When life gives you lemons, ask for some salt and tequila too. That’s how the saying goes, right? Lemonade is just for little kids! No matter what your drink preference is regarding lemons, you can also make a wonderfully delicious Lemon Streusel Tart with a few lemons. Just saying! Sweet meets sour, and the result is simply fantastic! With a little whipped cream on the side you will get a treat that will make you forget all your worries…
You can really do a lot with lemons – not just lemonade and tequila shots. We almost always have some at home. Whether for cooking or baking, you can use these sour little yellow devils for just about anything. Even for cleaning, if you’d like. We prefer using them in cooking and baking recipes, of course. We don’t post house cleaning tutorials here… unless you tell us you need help in that area. Is anyone interested in information like that? It can’t hurt to know how to remove cooking stains from the stovetop and cookware, right?
Anyway. Today it’s all about the delicious lemon streusel tart, right? We don’t want to get sidetracked, right? The tart is an easy bake that’s relatively quick and easy to make. What might take some of the fun out of baking it is the rather long cooling time. After baking, it unfortunately has to cool down on the countertop for a while and then ideally overnight in the fridge. Only after this extended resting and chilling period do the lemon cream filling and streusel topping really get to know each other. For those who just want a quick sweet treat, this isn’t ideal, of course.
But that’s the problem with many creamy fillings in tarts and cakes. They need time to settle and firm up. You don’t want it to completely run off when you cut into the tart or cake. A little bit is fine, but if it’s all runny and dripping, something has definitely gone wrong.
We had to test this recipe several times because of the texture and flavors. The lemon cream shouldn’t be too firm nor too sour. This required quite a bit of trial and error. The first version of the tart was a little too sour and, unfortunately, a bit too firm for our liking. After various attempts, the tart is now moderately sour and a bit softer in texture. For us, it’s perfect now!
There are two things you can adjust yourself if the texture or flavor isn’t 100% to your liking. These two things are the amount of lemon juice in the filling and the amount of cornstarch used to thicken the cream. As you can perhaps see in the photos, the filling oozes out a tiny bit when you cut into the tart. However, this only really happens if the tart is relatively fresh out of the fridge. The longer it sits, the more compact it becomes.
So, adjusting the texture is straightforward. Adjusting the taste of the tart is a little more difficult. We like it just as it is, the result you get when you make the tart as described in the recipe. A tangy lemon cream combined with a relatively sweet base and streusel topping. Add some whipped cream and you get an extremely delicious treat! But that is quite subjective. Like when eating spicy dishes. We like it quite spicy and tangy – others might have a more delicate palate.
In other words, some might find the tart too sour/tart, while others might even find it too sweet, because the streusels and cream filling are made with a fair amount of sugar. If you like the taste of lemons but can’t handle their sourness, you might want to reduce the amount of lemon juice in the recipe a little and use more water instead. When we tested the recipe, we started with the juice of seven lemons and then reduced it to four or five. The first versions were even a bit too sour for us.
Well. This shouldn’t stop anyone from trying the tart as it is. As mentioned before, we really like it! A refreshing, sweet and sour treat.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the base/streusels:
3 cups (380g) all-purpose flour (Type 405)*
1 cup (200g) fine sugar*
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract*
9 oz. (250g) butter, cold
For the filling:
about 11.8 fl. oz. (350ml) lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
5.0 fl. oz. (150ml) water
1.9 oz. (55g) cornstarch
3/4 cup (150g) fine sugar*
1 oz. (30g) butter
1 medium egg
3 medium egg yolks
Für den Boden/Streusel:
380g Mehl (Type 405)*
200g Zucker (fein)*
1 Prise Salz
1 TL Vanille Extrakt*
250g Butter (kalt)
Für die Füllung:
etwa 350ml Zitronensaft (etwa 4-5 Zitronen)
150ml Wasser
55g Speisestärke
150g Zucker (fein)*
30g Butter
1 Ei (M)
3 Eigelb (M)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the vanilla extract as well as the cold butter in small pieces and mix everything with your fingers to get different-sized streusels. Transfer about 2/3 of the streusels to a 24cm tart tin with a removable bottom* and firmly press them into the bottom and up the sides. Place both, tart base and the remaining streusels in the fridge until needed again.
2. Squeeze out the lemons, collect the juice, and strain it through a sieve to remove any seeds and pulp. Combine about 11.8 fl. oz./350ml of juice with 5.0 fl. oz./150ml of water – a little less lemon juice and more water is fine if you prefer a less sour tart filling.
3. Mix the cornstarch with a little of the lemon juice and water mixture until smooth. Pour the remaining liquid into a small saucepan along with the sugar and butter. Bring the liquid to a boil – the butter should have melted completely. Stir in the cornstarch mixture while stirring constantly and let everything cook/bubble for a minute. The mixture should thicken considerably, like a custard. Remove from the heat and let it cool down a bit.
4. Whisk the egg and egg yolks in a small bowl, then add a spoonful of the lemon custard to the bowl while mixing constantly. Be careful not to overheat the egg, or it will curdle. Pour this mixture into the saucepan with the lemon custard while mixing constantly. Return the saucepan to the stove, bring everything to a boil again while mixing constantly, and cook the custard for another minute. Remove the from the heat and let the lemon tart filling cool down for about 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Remove the tart tin and the streusels from the fridge. Pour the lemon filling into the streusel base and sprinkle the streusels evenly on top. Bake the tart in a preheated oven for about 38-40 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the tart inside for another 15 minutes with the door closed. Remove the tart from the oven and let it cool down completely on a wire rack. Place the cooled tart in the fridge for at least 6 hours (or overnight). If desired, dust the tart with confectioners’ sugar and serve with whipped cream (optional).
