Juicy blackcurrants, baked in a creamy vanilla tart. This Blackcurrant and vanilla cream tart is bursting with summer fruit flavour.
Growing and using summer berries
At this time of year, I am in 7th heaven, as the soft fruits that I grow on my mini allotment begin to ripen. I love the flavours of summer berries from the juicy sweet raspberries and strawberries to tart gooseberries and blackcurrants, all bursting with flavour.
Growing soft fruit is also great for the lazy gardener as a lot of the year it looks after itself, but come summer and it's all hands on deck to harvest the fruit and use in the kitchen. Luckily most freeze well so what I don't have time to use it straight away it is saved for later.
In past years I have made Blackcurrant Cordial, (much nicer than the commercial products) Blackcurrant Jam and Blackcurrant Curd ( if you haven't made it before you must its is a berry flavour bomb.) to name just a few.
I first made this blackcurrant and vanilla cream tart and shared on Crumbs back in 2019 and it could just be my dream dessert or pastry!
The strong tart flavour of the blackcurrants is complimented perfectly by the sweet creamy vanilla custard. It would make a great dinner party dessert but it is also divine with morning coffee or afternoon tea.
Made with almond pastry
Using double cream, this is quite a rich and decadent tart ,so I felt the pastry should also be special. So instead of a plain sweet shortcrust I have added ground almonds to the pastry. These not only add extra flavour they make the pastry very light and crisp like a biscuit.
Top Pastry Tips
- It is a little trickier to handle but is also very forgiving so don't worry if it breaks a bit when you line the pastry case as it can be gently pushed together to patch it up.
- If you find it really difficult to roll, try rolling between two sheets of cling film or baking parchment.
- I have been generous with the amount of pastry as it is easier to work with a bit much rather than too little pastry.
- Don't waste the trimming, use to make some jam tarts or pop in the freezer to use later.
Variations
- If you don't have blackcurrants you could substitute other summer berries. Try blueberries, gooseberries, redcurrants, or raspberries.
- Use hazelnuts instead of almonds to make the pastry.
Can the tart be made in a different shaped tin?
Yes, no problem. I've made the tart in an oblong tin because it's a little unusual and I think visually attractive. But if you don't have a 12 x 35cm (5 x14in) loose bottom oblong tart tin you can use a 23cm (9in) loose bottom round tart tin instead
Serving the tart
Allow to cool in the tin then carefully transfer to a serving plate or board to serve.
The tart will keep for a few days, stored wrapped in the refrigerator.
Step by Step Blackcurrant and Vanilla Cream Tart
To make the tart case
Step 1
Rub in butter and stir in the sugar.
Step 2
Add egg yolk and water.
Step 3
Mix to form a dough, allow to rest.
Step 4
Roll out dough to line tin, chill.
Step 5
Bake blind.
Step 6
Brush with beaten egg white to seal.
To make the filling
Step 1
Mix egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and vanilla extract together.
Step 2
Whisk in cream.
Step 3
Pour into tart.
Step 4
Add most of the blackcurrants. Bake.
Step 5
Add remaining black currants after 10-15 minutes baking.
Step 6
Bake until custard is pale golden and just set.
Cook's Tip
You can add all the fruit at once if you prefer but it will sink into the cream. I like to see a few on the top, so I added after 10-15 minutes of baking when the filling had only just begun to form a skin.
Wondering what to make with the leftover egg whites. You could try these delicious mini pavlovas
📖 Recipe
Blackcurrant and Vanilla Cream Tart
Equipment
- 12 x 35cm (5 x14in) loose bottom oblong tart tin or
- 23cm (9in) loose bottom round tart tin
- baking parchment or greaseproof paper
- baking beans
Ingredients
Pastry case
- 200 g (7oz) plain flour (US = all purpose flour)
- 50 g (2oz) ground almonds
- 125 g (4oz) butter cut into cubes
- 50 g (2oz) golden caster sugar
- 1 egg, separated
Filling
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (US = cornstarch)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 300 ml (½pt) double cream (US = heavy cream)
- 225 g (8oz) blackcurrants
Instructions
To make the pastry case
- Sift 200g (7oz) flour into a mixing bowl and stir in 50g (2oz) ground almonds. Add 125g (4oz) butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in 50g (2oz) caster sugar.
- Add 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoon water and mix to form a dough adding a little more water if required. Cover and leave to rest in a cool place for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough and use to line an oblong or round shallow tart tin. (see tips below). Prick the base with a work and pop in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200℃ (180℃ fan)/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper or baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the inside of the pastry case with a little beaten egg white. Reduce the oven temperature to 190℃ (170℃ fan)/375°F/gas mark 5.
