This Vanilla Custard Plum Tart is a delightful summer dessert. A crisp shortcrust pastry holds a silky vanilla pastry cream, finished with fresh plums for a perfect balance of flaky, creamy, and fruity textures.
Why we love this recipe
Tarts with fresh fruit are simple yet consistently delicious. They are easy to adapt — choose a pastry, a filling, and your preferred topping. This recipe follows a classic French approach: a shortcrust pastry (pâte brisée) filled with vanilla custard (crème pâtissière) and topped with ripe plums.
It’s straightforward, elegant, and celebrates seasonal fruit. Use the same base to make variations like strawberry custard tartlets or a rhubarb tart with custard — the technique stays the same and is ideal for summer baking.
Shortcrust Pastry or Pâte Brisée
The base for this tart is a classic shortcrust pastry, often called pâte brisée. This versatile French dough is used for both sweet and savory tarts and yields a tender, flaky crust that adds a pleasant crunch to the dessert.
This dough is straightforward to make and works well in many recipes. I use it for sweet tarts like a grapefruit tart and savoury tarts like an onion, fig, and feta tart. Its flaky texture gives a lovely contrast to smooth fillings.
Ingredients for the pastry:
- Plain flour
- Unsalted butter
- Egg yolk
- Cornstarch
- Brown sugar
- Water (if needed)
Vanilla Custard or Crème Pâtissière
Nothing says classic French baking like vanilla pastry cream (crème pâtissière). This rich custard is the ideal filling for tarts and pastries and is made from simple ingredients.
Typical ingredients for the custard:
- Eggs (or egg yolks)
- Milk
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Vanilla bean or vanilla paste
If fresh vanilla beans are hard to find, vanilla bean paste is a good alternative. It contains vanilla seeds and gives a more authentic flavor than plain extract. For creams and custards, vanilla paste yields a stronger, more fragrant vanilla note.
Plum Tart with Custard Filling
Plums are a wonderful fruit for baking and come in different varieties with varying sweetness and acidity. Using both red and dark plums adds visual contrast and a range of flavor — tangy when slightly underripe and sweet when fully ripe.
Plums often get overlooked in desserts, but they work beautifully with creamy fillings. For a fresh finishing touch, scatter chopped mint leaves on top; mint offers both color and a bright contrast to the creamy custard.
For shaping and serving this tart, a rectangular tart tin with a removable bottom is handy. It makes unmolding and presenting the tart easy, whether you’re using sweet fillings like this plum tart or savory fillings like a leek and gruyère tart.
Made this recipe?
Leave a comment below and tag us on Instagram @a.baking.journey with a photo of your tart!
Recipe
Plum Vanilla Custard Tart
Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
- 250 gr (1 2/3 cups) plain flour
- 125 gr (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 8 gr (1 tbsp) cornstarch
- 10 gr (1 tbsp) brown sugar
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) water, if needed
Vanilla Custard (Crème Pâtissière)
- 500 ml (2 cups) full-fat milk
- 50 gr (1/4 cup) brown sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 50 gr (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp) cornstarch
- 1 vanilla bean or 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
Toppings
- 2 red plums
- 2 dark plums
- About 1 dozen mint leaves, optional
Instructions
Shortcrust Pastry
- Combine flour, cornstarch, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the flour. The butter should be soft but not melted.
- Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture forms fine crumbs and is evenly combined.
- Make a well in the center and add the egg yolk. Mix gently to incorporate, then quickly knead into a ball. If the dough is too dry, add water, one tablespoon at a time, until it holds together.
- Wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Roll the chilled dough out thinly, transfer to a tart tin, prick the base with a fork, and line with baking paper and baking beads or dried beans for blind baking.
- Blind bake for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden and cooked through. Allow to cool.
Vanilla Custard (Crème Pâtissière)
- Heat the milk with the vanilla bean (or vanilla paste) in a small saucepan and let it infuse off the heat for about 5 minutes. If using a vanilla bean, split it and scrape the seeds into the milk.
- In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until slightly pale. Add the cornstarch gradually while whisking to avoid lumps.
- Temper the egg mixture by pouring in about half of the warm milk while stirring, then return everything to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Cover the surface to prevent a skin from forming and chill until completely cold.
To assemble the tart
- Once the baked tart shell has cooled, pour in the chilled vanilla custard and spread evenly.
- Thinly slice the red and dark plums and arrange them over the custard in an attractive pattern.
- Optionally, chop the mint leaves and sprinkle them over the tart for a fresh finish.
- Serve chilled or at cool room temperature.
Nutrition (per serving)
Carbohydrates: 60 g |
Protein: 10 g |
Fat: 25 g |
Saturated Fat: 14 g |
Sugar: 19 g