Quick And Easy Italian Mini Fruit Tart Recipe
Craving a sweet Italian treat? My Italian mini fruit tarts combine fresh fruit with a buttery pastry crust for a perfectly portioned dessert delight. Get the easy recipe now.
The Mini Fruit tarts are a common sight in the pastry shop windows of nearly every Italian city. I’m talking about small shells of delicate puff pastry, filled with velvety pastry cream and decorated with fresh seasonal fruit. Beautiful and colorful, fruit tarts are quite striking and always appreciated!
Due to the variety of fruit used for garnishing, pleasing all tastes, fruit tarts never go out of style. They allow you to create countless variations by accommodating different seasonal fruits.
With their bright colors and flavors, fruit tarts remain a timeless classic that can lift your spirits. Whether as a breakfast treat or afternoon snack, their beauty makes them suitable for any occasion.
Italian Fruit Tartlets Ingredients
- 80 g flour 00 or all-purpose flour (1⅓ cups)
- 200 g granulated sugar (2 cups)
- 5 egg yolks
- 500 ml milk (2 cups plus 1 tbsp)
- The whole zest or grated zest of 1 lemon
- A pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 500 g shortcrust pastry – You can use homemade shortcrust pastry, following this recipe, or store bought frozen shortcrust pastry. (1 lb 1¾ oz shortcrust pastry)
- 300 g of fresh fruit of your choice (10½ oz)
- 50 g Apricot jam (2 tbsp plus 2 tsp)
- 10 g Water (2 tsp)
- Fresh mint leaves to decorate (optional)
How To Make Italian Classic Mini Fruit Tarts
Preparing the mini fruit tarts can be quite simple, although the process does take some time: you must first prepare the pastry cream and allow it to fully cool, then make the shortcrust pastry crusts, bake them and allow them to cool, cut the fruit and prepare the gelatin, and finally assemble everything. Nothing too complicated in reality, but with my method you can significantly reduce the time involved and have delicious baskets without too much effort.
Would you like to know how? Very easy! I use pre-made shortcrust pastry!
To prepare the Italian Mini Fruit Tarts, follow my step-by-step instructions:
Prepare a thick pastry cream and allow it to cool completely.
Prepare the custard following these instructions and let it cool completely.
Cut out the pie crust dough to fit your molds, shape it.
Roll out the shortcrust pastry to a thickness of 3 to 4 millimeters, then cut squares or circles slightly larger than the molds (1) and insert into the previously buttered and floured molds (2). Press the shortcrust pastry by hand to adhere perfectly to the edges and indentations of the molds, cutting off any excess dough. Prick the bottom of the mini tart shells with the tines of a fork (3).
Bake the mini tarts and let them cool.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for approximately 12 to 13 minutes in the middle of the oven. The shells are ready when they brown slightly on the surface. Remove from the oven and allow cooling for 20 minutes.
Invert the tartlet shells to unmold them.
Wash and cut the fruit into pieces as desired (leaving berries whole).
Cleaned the fruit with a damp cloth and thoroughly dried without washing under running water. Cut the fruit into pieces as desired.
Assemble all components and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Fill all the fruit tarts with the custard, bringing the filling up to the edge of the mold (4).
Add the fresh fruit.
Now prepare the glaze for polishing. Dilute the jam with hot water and mix until a liquid mixture is obtained. Polish the fruit using a brush (5), and the mini fruit tarts are ready to be served.
Which Mold Should You Use For Mini Fruit Cakes?
For this recipe, I used 12 mini scalloped molds with a diameter of 6-7 cm (2-3 inch). If you don’t have these molds, there are other versatile options available. Mini muffin molds make a great substitute as they are a similar size. Another option is to grease regular muffin molds with butter, then line each cup with flour-dusted circles or flower shapes cut from biscuit dough using cutters that match the mold diameter. Silicone or aluminum mini baking cups can also be used to create the desired small, individual cakes. Various mold shapes can work well with this recipe—the essential elements are small-scale molds and adequate greasing for easy cake removal after baking.
Classic Mini Fruit Tart Tips & Tricks
- This simple recipe allows you to create a perfect custard that remains dense and creamy even when topped on fruit, with only five minutes of active preparation time. Follow the recipe card below for quantities of each ingredient.
- When making fruit tartlets, feel free to select from a variety of fruits based on personal preference and seasonal availability. Some options to consider include strawberries, kiwis, raspberries, blueberries, and assorted berries. To prevent browning, lightly coat cut surfaces of bananas and apples with lemon juice.
- The secret to perfect fruit tarts is to avoid washing fruit under running water, which can promote spoilage. Instead, gently clean it using a damp cloth and ensure each item is thoroughly dried. This technique will help fruit maintain quality and freshness over an extended period.
Italian Mini Fruit Tart Storage Instructions
Store the fruit tarts in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, in a closed container.
Italian Mini Fruit Tarts
Equipment
- 12 6-7 cm (2-3 inch) mini tart molds
Ingredients
For Custard
- 80 g flour 00 or all-purpose flour
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 500 ml milk
- The whole zest or grated zest of 1 lemon
- A pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
For Mini Tarts
- 500 g shortcrust pastry
- 300 g of fresh fruit of your choice
- 50 g Apricot jam
- 10 g Water
- Fresh mint leaves to decorate optional
Instructions
- Prepare the custard and let it cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (ca 356 °F).
- Roll out the shortcrust pastry to a thickness of 3 to 4 millimeters, then cut circles slightly larger than the molds and insert into the previously buttered and floured molds. Press the shortcrust pastry by hand to adhere perfectly to the edges and indentations of the molds, cutting off any excess dough. Prick the bottom of the mini tart shells with the tines of a fork.
- Bake the mini tarts for approximately 12 to 13 minutes in the middle of the oven. The shells are ready when they brown slightly on the surface.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
- Invert the tartlet shells to unmold them.
- Cleaned the fruit with a damp cloth and thoroughly dried without washing under running water. Cut the fruit into pieces as desired.
- Fill all the fruit tarts with the custard, bringing the filling up to the edge of the mold.
- Add the fresh fruit.
- Now prepare the glaze for polishing. Dilute the jam with hot water and mix until a liquid mixture is obtained. Polish the fruit using a brush, and the mini fruit tarts are ready to be served.
