Gluten Free Lemon Tart Recipe with Shortcrust Pastry (2024)

FAQs

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.

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.

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.

If your lemon curd hasn't thickened, it may not have been heated enough. It can take up to 30 minutes of constant stirring to cook lemon curd, especially if it's a large batch. Remember that curd will thicken more once cooled.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until just set but with a slight wobble in the centre. Leave to cool slightly then, when the pastry seems firm enough, remove the tart from the tin. The easiest way to do this is to place the base of the tin on an upturned can or jam jar and let the outer ring fall to the work surface.

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. Shortcrust pastry can shrink during baking if it's not properly chilled beforehand or if it's rolled too thin.

She starts by mixing some flour and water in a bowl—just enough to make a small amount of paste, the consistency of spackle. She then uses a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the paste across the line of damage in the crust. Next, she places the crust in the oven and bakes it just until the paste has dried.

Eggs start to coagulate (turn solid) at 160°F (which is how they thicken the filling); but the longer they cook, the more they tighten up. Those cracks you see in your pie are the result of overcooked eggs, eggs that have tightened up so much, in an uneven way, that they've created fissures in the filling.

Put the dough on your floured work surface and knead it once or twice, shaping it into a disk about 3/4-inch thick. Flour the disk, place it in the center of a gallon freezer storage bag, and roll it gently - right in the bag - to make a disk 8-inches in diameter. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

The oven temperature is too high. If the top crust forms and sets before the cake has finished rising, the middle will try to push through the crust as it continues to bake, causing it to crack and possibly dome. Check your oven with an oven thermometer and reduce the temperature accordingly if it is running hot.