Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (2024)

Jump to Recipe

Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (1)

Italian lemon mascarpone tart is creamy, tangy, lemony and delicious. Our friend Elle gave us this recipe and it’s one that she makes throughout the year. Elle uses a quality store bought artisan pastry which makes this super quick to put together.

War and Peace

Although the Italian lemon mascarpone tart recipe reads like war and peace with so many instructions it really is just a case of making and blind baking the pastry shell, make the filling in a food processor, then baking.

Candied Lemons

Although the candied lemon slices are optional we think they are worth the couple of minutes it takes to prepare them. They bring an extra lemon hit to the party that plays on your tongue. Also they look fabulous on the tart!

2 Minute Sour Cream Pastry

This recipe makes a beautiful short pastry that is both flaky and melt in the mouth. We find this pastry to be a great allrounder for both sweet and savoury pies.

What Tart Tin to use?

The original recipe for this Italian lemon mascarpone tart used a 25 cm x 2.5 cm (10 inch x 1 inch) round tart tin. We changed this to make in a rectangular tart tin 35 cm x 12 cm x 2.5 cm ( 14″ x 4 1/2″ x 1″) because of a platter we had wanted to serve the tart on for a luncheon. Using the rectangular tart tin then left us with a cup of the lemon mascarpone mixture left over. We simply baked the custard in a small ramekin and hid it for a late night treat.

  • Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (6)
  • Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (7)

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow along onPinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagramfor all of the latest updates.

  • Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (8)

Check out some more winning tart recipes

Apple Frangipane Tart

Apple frangipane tart is easy to make. We love a good apple tart and the frangipane almond base is super easy. It is an almond pastry cream and is rich and velvety and pairs beautifully with apples. Tart heaven!

Pear and Almond Crustless Tart

This delicious pear and almond crustless tart is a fabulously easy dessert to make and is a firm favourite when a quick flavour packed dessert is needed. It pays to have a tin of pear halves in the pantry along with almond flour (almond meal) ready to make this delicious dessert. Pear and almonds are one of those food marriages that just works and the good news is it is easily converted to gluten free – just replace the 2 tablespoons of flour with gluten free flour. Top it off with some softly whipped cream and you’re ready to go.

Quick Peach Frangipane Tart

Peach frangipane tart is very quick and easy to make using store bought puff pastry. Golden butter puff pastry layered with frangipanes sweet almond and heady aroma, topped off with ripe summer peaches, lightly dusted with sugar is simplicity itself.

What’s your favourite tart recipe?

We would love to hear from you in the comments below when you make this Italian lemon mascarpone tart.

Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (12)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Italian lemon mascarpone tart is creamy, tangy, lemony and delicious. Quick to put together and quicker still if you use a store bought pastry.

Ingredients

pastry

  • 125 ml sour cream(4 ounces)
  • 250 g plain (all purpose) flour(9 ounces)
  • 200 g cold butter, cubed(7 ounces)

filling

  • 250 g fresh ricotta cheese(9 ounces)
  • 250 g mascarpone cheese(9 ounces)
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 large whole eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
  • 80 mls fresh lemon juice(3 fl ounces)

lemon slices

  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds
  • 1/3 cup castor sugar
  • 1/3 cup water

Instructions

Sour Cream Pastry

  • Put the butter and flour into the bowl of a food processor, then pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sour cream and pulse again until the dough just forms a ball.
  • Form into a flat disk, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 20 mins.
  • Roll dough out to fit a round tart pan 25cm x 2.5cm (10” x 1”) size tin, using a fork poke holes all over the pastry and then fit the pastry into the tin and chill again for 60 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 200c (390f ) bake not fan.
  • Trim the excess pastry from the tin using a sharp knife.

Blind Bake

  • Line the pastry case with a double layer of foil and fill with sugar to the top of the tin – we have found sugar to be a wonderful weight for pastries as it manages to fill into the corners and creases of pans and can be reused without loosing any of its qualities. Doubling the foil helps with lifting the sugar from the case without breaking.
  • Blind bake the pastry case for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and sugar. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the pastry is pale golden and the bottom is dry.
  • While pastry is blind baking prepare the lemon mascarpone mixture.
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 170c (340f )

Lemon filling

  • place ricotta and mascarpone into a food processor and process until smooth
  • add sugar, eggs and yolks, lemon rind and juice and process again
  • put the tart tin on the middle oven shelf
  • carefully pour the mixture into the pastry
  • bake for 30 minutes or until just set
  • there should be a slight wobble to the centre when you jiggle the tin
  • remove from oven and allow to cool in the tin, then refrigerate still in the tart tin (mixture thickens up as it cools)
  • remove from tin
  • serve and enjoy!

