Easy Crustless Lemon Tart is luscious, creamy, soft, and packs a real punch of lemon. So punchy it almost smacks you with the lemon hit. This is one little recipe that you must add to your repertoire.
It’s super easy to prepare using just a bowl and a handheld beater, or whisk. In fact you can throw the ingredients for thisEasy Crustless Lemon Tart into a food processor it’s that easy.
There’s no creaming of butter and sugar, it basically just gets thrown all together and simply poured into a springform pan to bake. Simple!
You can knock this tart out in just 10 minutes, with a bake time of 35-40 minutes.
This lemon tart is not a deep tart but you can scale it up using Omni scale converter
This tart is perfect when you want a great-tasting dessert that’s ready for the oven in minutes. It keeps well for 2-3 days refrigerated and is even better after a day.
At a Glance This Is What You Need To Make Easy Crustless Lemon Tart
Pantry
caster sugar
plain flour (all purpose)
eggs
vanilla
melted butter
salt
Shopping List
thickened cream
lemon juice and zest
We are always on the search for desserts made with lemons as Jen has a magnificent lemon tree that produces all year round. We’ve no idea what the variety is but it just keeps on giving.
Check out some more winning lemon desserts in these links – you won’t be sorry! No Bake Lemon Posset Tart which is made almost by magic with no eggs, flour or gelatine to be seen. Our Lemon Sour Cream Cake is beautifully moist and delivers on the lemon hit. One of our all-time favourites Lemon Roulade we’ve probably made this recipe more than any other and there’s a good reason for that it’s fabulously easy to make, delivers a beautiful lemon flavour and finally, it’s just delicious!
Bill Granger’s Recipe
This terrific tart recipe comes from Australian chef Bill Granger from his cookbook, Bill’s Basics. Granger is renowned for recipes that work using a minimum of ingredients and techniques, but still pack a punch and deliver in flavour. Well Bill you certainly did it again with this recipe for Easy Crustless Lemon Tart. Only 8 ingredients, super quick to make and produces a delicious tart. What’s not to love?🥰
Make It Gluten Free
Apparently you can substitute the plain flour for almond meal (almond flour) and it still works for a gluten free lemon tart.
We’ve not actually tried the recipe using almond meal but a few of our readers have let us know that it works and they’re very happy with the result. Just thought we’d pass that tip on.
Hot Tip For Using A Springform Pan
There are springform pans, and springform pans. The trick is to install the base with the lip down. This ensures that you get a perfect seal and won’t get an indent in the side of your tart or cake. It also enables you to easily lift the tart off the base.
Don’t Panic Because The Batter Is Thin – It Should Be
The batter for this crustless lemon tart is very thin. Don’t be alarmed as its not a cake batter, rather than a custard that sets thanks to the eggs.
Watch Point For Cooked Tart
At the 35-40 minute mark your tart should be a light golden colour around the edges and have a slight wobble when you move the pan.
Remove tart from the oven and allow the tart to sit in the pan for 20 minutes to let the residual heat finish setting the tart.
Watch How To Make Easy Crustless Lemon Tart
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How To Store Crustless Lemon Tart
The tart is best stored in the refrigerator. Cover tightly with cling film on a plate and store for 3-4 days.
What To Serve With Crustless Lemon Tart
The tart looks a little naked just served plain. We like to serve this with some softly whipped cream, or,creme fraiche. It teams beautifully with fresh berries such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or strawberries.
Don’t forget to rate this recipe and let us know what you thought when you make this fabulously Easy Crustless Lemon Tart in the reviews below.
Easy Crustless Lemon Tart
Easy Crustless Lemon Tart is super quick to make and you totally need this recipe in your repertoire. It is soft and creamy and almost 'smacks' you with the lemon flavour. Quick and delish!
