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Easy Mini Fruit Tarts filled with homemade vanilla pastry cream and topped with assorted fresh fruit and apricot glaze. Perfect bite-sized desserts for celebrations or afternoon tea.

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 egg yolks (cold)
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
  • 1 cup heavy cream (36% fat)
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter (cold)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
  • 14 mini tart shells (store-bought or homemade)
  • ~2 cups assorted fresh berries or diced fruit
  • 2 tablespoons apricot preserves

Instructions

  1. Bake or blind-bake mini tart shells according to package instructions or using pie weights; cool completely.
  2. In a heatproof bowl, whisk cold egg yolks and granulated sugar until pale and creamy (1–2 minutes).
  3. Whisk in cornstarch until combined.
  4. Heat milk and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles form around edges; remove from heat.
  5. Slowly drizzle the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking continuously to temper the eggs.
  6. Return the combined mixture to the saucepan; cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until thickened to custard consistency (4–5 minutes).
  7. Stir in vanilla bean paste (or extract).
  8. Strain pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.
  9. Stir in cold salted butter until smooth.
  10. Cover surface of pastry cream tightly with plastic wrap to prevent skin; cool to room temperature then refrigerate at least 2 hours.
  11. Whisk chilled pastry cream with a hand mixer to smooth and lighten.
  12. Pipe about 2 tablespoons of pastry cream into each cooled tart shell.
  13. Top each tart with fresh berries or diced fruit.
  14. Warm apricot preserves with a splash of water in microwave until thin (15–30 seconds).
  15. Brush glaze lightly over the fruit to give a shiny finish.
  16. Refrigerate assembled tarts for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes

Temper the eggs slowly by drizzling hot milk mixture gradually to prevent curdling., Cook custard gently over medium-low heat, whisking constantly to avoid lumps., Use plastic wrap pressed onto pastry cream surface to prevent skin formation., Keep pastry cream chilled before filling to avoid soggy crusts., For juicier fruits (strawberries, mango), pat dry or toss with a bit of sugar and drain excess juice before topping., Use piping bag for neat filling and arrange fruit just before serving for freshness., Store completed tarts covered in a single layer in fridge; best enjoyed within 1-2 days., Make pastry cream up to 48 hours ahead; tart shells can be stored or frozen unfilled., Do not freeze assembled tarts as texture will be affected; freeze shells only.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://gingerbaking.com/mini-fruit-tarts-with-vanilla-pastry-cream/