1. Mehl, Zucker und Salz in einer großen Schüssel vermischen. Den Vanille Extrakt und die kalte Butter in kleinen Stücken dazugeben und alles zu Streuseln verarbeiten. Etwa 2/3 davon in eine 24cm Tarteform mit Hebeboden* schütten und am Boden und den Seiten festdrücken. Den Streuselboden und die Streusel bis zur weiteren Verwendung in den Kühlschrank stellen.
2. Die Zitronen auspressen, den Saft auffangen und durch ein Sieb gießen, um Kerne und Fruchtfleisch zu entfernen. Etwa 350ml Saft mit 150ml Wasser auffüllen – etwas weniger Zitronensaft und mehr Wasser sind hier auch ok, wenn man es nicht ganz so sauer mag.
3. Die Speisestärke mit etwas von der Zitronensaft-Wasser-Mischung glatt rühren – die restliche Flüssigkeit zusammen mit dem Zucker und der Butter in einen kleinen Topf geben. Die Flüssigkeit einmal aufkochen lassen, die Butter sollte komplett geschmolzen sein, dann die Stärkemischung einrühren und alles für etwa eine Minute köcheln lassen – die Mischung sollte hier stark andicken, wie eine Art Pudding. Vom Herd ziehen und kurz abkühlen lassen.
4. Das Ei und die Eigelbe in einer kleinen Schüssel verrühren, dann löffelweise etwas vom Zitronenpudding dazugeben und unterrühren. Man sollte hier sicherstellen, dass das Ei nicht zu stark erhitzt wird, sonst fängt es schnell mal an, auszuflocken. Diese Mischung dann unter ständigem Rühren in den Topf geben und unterrühren. Den Topf zurück auf den Herd stellen, alles noch einmal unter ständigem Rühren aufkochen und eine weitere Minute köcheln lassen. Den Topf vom Herd ziehen und die Zitronencreme etwa 10-15 Minuten abkühlen lassen – immer wieder durchrühren, damit sich keine Haut bildet.
5. In der Zwischenzeit den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Die vorbereitete Form und die Streusel aus dem Kühlschrank nehmen. Die Zitronencreme auf dem Streuselboden verteilen, dann die Streusel gleichmäßig darüberstreuen. Die Tarte im vorgeheizten Ofen für etwa 38-40 Minuten backen. Den Ofen ausschalten und die Tarte noch etwa 15 Minuten im geschlossenen Ofen stehen lassen, dann aus dem Ofen nehmen und auf einem Kuchengitter komplett auskühlen lassen. Für mindestens 6 Stunden (oder über Nacht) in den Kühlschrank stellen. Die abgekühlte Tarte nach Belieben noch mit etwas Puderzucker bestäuben und mit Schlagsahne servieren (optional).
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Easy Lemon Streusel Tart
- Prep Time: 00:30
- Cook Time: 00:35
- Total Time: 08:00
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Tarts
- Method: -
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
When life gives you lemons – ask for salt and tequila! Or you could bake a delicious Lemon Streusel Tart like this one here. Sour meets sweet and turns into…?
Ingredients
For the base/streusels:
3 cups (380g) all-purpose flour (Type 405)*
1 cup (200g) fine sugar*
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract*
9 oz. (250g) butter, cold
For the filling:
about 11.8 fl. oz. (350ml) lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
5.0 fl. oz. (150ml) water
1.9 oz. (55g) cornstarch
3/4 cup (150g) fine sugar*
1 oz. (30g) butter
1 medium egg
3 medium egg yolks
Instructions
1. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the vanilla extract as well as the cold butter in small pieces and mix everything with your fingers to get different-sized streusels. Transfer about 2/3 of the streusels to a 24cm tart tin with a removable bottom* and firmly press them into the bottom and up the sides. Place both, tart base and the remaining streusels in the fridge until needed again.
2. Squeeze out the lemons, collect the juice, and strain it through a sieve to remove any seeds and pulp. Combine about 11.8 fl. oz./350ml of juice with 5.0 fl. oz./150ml of water – a little less lemon juice and more water is fine if you prefer a less sour tart filling.
3. Mix the cornstarch with a little of the lemon juice and water mixture until smooth. Pour the remaining liquid into a small saucepan along with the sugar and butter. Bring the liquid to a boil – the butter should have melted completely. Stir in the cornstarch mixture while stirring constantly and let everything cook/bubble for a minute. The mixture should thicken considerably, like a custard. Remove from the heat and let it cool down a bit.
4. Whisk the egg and egg yolks in a small bowl, then add a spoonful of the lemon custard to the bowl while mixing constantly. Be careful not to overheat the egg, or it will curdle. Pour this mixture into the saucepan with the lemon custard while mixing constantly. Return the saucepan to the stove, bring everything to a boil again while mixing constantly, and cook the custard for another minute. Remove the from the heat and let the lemon tart filling cool down for about 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Remove the tart tin and the streusels from the fridge. Pour the lemon filling into the streusel base and sprinkle the streusels evenly on top. Bake the tart in a preheated oven for about 38-40 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the tart inside for another 15 minutes with the door closed. Remove the tart from the oven and let it cool down completely on a wire rack. Place the cooled tart in the fridge for at least 6 hours (or overnight). If desired, dust the tart with confectioners’ sugar and serve with whipped cream (optional).
Notes
Let’s get baking!
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