Originally published 13 Jan 2020
Ingredients
- 3 whole large eggs
- 1/2 cup plain flour (all purpose)
- 1 cup castor sugar
- pinch of salt
- 100g butter (3 1/2 ounces)
- finely grated lemon zest of 2 large lemons
- 125 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 ounces)
- 1 cup heavy cream (thickened)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
- preheat oven to 180 c (350 f) on bake, not fan
- melt butter
- lightly butter a 20 cm (8 inch) springform pan using some of the melted butter
- whisk the eggs lightly
- now add the flour and whisk together for a minute or so
- add the sugar, salt, butter, lemon zest and juice, cream and vanilla and whisk till combined
- pour batter into your buttered springform pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until lightly browned around the edges
- tart will still seem a little 'wobbly' at this stage but remove from oven and rest on a cake rack for 20 minutes
- use a knife and loosen around the inside of the tin
- release the tart from the springform and refrigerate for 30 minutes
- remove tart from springform base using a spatula onto your serving plate
- sieve icing sugar lightly over tart
- serve with cream and berries, enjoy!
Notes
- the batter is very 'liquid' when poured into the springform pan
- the tart is not a deep tart. it's about 3 cm (1 inch) high
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 333Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 103mgSodium 71mgCarbohydrates 53gFiber 1gSugar 42gProtein 5g
Nutritional information provided here is only intended as a guide.
Cooper
It doesn’t matter that Cooper has two water bowls on the deck, as he nearly always drinks from the pot with the water plants in it. Ever since he was high enough to reach the pot this has become his norm for rehydrating himself.
It seems like only yesterday that Cooper would lie in his water bowl.
34 comments
What do you mean by thickened heavy cream?
Hi, thickened heavy cream is also known as heavy cream, heavy whipping cream or thickened cream. It has 35% milk fat which whips better and holds its shape better than single, or pouring cream. Hope this helps. Regards, Jen and Jo
I’ve just found your site and I love the sound of this “Crustless” Lemon Tart, but what can I use in place of the SUGAR to make it Keto “friendly” as carbs are out for me.
Lemon is my MOST loved addition to any recipe, but to have something made of such a distinctive lemon flavour you’ve won me twice over.
Thank you.in advance.
Hi Josephine, we have not tried a sugar substitute to make this recipe more keto friendly, but Stevia is suggested as possibly the best to use. Stevia is available in both Woolies and Coles in Australia. We would love to hear how you go with your choice of substitute. We have to agree we are also very fond of lemon flavours in desserts. We have a number of lovely desserts and cakes on recipe winners site all made with lemon flavours. Enjoy your lemon crustless tart, regards Jen and Jo
Hi again, I forgot to ask if I can use coconut or almond flour in place of plain flour (all-purpose) and how much would be equivalent? TIA.
Hi Josephine, nice to hear from you again. As we have not tried to replace the flour with a substitute we can’t vouch for the change in the recipe. However, both Jen and I feel that you should be fine to use either coconut, or almond. We did a quick google search and both flours came in tops as substitutes for plain flour. Let us know your results. Enjoy! Regards Jen and Jo
I have just made this recipe today using almond flour . It turned out beautifully . Now I can do this for my gluten free friends .Great recipe . Thanks .
Hi Penny, thanks for sharing the almond flour tip it’s great to know for future reference. Regards Jo and Jen
HI CAN I USE REGULAR MILK ?? THANK YOU KINDLY
Hi Julie, sorry but we’re not really sure just how it would work with milk. Let us know if you try it with milk, and how it turns out. Kind regards, Jo and Jen
Help!!! I’m trying this out this weekend. I thought the liquid would deep through the springform tin.. so I put water in the tin and YES it leaked through ? what is happening ? I have a new tin and it feels tight. Cheers Helen
Hi Helen, have you tried turning the base of the springform tin over and seal the tin? Let us know how you get on as we have definitely made this in a springform tin. Regards, Jo and Jen
Thanks ladies.. I think the batter being thicker will probably hold. If it works for everyone else.. I’m confident
Hi i doubled up the recipe because the only tin I had was a lot bigger then the required one. And it hasn’t set I cooked it for 45mins on gas 4/5 then left it in the fridge overnight and the middle was liquid in the morning. I’ve just put it back in the oven now and I just hope the centre sets without burning the sides what didbj do wrong? X
Hi Beth, You say the cake tin you had was “a lot bigger than the required one”. If you would like to let us know your cake pan size we can tell you how to scale the recipe quantities if you like. Otherwise we don’t know the size of the tin to advise you. Regards, Jo and Jen
I made it in a deep pie pan & it was very good.
