Mini Raspberry Lemon Tart Recipe (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 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.

Why is my lemon tart runny? If your lemon tart is runny, the mostly likely cause is not cooking the filling long enough. It should be nicely thickened when you pull it off the stove.

The oven was either too hot or the tart was baked for too long. I recommend using an oven thermometer for baking to determine if your oven temperature is accurate. Why did my lemon tart curdle? If the lemon juice comes into direct contact with the eggs then the eggs will curdle.

Pastries are done when they are baked to a nice golden brown, unless they contain chocolate, coffee, or something else that makes it difficult to tell. They should be crisp on the bottom, not soft or soggy. If they involve batter, a tester inserted in the center will come out clean or with only a few crumbs.

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).

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.

Richard's solution: Tough pastry is very common, but easily avoidable. It usually occurs when you've been a bit heavy-handed with the water when you're initially bringing the pastry together (by adding water to the flour and butter), or if you have over-worked the dough and developed the gluten in the flour.

Although lemon curd uses egg yolks and/or egg whites, the final product shouldn't taste eggy. If it does, it may mean that you've overcooked your eggs. In saying that, traditional lemon curd does have a distinct after taste which doesn't sit well with some.

If the dough is overworked, it can become tough and difficult to roll out. This can happen if the dough is kneaded too much or if too much flour is added during the rolling process.

Can I bake curdled batter? ›

The good news is, while curdled batter is certainly a cake-baking problem, it can still be baked and produce a cake. But the crumb or texture of that cake will be uneven because the fat isn't dispersed evenly throughout the batter. You might find pockets of cake that seem dry or others that seem slightly gummy.

Ratio of Liquid to Thickener: If the recipe doesn't have the right balance of eggs (which act as a thickener) to liquid (lemon juice), the filling won't set properly.Solution: Ensure your recipe has enough eggs to set the lemon mixture. A good rule of thumb is about 2 large eggs per 1/2 cup of lemon juice.

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.

The key to thickening Lemon Meringue Pie so it sets properly is to cook the filling until bubbles start to pop on the surface of the lemon/egg yolk mixture. It should be the consistency of thick pudding before you remove it from the heat. If it's not thick before you add it to the pie, it will never set properly.