Lemon slices

  • put water and sugar into a frypan over medium heat
  • cook until mixture starts to turn golden brown
  • slide in lemon slices and cook for a couple of minutes then turn slices over
  • cook until slices are well coated with the toffee
  • remove slices and place on a sheet of baking paper to cool
  • arrange slices over the top of the tart

Notes

  • allow several hours in the refrigerator to cool and set.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 531Total Fat 43gSaturated Fat 25gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 230mgSodium 369mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 0gSugar 27gProtein 9g

Nutritional information provided here is only intended as a guide.

Cooper

Cooper like most retrievers loves soft toys and anything else he can grab, that includes socks, knickers, shoes……………………………. In the background you can see the paddocks have turned brown as the drought starts to bite even into the coastal areas of Australia.

Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (13)
Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (14)

Related Recipes

  • Easy Crustless Lemon Tart

  • Easy Lemon Lava Cakes

  • Quick Homemade Lemon Cordial

  • How to Make Easy Lemon Curd - with just 5 Ingredients

Easy Italian Lemon Mascarpone Tart - Recipe Winners (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.

What is mascarpone made of? ›

It is a fresh cheese that is most commonly made with pasteurized cow's milk. Unlike some cheeses, which have animal-derived rennet added, mascarpone is vegetarian. It's made by heating heavy cream and adding an acid like tartaric acid (aka cream of tartar), citric acid, or lemon juice to solidify and thicken the cream.

Is mascarpone sweet or savoury? ›

Mascarpone cheese is a soft, slightly sweet and a tad bit tart, spreadable cheese often described as an Italian sweet cream cheese. Mascarpone is probably most well-known as the key ingredient in Italian desserts like tiramisu and cannoli.

Why is my lemon tart filling not thickening? ›

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. If your cooled curd is not thick enough, you can reheat it to thicken.

How do you fix a crack in a tart? ›

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.

Is mascarpone good or bad for you? ›

No, mascarpone cheese is not healthier than cream cheese as it contains 25% more fat than cream cheese. Yet mascarpone cheese is only preferred for its extra smooth texture. You can use cream cheese and mascarpone cheese for salty and sweet dishes.

Is it OK to use cream cheese instead of mascarpone? ›

Yes, cream cheese makes a great substitute for mascarpone. There are two methods to substitute mascarpone: Substitute 1 cup of mascarpone with 1 cup of a cream cheese and whipping cream mixture. To make this mixture, use 1/4 cup of cream for every 8 oz.

Which is better cream cheese or mascarpone? ›

Since mascarpone or "Italian cream cheese" has a higher fat content than "American" cream cheese, mascarpone has a much richer, creamier taste. The cream cheese we use on bagels has a slightly more acidic taste than mascarpone, which makes it perfect for cheesecakes.

How do Italians eat mascarpone? ›

Most famous for being the creamy hero of the classic Italian dessert tiramisù, mascarpone is used in a myriad of both savoury and sweet recipes. For example, it features as the main ingredient for the filling of the Sicilian fried pastry dessert, cannoli, as well as in decadent, mascarpone filled tarts.

Can you eat mascarpone straight? ›

And if you're still looking for ideas on how to use mascarpone, there's always the option of smearing it on crackers or seedy toast. Maybe add a dollop of jam, maybe not—this tangy cheese can shine all on its own.

How long does mascarpone last once opened? ›

A closed package of mascarpone will last in the fridge until its best-by date. If you've already opened it, the clock starts ticking, and you have around 1 week to use it all up.

What animal does mascarpone cheese come from? ›

Mascarpone is a triple-creme cheese made from fresh cream. Traditionally, this was made from the fresh milk of cows that have grazing pastures filled with fresh herbs and flowers.

Is mascarpone French or Italian? ›

Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese whose rich, naturally sweet essence almost puts it in the category of dessert.

How do I stop my lemon tart from cracking? ›

Tip 9: Let the tart cool in the tin, and it eat it on the day it's made. Let the tart cool in the tin before removing it, or it will crack. The tart is best eaten on the day it's made and shouldn't be refrigerated, so bake it early in the day and allow time for it to rest before serving.

Why are my tarts cracking? ›

Once the tart is out of the oven, it is imperative that you allow it to cool completely in its pan before removing it. Neglecting to do so, as Zestful Kitchen explains, will result in cracking as the tart is still too warm at this stage to have set completely.

Why did my pie filling crack? ›

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.

Why does my custard tart crack? ›

Overbaking, and a too-hot oven, will also cause custard pies and cheesecakes to crack. The recipe you're using will probably call for a relatively low temperature, and you can help cheesecakes bake more steadily by placing them in a water bath.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Madonna Wisozk

Last Updated:

Views: 6022

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (68 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Madonna Wisozk

Birthday: 2001-02-23

Address: 656 Gerhold Summit, Sidneyberg, FL 78179-2512

Phone: +6742282696652

Job: Customer Banking Liaison

Hobby: Flower arranging, Yo-yoing, Tai chi, Rowing, Macrame, Urban exploration, Knife making

Introduction: My name is Madonna Wisozk, I am a attractive, healthy, thoughtful, faithful, open, vivacious, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.