Hi Millie, thanks for commenting. regards, Jo and JEN
Hi Helen, the easiest way to seal the pan is to wrap the bottom of the pan in foil and crimp the foil into edges of the pan. Water is thinner than the batter and if the batter leaks at all, the batter will cook and seal around the edges. Helen we didn’t use baking paper when we made the tart, but it wouldn’t hurt if you wanted to. All will be fine. Hope you enjoy the tart, would love to hear how it goes. Jo and Jen
Hi everyone.. I’ve just taken this out of the oven and it’s about 2cm high or should I say low ?. I used the 20cm springform… mixed it with a hand beater electric. Did anyone else have this result certainly nothing like the pic. I’ve been baking for 40 years so I know my way around the kitchen…
Hi Helen, so sorry to hear that the tart has not worked for you. The tart is not a deep tart to begin with, and should be around 3cm (1 inch) high. The recipe is one from Bill Granger’s cookbook, Bill’s Basics. We’ve double checked our recipe quantities and they are spot on. We wondered if your oven temperature was not right. Did you manage to get an edge to the tart? We know it’s absolutely no fun making something that doesn’t work, and disappointing (and annoying). We would love to have an answer for you but are at a loss as to why it didn’t work. Kind regards, Jo and Jen
Thanks for your reply ladies ☺️
No edge..
I do like thick cakes if any kind so I’ll move on from this one.
Hi Helen, you might like to try our Italian lemon, almond and white chocolate cake. It can also be made without the almond topping. The cake is superbly moist, and lemony. Regards, Jo and Jen
Just made this as I still had a surfeit of lemons. It worked perfectly thank you! I didn’t have a spring form tin so I split the mix between two smaller glass pie dishes, greased. I also reduced the amount of sugar to 3/4 of a cup – still delicious, great texture, so lemony ?
Hi Catherine, so pleased to hear you enjoyed this little winner of a dessert. Thanks for sharing. Jo and Jen
Hi, I have made this a number of times. I have also doubled it into a slightly larger springform pan and it has worked perfectly each time. I love that I can make this for visitors and have confidence that it will work each time, unlike lemon meringue tart which can be a bit hit or miss. Thank you for this delicious recipe it is my husbands favourite.
Hi Janet, thanks so much for sharing and it’s great to know that it can be doubled. It’s such a good lemon tart recipe and we’re glad it is your husbands favourite. Regards, Jo and Jen
Hi, could I substitute the lemon with passion fruit? My family is crazy about passion fruit and is currently in season.
Hi Sesepe, we really can’t see a reason that the lemon couldn’t be changed for passionfruit, as long as you replace the lemon with the same amount of passionfruit. We would love to hear how it turns out. Jo and Jen
Hi there, as I only bake by weighing ingredients, I assume your measurements are Australian as Bill Grainger is an Aussie & it’s his recipe? Thanks.
Hi Tracy, yes the measurements are Australian cup measurements. Hope you enjoy the tart. Regards, Jo and Jen
Hi made several times always a fav.
Can I freeze as I would like to take it away.
Thanks Terri
Hi Terri, unfortunately we haven’t frozen our Easy Crustless Lemon Tart however, we both feel that this would be a mistake. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Kind regards Jo and Jen.
I love this recipe. I have made it so many times without a problem except my old springform leaks a little so I put a tray under it before putting it in the oven.
Sometimes I do it in 2 shallow glass pie dishes instead. I top it with a small dollop of whipped cream per piece, some blueberries and garnish with mint. It looks spectacular, smells delicious and tastes amazing. Everyone always comments on how good it is and now friends are requesting I bring this as dessert. Lucky I have a lemon tree and some chooks for eggs. 😊
Hi Katrina, we’re so pleased that you enjoy this recipe. It’s a little winner in our books too! Thanks for commenting,Jo and Jen