• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

A Baking Journey

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Classes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Classes
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • Classes
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ร—
    Home ยป Recipes ยป Tarts

    Published: May 23, 2018 ยท Modified: Aug 14, 2020 by Sylvie ยท This post may contain affiliate links.

    Plum Vanilla Custard Tart

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    This Vanilla Custard Plum Tart makes the most delicious summer dessert. The tart is filled with a creamy vanilla Pastry Cream and topped with fresh Plums; a great combination of flaky, creamy and fresh!

    Plum and Vanilla Custard Tart
    Jump to:
    • Why we love this recipe
    • Shortcrust Pastry or Pate Brisรฉe
    • Vanilla Custard or Crรจme Pรขtissiรจre
    • Plum Tart with Custard Filling
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Why we love this recipe

    You gotta love a tart with fresh fruits. It is so simple yet always so delicious. I just love making tart because it offers so many options: the choice of pastry, filling and topping.

    This recipe is nothing fancy; just a very classic french style Shortcrust Pastry (Pâte Brisée) tart filled with Vanilla Custard (Crème Pâtissière) and topped with Fresh Plums.

    This recipe can be also made with other fruits like these Strawberry Custard Tartlets or Rhubarb Custard Tart. All delicious summer tart ideas!

    Although I love to make complex, crazy desserts, I also like to sometimes follow a simple, traditional french baking recipe.

    Half of the plums placed over the pastry cream

    Shortcrust Pastry or Pate Brisée

    The first element of this Plum Vanilla Custard Tart is a Shortcrust Pastry, or "Pate Brisee". This pastry is one of the basic french dough along with Pâte Sablée and Pâte Sucrée. It is generally used for sweet or savoury tarts.

    I had already used it in its sweet form for my Grapefruit Tart and as a savoury one for my Onion, Fig and Feta Tart. This dough is a rather simple one to make. Its flaky texture bring a really nice crunch to the recipe. 

    To make this Pastry, you will need:

    • Plain Flour
    • Unsalted Butter
    • Egg Yolk
    • Cornstarch
    • Brown Sugar
    • Water
    Placing the plums over the vanilla custard

    Would you like to save this recipe?

    We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

    Vanilla Custard or Crème Pâtissière

    There is nothing more "french" than a Vanilla Custard, or Crème Pâtissière, which translates literally as Pastry Cream.

    This custard is made out of simple ingredients:

    • Eggs
    • Milk
    • Sugar
    • Cornstarch
    • Vanilla Bean

    I know that fresh Vanilla Beans can be hard to find and quite expensive. So if you cannot/do not want to use fresh Vanilla Beans, I recommend using Vanilla Bean Paste instead. This paste is different than Vanilla Extract as it contains actually vanilla seeds rather than just flavour extract.

    I usually use Vanilla Extract to slightly flavour cake batters. But I find that for creams and custard, Vanilla Paste does bring a much stronger, more authentic vanilla favour.

    Finished tart in the tart tin

    Plum Tart with Custard Filling

    Plums are in season in Australia at the moment and I couldn't help but buy both Red and Black ones. I knew that using two different types of Plums would make the tart even prettier! As always, you can also only use one type of plums instead.

    Plums tend to be a somehow underrated fruit when it comes to desserts. That is a shame because they are absolutely great to bake with! Use them unripe for a strong, tangy flavour or ripe for something a little bit sweeter. They are so fresh and full of flavours!

    To make this Plum Vanilla Custard Tart even better, you can sprinkle some chopped Mint Leaves on it. Not only will it bring a nice pop of colour, it will also add a nice fresh flavour contrast to the creamy and sweet custard.

    To make this Tart, I used a really cool rectangular Tart Tin that has a removable bottom plate. Not only it makes tarts and quiche look even more special, the removable bottom means that it is so easy to remove from the tin and serve!

    It is a great tart pan that is awesome to use for either sweet tarts like this Cherry Chocolate Tart, or savoury ones like a Onion Fig and Feta Tart and my Leek Tart

    Close up on the fruits assembled over the tart and topped with chopped mint leaves

    Made this recipe?
    Let us know if you liked it by leaving a comment below, and tag us on Instagram @a.baking.journey with a photo of your creation!