To make the filling
- Whisk 2 egg yolks, 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon cornflour and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract together, then whisk in 300ml (½pt) double cream. Pour into the baked pastry case.
- Gently drop most of the 225g (8oz) blackcurrants into the filling. Bake for 15 minutes then drop the remaining blackcurrants on top and return to the oven and bake for 15 minute until pale golden and puffy.
- Allow to cool in the tin then carefuilly transfer to a serving plate or board to serve.
Notes
- The pastry is quite soft and can be a little bit hard to handle. Don't worry you can just patch it together if it breaks.
- If you find it really difficult to roll, try rolling between two sheets of cling film or baking parchment.
- I have been generous with the amount of pastry as it is easier to work with a bit much rather than too little pastry. Don't waste the trimming, use to make some jam tarts or pop in the freezer to use later.
- You can add all the fruit at once if you prefer but it will sink into the cream I like to see a few on the top so I add a few after 10-15 minutes of baking when the filling had just begun to form a skin.
Celia Martinschledde says
Absolutely delicious! Easy to follow the recipe. Perfect taste combination
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Pleased you think so
Erin says
I made this as written the last two years, and it was delicious. This year, the currents aren't ready yet, but the boysenberries are, and I thought why not? Best decision, ever - this is great with blackcurrants, but it's amazing with boysenberries. So absolutely do try this tart with raspberries/blackberries/loganberries/etc too and you won't regret it. It's a bit time consuming, but so very worth it!
I've also noticed that just pressing the crust into the tart pan lined with parchment paper works well too lol
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Thank you so much for your suggestions. It's great to know. I shall add this as a tip to the post. I'm growing tayberries for the first time this year I shall try with those.
Alexandra M says
Have made this twice, first time with fresh and second time with frozen. Absolutely delicious and would highly recommend. Just about to try with blackberries instead. Thanks so much for sharing.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
I'm so happy you have enjoyed it. I'm sure it will be just as delicious with blackberries. Let me know what you think. Thank you for taking time to rate and write a comment it's always appreciated.
Val Hithersay says
Can you use frozen currants for this recipe?
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Hi Val, Although I have not specifically tested itr with frozen blackcurrants I am fairly confident they would work.
Katherine says
I used frozen blackcurrant and made it using a tiger nut pie crust due to making the Spanish Horchata and using the left over pulp for flour ,turned out perfectly- thanks for the inspiration, but will try your crust next time
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
I've made it with frozen blackcurrants before too works a treat. Im not familiar with tiger nut pie crust but great that you made the crust avoiding food waste from your other recipe. Glad it worked well.
Jane says
.Really nice. Tip about rolling out pastry with cling film was really useful.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Glad you liked the recipe and found the tip helpful.
Katherine says
This is really delicious! It’s my first year growing blackcurrants and I wasn’t really sure what to do with them apart from jam.
The pasty is so light and tasty and I used the left overs in my mini muffin tin and filled with strawberries and cream. The filling itself is not too sweet so the perfect balance and full of flavour. Will definitely bake again.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Im so pleased you liked it. I have to say this is one of my favourite tarts as you say the filling is not too sweet. Well done on growing your own blackcurrants I am sure you will find it very rewarding. You might also like to try my blackcurrant curd its delicious too. I am currently shooting some more black currant recipes for the blog to day so there will be even more recipes to choose from
Martin Price says
Thanks for a great recipe. it's currant season down here in Tasmania and I needed some motivation to pick them. This gave it to me and I wasn't disappointed in the result. Loved the rich tart fruit with the vanilla cream.
I'm coeliac so substituted general purpose GF flour and found the pastry texture wonderful if a little sweet for my taste. Liked the inclusion of almond meal
Not even crumbs remain of that first attempt
Have friends coming for a summer lunch later this week and dessert is fixed! Not only that, have now decided not to dig up the blackcurrant bush after all.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Well I would call that a definate win. Blackcurrants are really food for you too so glad the blackcurrant bush is staying. I have a few other blackcurrant recipes on my other blog https://www.recipesmadeeasy.co.uk which you might like to check out including homemade blackcurrant cordial its delicious.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Wow - what a gorgeous tart... and I love the flavours! This would be wonderful to make for a summer party. Eb x
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
It certainly would Eb.
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
This looks absolutely divine Jacqui!!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Thanks Kat, it really is rather good even if I do say so myself
Donna says
Oh Yum! That looks so good, and perfect in warm weather!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Thank you
Sylvie says
What an incredible looking dessert, Jacqui - I can almost taste it through my screen (and oh so wish I could taste it IRL!). It's like a delicious mix between my favourite berry tart and a Clafoutis: super delicious!! #cookblogshare
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
if you like the contrast of sweet and tart you will love this. The custard is lighter than clafoutis