With a candy pastry crust and clean mascarpone cream filling, home made recent fruit tart is solely elegant. This eye-catching colourful dessert is surprisingly simple to arrange. Plus, it can save you time and make the crust and cream prematurely! See my make-ahead directions beneath.
I initially printed this recipe in 2016 and have since made some modifications to the pastry crust so it’s faster and simpler, and added new images.

A recent fruit tart is the form of dessert that appears such as you poured your coronary heart and soul into it, when in actuality you made the pastry crust yesterday, the cream filling takes about 5 minutes, and also you spent more often than not snacking on all of the fruit you had been reducing.
One other fantastic factor about this lovely dessert is that there’s minimal bake time, which makes it a favourite within the summertime! The crust solely bakes for about 25 minutes, you then let it cool and fill it with the great things. You can also make the crust forward of time after which fill it the subsequent day.
I’ve numerous step-by-step photos for you at present. Whereas this recipe may be very manageable, I need you to have full confidence earlier than starting. Let’s dive into this brilliantly coloured magnificence!


3 Components to Recent Fruit Tart
- Tender Pastry Crust
- Frivolously-Sweetened Vanilla Cream Filling
- Recent Fruit Topping with a Shiny End
Begin by Making the 5-Ingredient Pastry Crust
Since first publishing this recipe on my web site, I’ve made a number of small updates to the crust to make it even higher. It’s now faster, simpler, and also you don’t want pie weights. It’s the identical base I take advantage of for the lemon curd tart in my cookbook Sally’s Baking 101, and it’s basically a French-style pâte sucrée (candy tart crust).
Its shortbread-like texture strikes the right stability between crisp and tender and holds up even after chilling, making it a super companion for the blanket of vanilla cream and mountain of recent fruit.
Listed below are all of the elements you want:
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the bottom of this pastry crust.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Simply sufficient to frivolously sweeten the crust.
- Salt: For taste stability.
- Butter: You want room-temperature butter: bear in mind, it’s cooler than you assume!
- Egg: Be sure that it’s chilly.
A meals processor makes this dough come collectively simply. Should you don’t have one, you should utilize a stand or hand mixer as a substitute.
Pulse/beat Tablespoon-size items of softened butter into your dry elements:

Then pulse/beat in an egg to make a delicate dough, like this:


Press the delicate dough right into a greased 9-inch tart pan with detachable sides.


Prick the floor of the underside crust throughout with a fork. That is known as docking, and we do it once we par-bake pie crust, too, to permit for steam to flee and assist stop the empty crust from effervescent up because it bakes. It might nonetheless bubble up a bit of—that’s regular.
Freeze the crust earlier than baking so it holds form within the oven. In any other case, it’ll soften and stoop within the tart pan. Freeze for at the least half-hour, or as much as 1 day if making forward.
To make for straightforward dealing with while you take it out of the oven, bake the tart crust set on high of a baking sheet. It’s all too simple to neglect your tart pan has detachable sides, belief me on this!


That’s it, your crust is completed. It wants to chill fully earlier than you fill it.
5-Ingredient Vanilla Mascarpone Cream Filling
Many fruit tarts name for an in depth pastry cream filling—whereas undeniably scrumptious (and it’s best to completely be at liberty to make use of that as a substitute if you happen to’d like!), we’re maintaining it easy for at present’s recent fruit tart.
Simply 5 elements wanted for our low-effort cream filling:
- Heavy Cream: We’re whipping the cream into stiff peaks, then folding the whipped cream into the remainder of the filling. That is type of how we put together no bake cheesecake, too.
- Mascarpone: Softer than cream cheese, this delicate creamy goodness is what we use to make tiramisu, so that you already know this filling goes to be one thing particular! Should you don’t have or don’t like mascarpone, use a block of room temperature cream cheese as a substitute. See recipe Notice beneath.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Identical to with the crust, we’re frivolously sweetening the filling with some powdered sugar, which retains the feel good and clean.
- Lemon Zest: A bit of recent lemon zest provides a zingy brilliant notice to the filling, which pairs completely with the fruit topping.
- Vanilla: For greatest taste (and people beautiful teeny specks), use a mixture of pure vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds, or vanilla bean paste. Vanilla pairs splendidly with subtly candy and buttery mascarpone, and since it’s the principle taste you’ll style on this dreamy, creamy filling, this isn’t the place to scrimp.
Beneath, left: Whipped cream, a lot of the confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla.
Beneath, proper: Mascarpone gently combined with the remaining sugar:


Fold each bowls collectively, after which unfold into the cooled crust:


Recent Fruit Topping
Right here’s the place you have got full inventive management. When deciding on fruit for a fruit tart, I search for variation in shade, texture, and dimension—in addition to what flavors pair properly collectively. Embellish the tart with concentric circles or rows of fruit, or just pile all of it on high.


