness of the silent killer that is often misdiagnosed.

Treat yourself to a subscription-Save up to 25%

Plus, your chance to win

Subscribe Now
Treat yourself to a subscription

Treat yourself to a subscription-Save up to 25%

Plus, your chance to win

Subscribe Now
Treat yourself to a subscription

Recommended to you

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

Anzac caramel tart with banana and passionfruit

Anzac caramel tart with banana and passionfruit

Lemon tart with ginger pastry

Lemon tart with ginger pastry

Caramel tart

Caramel tart

Easy Schnapps, raspberry and hazelnut tart

Easy Schnapps, raspberry and hazelnut tart

{headline}

{headline}

BLT Tart

BLT Tart

Banana, chocolate and salted caramel tart

Banana, chocolate and salted caramel tart

Peach and raspberry pudding

Peach and raspberry pudding

{headline}

{headline}

Salted caramel bon bons

Salted caramel bon bons

14 mouth-watering fritter recipes

14 mouth-watering fritter recipes

Green bean and red onion fritters with serrano ham and sesame mayo

Green bean and red onion fritters with serrano ham and sesame mayo

Corn fritters with hand‑cut ham and avocado

Corn fritters with hand‑cut ham and avocado

Tips to save burnt food: 6 clever methods to try

Tips to save burnt food: 6 clever methods to try

Cauliflower and manchego fritters with romesco relish

Cauliflower and manchego fritters with romesco relish

Lasagne meatballs

Lasagne meatballs

Bhg
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Bhg Magazine Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • All Recipes
  • BHG Shop
  • Girlfriend
  • Home Beautiful
  • New Idea
  • New Idea Food
  • Practical Parenting

Our Network

  • marie claire
  • Beauty Crew
  • Who
  • Women's Weekly Food
  • Bounty Parents
  • That’s Life
  • Perth Now
  • The West Australian
  • 7Plus
  • 7mate
  • 7NEWS
  • 7Sport
  • Sunrise
  • Starts at 60
  • Hard to Find
© 2022 Are Media PTY LTD
All products are independently selected, tested or recommended by our team of experts.If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Get more from Better Homes and Gardens

Magazine Subscription Offer

Treat yourself to a subscription-Save up to 25%

Shop This Offer
Treat yourself to a subscription