A fruit tart is such an easy dessert to make for potlucks, summer parties, and family picnics. If you love fruity treats, you’ll also like our Fruit Pizza, Berry Icebox Cake, and Mini Fruit Tarts.
Easy Fresh Fruit Tart
A classic French fruit tart is made with a Shortbread Crust and a creamy custard filling, often a vanilla pastry cream. The filling is topped with fresh fruit and a sweet glaze that makes it glisten. This easy fruit tart recipe has all the same components, except the filling is an easy mixture of cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Tarts are fresh, light, and have just the right amount of sweetness. This fresh Fruit Tart is very simple to make! It looks so impressive when it’s all finished but it only requires a few ingredients and just a few steps.
How to Make a Fruit Tart
Make this beautiful Fresh Fruit Tart from start to finish in under an hour! There are a few different working parts to this recipe. There is the crust, filling, topping, and glaze. Each has its own set of ingredients and instructions. We will walk you through each step!
The Crust
PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. DOUGH. Add the powdered sugar, flour, and butter to a food processor, and pulse until the dough starts to come together. BAKE. Press the crust mixture into a 12-inch tart pan, making sure to press it into the fluted edges. Bake 12-15 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. There is no need to use pie weights or dry beans when baking. COOL. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
The Filling
FILLING. In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread the filling evenly in the baked tart crust. BERRIES. Arrange the berries and fruit on top of the filling, covering evenly.
Fruit Tart Glaze
COMBINE. Add the limeade, cornstarch, lime juice, and sugar to a small saucepan and whisk. SIMMER. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat – stir frequently. Cook until clear and thick, about 2-3 minutes. COOL. Let cool to room temperature. BRUSH. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the glaze over the top of the tart, being careful not to crush the fruit. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Best Fruit to use
Use any fruit that you love, though I would stay away from more firm fruits such as apples. Some of my favorites to use include raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and kiwi. Sliced peaches, apricots, mango, plums, or bananas are also delicious.
For a citrus/tart taste use grapefruit, blood oranges, nectarines, lemons, and limes. Cover the pie using one type of fruit or mix and match. The tart is particularly pretty when placing the different fruits in a circular pattern. Add a layer of jam between the filling and the fruit. The flavor of the jam will depend on the type of fruit used, but strawberry jam and apricot jam would both taste great. Some non-fresh fruit toppings to use include toasted coconut or sliced almonds.
Recipe Tips
Serving. Cutting the tart is easier when it has been removed from the baking dish. For easier removal use a tart pan with a removable bottom. A spring-form pan can also work. When slicing, use a hot knife. Dip the blade in hot water, wipe and cut. Clean and warm the blade as necessary. Soggy crust. The crust should stay firm unless made ahead of time. To further prevent a soggy crust, create a barrier between the crust and filling using melted white chocolate or candy coating. Bake the crust and let it cool, then brush a thin layer of melted chocolate over the crust. Let it set before adding the filling. Mini Fruit Tarts. Divide the dough into five 4-inch smaller tart dishes. Bake at 350°F for 7-9 min. Once cool, divide the filling evenly into the crusts. Add the fruit and glaze. Flavor. To switch the flavor of the filling, replace the vanilla extract with almond extract or lemon extract. Pie crust variations. Use a premade pie crust or graham cracker crust to make this dessert. The end result will differ slightly from this recipe. The crust for this tart is more like a Shortbread Cookie, whereas Pie Crust is flakier with a different taste and of course, a Graham Cracker Crust will yield a graham cracker taste.
Storing Information
Make ahead of time. To make this ahead of time only make the crust and filling. Place the glaze in a separate container. Cover both and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. The berries will begin to deteriorate after a few hours so wait to cut the fruit and assemble the dessert a few hours before serving. STORE. Cover the leftover Fruit Tart recipe with foil and keep in the fridge for 1-2 days. The berries will become mushy but are still ok to eat. FREEZE. Let the tart cool and set before wrapping tightly with plastic wrap and then again with foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Allow to thaw, add the cut fruit, and glaze before serving.
For more fruity desserts, try:
Peach Pie Triple Berry Pie Mini Fruit Tart Brownies and Cream Fruit Trifle Mini Fruit Pizza