    Recipe

    Plum and Vanilla Custard Tart

    Plum Vanilla Custard Tart

    No ratings yet
    This Plum Vanilla Custard Tart takes on some Classic French Baking elements: a flaky Shortcrust Pastry, a light Vanilla Custard and delicious Fresh Plums.
    Servings: 6
    Author: Sylvie
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Cook Time25 minutes mins
    Resting time30 minutes mins
    Total Time45 minutes mins
    Print Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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 teasp. Vanilla Paste)

    Toppings

    • 2 Red Plums
    • 2 Black Plums
    • 1 Dozen Mint Leaves, Optional

    Instructions

    Shortcrust Pastry

    • Put the Flour, Cornstarch and Brown Sugar in a large bowl.
      Cut the Butter in small cubes. When at room temperature, add it to the Flour. The butter should be soft enough to mix with the flour but not melted.
      Rub the butter and Flour between your palms and fingers until small crumbs form. All the flour and butter should be incorporated.
    • Create a well in the middle of the crumbs and pour the Egg Yolk. Slowly incorporate it with the rest of the dough.
      Quickly knead the dough into a large ball. If the dough is too dry and doesn't stick together, add a little bit of Water, one spoon at the time.
    • Put the dough to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
    • Preheat your oven on 180'C (350'F).
      When rested, spread the dough with a rolling pin. Try to roll the dough as thinly as possible without breaking it.
      Transfer it into a tart tin, and stick a fork all over the dough.
      Cover with baking paper and baking beads or dry beans / chickpeas.
      Blind bake the Shortcrust Pastry for about 20 minutes or until fully cooked and golden.

    Vanilla Custard (Crème Pâtissière)

    • In a small pot, heat the Milk and Vanilla Bean and let it infuse for 5 minutes.
      Remove from the heat, split the Vanilla Bean in half, scrape all the vanilla seeds and add them to the Milk.
      Alternatively, you can use Vanilla Paste. Simply let it infuse in the pot with the warm Milk for 5 minutes.
    • In the meantime, mix the Egg Yolks and Sugar in a separate bowl until creamy. Slowly add the Cornstarch while beating. 
      It is important to add the cornstarch very slowly while beating to having lumps.
    • Pour half of the Warm Milk in the bowl with the Egg mixture, stir quickly, then transfer the whole batter back into the pot with the rest of the Milk.
      Turn the heat back (low heat) on and whisk continuously until the custard start thickening. 
      Transfer the Custard into a bowl and let it rest in the fridge until cold.

    To Assemble the Plum Vanilla Custard Tart

    • Once the pre-baked Shortcrust Pastry has cooled down, pour in the Vanilla Custard.
      Thinly slice the Red and Black Plums and place them over the Vanilla Custard.
      Optional: Chop the Mint Leaves and sprinkle them over the tart.

    Video

    Would you like to save this recipe?

    We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

    Nutrition (per serving)

    Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 248mg | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 263mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1074IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 3mg

    More Sweet and Savoury Tarts & Pies

    • Sliced almond tart on a white plate.
      French Almond Tart
    • Pistachio tart seen from above with 4 slices cut off.
      Pistachio Tart
    • Close up on the quiche seen from above with 3 slices cut out.
      Leek Quiche with Gruyรจre
    • Passion fruit tart on a large white plate surrounded by fresh passion fruits.
      Passion Fruit Tart

    Primary Sidebar

    Bonjour! I'm Sylvie, a Belgian Aussie living in Melbourne, Australia. I love sharing my passion for French Pastry and empowering all home bakers through easy to follow recipes.
    Join me on my Baking Journey!

    More about me โ†’

    Spring Recipes

    • Close up on cake crumb showing the baked raspberries inside the lemon cake.
      Lemon Raspberry Loaf Cake
    • One slice of cake on a small white plate with a silver fork.
      Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake
    • Close up on a loaf slice sitting on a cutting board.
      Pistachio Raspberry Loaf Cake
    • Picking up some compote from a glass bowl with a spoon, seen from above.
      Cherry Compote
    • Glass full of berry coulis over a marble coaster with a silver spoon dipped in.
      Mixed Berry Coulis
    • 45 degrees angle view on the tart placed on a round marble tray over a light peach surface.
      Apricot Frangipane Tart
    See more Spring Baking โ†’
    More Spring Recipes

    Popular Recipes

    • Stewed Rhubarb in a glass bowl over a wooden plate
      Stewed Rhubarb (3 Ingredients Recipe)
    • Close up on a tartlet on a grey surface.
      Lemon Curd Tartlets
    • Stack of baked shells.
      How to make Tartlet Shells
    • Close up on a glass jar with the coulis and a silver spoon
      Easy Mango Coulis (3 Ingredients)
    • Blind-baked pastry from above on a marble surface
      Savoury Shortcrust Pastry for Quiche and Tarts
    • Fraisier Cake on a Green Cake Stand
      Fraisier Cake with Diplomat Cream

    Footer


    โ†‘ back to top

    About

    About Me
    Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    Sign Up
    for emails and updates

    Contact

    Contact Me
    Work with Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
    Copyright ยฉ 2025 A Baking Journey

    • 68

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    (Optional) Let us know what you thought of this recipe:

    My family loved this!
    Great recipe!
    Will make it again!

    Write your own comment:

    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required