Irrespective of how inventive you determine to get, it’ll style scrumptious!
For a shiny shine, brush the highest of the fruit with a simple glaze. Select a light-color jam/preserves corresponding to orange, peach, or apricot, and whisk it with some water to skinny it out. That is what’s going to make your fruit tart look similar to those you see in a elaborate pastry show case, and because the tart itself isn’t overly candy, it’s the right ending factor.
Right here is my all-berry model, with further whipped cream on high:


A brilliant and cheerful recent fruit tart is a superb alternative for summer time vacation gatherings and celebrations. See extra 4th of July desserts.
Extra Recipes with Recent Fruit
Description
The right way to make home made recent fruit tart with buttery pastry crust and mascarpone cream filling. Save time and put together the crust and cream forward of time! See my make forward suggestions beneath the written recipe.
Crust
Vanilla Mascarpone Cream
Fruit Topping
- Frivolously grease a 9-inch tart pan with a detachable base with nonstick spray.
- Make the crust: In a meals processor, mix the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt and pulse or course of on low pace to mix. Add the butter, 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing a number of instances after every addition. Add the egg and pulse solely till the dough comes collectively in a clump. The dough must be delicate. Switch it to a frivolously floured floor and press it right into a 1-inch-thick disc. (*Should you don’t have a meals processor, use a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the dry elements collectively, after which beat within the butter on medium pace 1 Tablespoon at a time, after which beat within the egg.*)
- Place the delicate dough within the ready pan and use your palms to press it evenly into the pan and up the edges. It might look like you don’t have sufficient dough at first, however hold urgent. Use the underside of a steel measuring cup to press the perimeters agency in opposition to the rim of the pan. Flatten the highest edge so it’s even with the rim of the pan or use a paring knife to trim. Save the scraps to patch up any thin-looking areas. Prick the underside of the crust throughout with a fork. Cowl and freeze for at the least half-hour or as much as 1 day.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Take away the crust from the freezer and place the tart pan on a big baking sheet for straightforward dealing with.
- Bake for 25 minutes or till the crust seems set. Place on a cooling rack to chill fully.
- Make the cream filling: Utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, 6 Tbsp (45g) confectioners’ sugar, the lemon zest, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds till stiff peaks kind, about 3–4 minutes. In a small bowl utilizing a fork, gently combine the mascarpone with the remaining confectioners’ sugar. Don’t over-mix; you solely wish to clean out the mascarpone right here. Over-mixing will lead to separated combination.
- Switch the mascarpone combination to the whipped cream combination. Fold along with a silicone spatula or beat on low pace till mixed. Use straight away (subsequent step) or cowl and refrigerate the filling for as much as 3 days earlier than utilizing.
- Unfold the filling into the cooled crust. I often use small offset spatula for this. Refrigerate till able to garnish with fruit, or garnish straight away.
- High the tart: Garnish the tart with recent fruit. Use a fork to whisk collectively the jam and water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat for about 15 seconds within the microwave, then brush on high of the fruit.
- Slice and luxuriate in! Retailer leftover fruit tart, coated, within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Put together the crust via step 3 and refrigerate for as much as 1 day. You can even put together and bake the crust, then let the crust cool within the pan to room temperature. Put the tart crust within the freezer for about 1 hour to let it agency up, then wrap it in plastic and freeze it for as much as a month. When able to serve, unwrap the crust and let it thaw earlier than filling and adorning. The mascarpone cream can be ready forward and refrigerated for as much as 3 days earlier than utilizing.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Meals Processor | 9-inch Tart Pan | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Silicone Spatula | Small Offset Spatula | Pastry Brush
- Can I Use a Pie Dish As a substitute? Sure, you should utilize a 9-inch pie dish as a substitute of a 9-inch tart pan. Slicing into the pie neatly will probably be tough although. Chances are you’ll wish to line the pan with parchment paper so you possibly can elevate the baked and cooled crust out earlier than filling/adorning.
- Can I Use Cream Cheese As a substitute of Mascarpone? Sure, completely! Use 1 8-ounce block of full-fat cream cheese. Cream cheese must be room temperature. The remainder of the directions stay the identical.
- Can I Use Pastry Cream As a substitute of the Mascarpone Filling? Sure! Right here is my pastry cream recipe. Be sure that it has chilled earlier than utilizing.
- Crust Replace in 2025: The crust portion of this recipe was up to date in 2025 to be faster, simpler, and require fewer instruments. Should you’d prefer to make the unique model, the crust known as for: 2 Tablespoons (30ml) chilly heavy cream, 1 massive egg, 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup (60g) confectioners’ sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, very chilly and cubed. Whisk the heavy cream and egg collectively. Put aside. To make use of a pastry cutter: Whisk the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt collectively in a medium bowl. Place the cubed butter on high and reduce in utilizing the pastry cutter till the whole combination resembles pea-sized crumbs or use a meals processor for this. Pour the heavy cream combination on high and stir/pulse to mix. Flatten dough right into a 1-inch thick disc. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or as much as 2 days. Take away dough from the fridge and use a rolling pin to roll out right into a 9-inch circle. Press evenly right into a greased 9-inch tart pan together with up the edges. Refrigerate because the oven preheats. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Take away crust from the fridge, line the within with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights. Bake the crust for 12 minutes, take away crust from the oven, cut back oven warmth to 350°F (177°C), and thoroughly take away the foil and weights. Use a fork to prick a number of holes into the underside of the crust and bake, with out weights, for 7–10 extra minutes or till frivolously golden brown.
- Can I Make Mini Fruit Tarts? Sure. This crust matches properly into about six 4-inch mini tart pans, corresponding to these mini 4-inch tart pans. You should use bigger tart pans for fewer tarts. Bake the mini crusts till frivolously browned on the edges. The 4-inch dimension took about quarter-hour in my oven. Await them to chill, then fill and beautify.