Dessert
Lemon Tart with Poppy Seed Shortbread Crust
The crust and filling both come together in the food processor. Freeze the pressed-in shell briefly, bake it until lightly golden, then add the lemon filling and finish at a lower temperature.
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Cuisine
- European-inspired
Bring it to the table
Chill the pressed crust before baking
Press the crumbly dough evenly across the base and sides of the tart pan, then freeze it until firm. This gives the shell a head start before the filling is added.
At the table
Let the tart cool before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Before you start
Gather your ingredients.
Full quantities and serving adjustments are in the recipe card below.
See the ingredient checklist
- 188 g all-purpose flour
- 37 g powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt — or use half as much Morton kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter — chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 large lemon — zest only
- 250 g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter — melted and slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt — or use half as much Morton kosher salt
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- powdered sugar — to finish
A few useful notes.
The base batch makes about 8–10 portions in a 9-inch removable-base tart pan. The serving control starts at 8.
Use the separate egg yolks and butter measures for crust and filling at their specified stages.
The cooking plan
How to make Lemon Tart with Poppy Seed Shortbread Crust.
Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the middle. Pulse the crust flour, powdered sugar, poppy seeds and crust salt in a food processor. Add the cold butter and pulse until crumbly, then add the crust yolk and pulse just until combined.
Press the dry, crumbly dough firmly over the base and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable base. Freeze for about 30 minutes, until firm. Wipe out the processor.
Bake the crust for 25–30 minutes, until barely golden. Cool slightly on a rack and lower the oven to 300°F.
Rub the lemon zest into the filling sugar with your fingers until fragrant and lightly clumped. Put into the processor with the eggs, filling yolk, melted butter, lemon juice and filling salt. Process until smooth, then pulse in the filling flour just to combine.
Put the pan with its crust on the oven rack before pouring in the filling, so you do not need to carry a very full tart across the kitchen. Bake for 45–50 minutes, until the filling is just set with only a slight wobble in the center and the crust edges are golden.
Cool on a rack before slicing. Refrigerate if preparing ahead, and add powdered sugar only just before serving.
Let’s cook
The full recipe.
Check off ingredients as you get them ready.
Changing servings? The ingredient list scales automatically. Adjust quantities named in the steps to match, and choose pans and cooking times for your batch.
Lemon Tart with Poppy Seed Shortbread Crust
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Ingredients
188 g all-purpose flour- 37 g powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or use half as much Morton kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 large Egg yolks
- 1 large lemon zest only
- 250 g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large Egg yolks
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or use half as much Morton kosher salt
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- powdered sugar to finish
Equipment
Equipment images are illustrative. Exact products may vary.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the middle. Pulse the crust flour, powdered sugar, poppy seeds and crust salt in a food processor. Add the cold butter and pulse until crumbly, then add the crust yolk and pulse just until combined.
- Press the dry, crumbly dough firmly over the base and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable base. Freeze for about 30 minutes, until firm. Wipe out the processor.
- Bake the crust for 25–30 minutes, until barely golden. Cool slightly on a rack and lower the oven to 300°F.
- Rub the lemon zest into the filling sugar with your fingers until fragrant and lightly clumped. Put into the processor with the eggs, filling yolk, melted butter, lemon juice and filling salt. Process until smooth, then pulse in the filling flour just to combine.
- Put the pan with its crust on the oven rack before pouring in the filling, so you do not need to carry a very full tart across the kitchen. Bake for 45–50 minutes, until the filling is just set with only a slight wobble in the center and the crust edges are golden.
- Cool on a rack before slicing. Refrigerate if preparing ahead, and add powdered sugar only just before serving.
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!A couple of useful answers.
Is the crust rolled out?
No. Press the crumbly dough directly into the pan, then freeze it until firm before baking.
When is the filling done?
It should be set around the edges with only a slight wobble at the center when the pan is gently moved.
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