I'm sharing how to make the perfect fresh fruit tart from scratch! The lightly crisp tart crust, luscious sweet cream made with rich pastry cream and fluffy whipped cream, and seasonal juicy fresh fruits taste so exceptional. Follow my step-by-step instructions and secret tips for making it successful at home!
📌 The Best Fresh Fruit Tart
Homemade classic fruit tart tastes nothing like others... I was blown away by how delicious it is when I made it for the first time at a baking class about 15 years ago! The crisp crust, smooth and luscious diplomat cream, and juicy fresh fruits make an amazing harmony of textures and flavors - truly magic. I would say this is one of the top 5 desserts I bake most often.
❤️ I love this classic fresh fruit tart because:
- There is no need to blind bake the tart crust. You do not need to bake the tart shell twice with pie weights, which is going to make the process a lot easier! This is the only recipe I use for all kinds of tarts, such as lemon meringue tart and peach almond tart.
- The best diplomat cream: My delicious vanilla pastry cream recipe and fluffy whipped cream make perfectly light, smooth, rich, and not overly sweet cream that goes perfectly with fresh fruit tarts. For fresh fruit tart, it has to be this cream for me!
- Versatile: I think the biggest reason why I bake it so often is because it is so easy to customize the look and flavor by using various kinds of pans in different shapes and sizes or different fruits. Orange tart, strawberry tart, mini fruit tarts, fruit pizza... they all look very unique and different, even when I use this same recipe!
What is diplomat cream?
Diplomat cream (A.K.A creme diplomat in French) is made by combining pastry cream and whipped cream. This is my favorite cream for fresh fruit tarts and cream puffs.
Whipped cream adds a creaminess and lightness to luscious pastry cream, making it taste so dreamy. I also love that it's less sweet than pastry cream, enhancing the sweetness of natural fresh fruits!
📌 Tips For Fresh Fruit Tart Ingredients
Tart Crust
- All-purpose flour: Gluten in flour creates a crisp texture for the tart crust.
- Almond flour: It adds a fantastic flavor and more delicate, light crispiness to the crust.
- Powdered sugar: It creates a lighter crisp than granulated sugar.
- Salt: I use regular table salt.
- Unsalted butter: Use cold butter.
- Egg: The egg helps to connect all the ingredients to make the dough.
- Bread flour to dust on a working surface: Bread flour spreads more evenly and does not stick as much as cake or all-purpose flour. Use all-purpose flour if you can not get bread flour.
Diplomat Cream
Pastry cream
- Whole Milk: Use full-fat whole milk.
- Vanilla Beans: I recommend using vanilla beans for their incredible flavor. My favorite kind is Madagascar vanilla beans. You can also use vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract if you can not get it.
- Granulated Sugar: Sugar is a necessary ingredient to make smooth and shiny pastry cream.
- Egg Yolks: They help to thicken the cream and make rich pastry cream.
- Corn Starch: It helps to thicken the cream as well. It gives a light, slightly jelly-like texture.
- All-purpose flour: It also helps to thicken the cream. Compared to corn starch, it gives a chinkier, heavier texture. I often like to blend cornstarch and all-purpose flour.
- Salt: It adds more depth in flavor.
- Butter (Unsalted): It is optional. It adds richness in flavor and thickens the cream slightly more.
Whipped cream
Heavy cream: Today, we add about ⅕ amount of the pastry cream. It makes a big difference in taste!
Fruits
- Fresh fruits of your choice: Wash them if necessary and remove excess moisture with a cloth or paper towel in advance.
- Apricot jam: It works as nappage. Nappage refers to the clear liquid for baking to add shine on top of desserts. You can buy the pre-made nappage online or use apricot jam as an alternative!
- Water: Heat the apricot jam with water to make it looser so you can brush it more easily.
What fruits should I use for a fresh fruit tart?
Ultimately, you can use any fruit you like! Some fruits, such as kiwi and orange, are soggier than others - Remove the excess moisture with kitchen towels or a clean cloth to prevent the tart from getting soggy. Some of my favorite fruits for fruit tarts are strawberries, raspberries, other berries, mangoes, mandarin oranges, and so on! What's your favorite?😊
📌 8 Steps To Make Fresh Fruit Tart
Step 1. Make tart dough.
Check out my tart crust recipe to see how to make the sweet tart dough step by step. I'm showing how to make it with a stand mixer and food processor.
Chill it in the fridge for more than a few hours.
One batch of the recipe is enough for 2 9-inch tarts (or 2 10-inch tarts if you could roll it thinly). You can make half batch or make one batch and store the leftover in the freezer to use it some other time!
Leave the chilled dough at room temperature for 5 - 15 minutes to soften it a little bit.
Dust bread flour all over the surface of the dough, work surface, and rolling pin. Roll it into 2-3 mm (inch). You can also roll on parchment paper to make the process a little bit easier.
Fit the dough into a tart ring or pan. To roll out the dough thinly and evenly, and fit it into the pan or ring successfully, check the step-by-step instructions in the sweet tart crust post!
Chill the dough completely in the fridge or freezer before baking them.
Step 3. Bake tart crust.
Bake it at 350ºF (176ºC) for 10 - 20 minutes or more until it gets a nice golden brown. Adjust the baking time and temperature depending on the oven, the size, and the thickness of your crust.
TIP💡: The crust is more fragile when it's hot. Take it out from a pan after it cools down.
Step 4. Make pastry cream.
Make one batch of my pastry cream. Follow the steps in the post to learn how to make it.
Step 5. Add whipped cream to the pastry cream.
Whip heavy cream and make a very stiff whipped cream.
TIP💡: Loose whipped cream leads to loose diplomat cream. Make it very stiff so the cream can hold its shape much better!
Add it to the pastry cream and mix until they are combined.
Step 6. Pipe the cream.
You can use a piping bag and pastry tip or spread with a spatula.
3 tips for piping the filling on the tart crust
- Create a low hill with a filling to create more volume on top, which makes the fruit tart look more gorgeous (Well, in my opinion!).
- Pipe it using a piping bag to shape it easily. (optional)
- Don't pipe the filling around the edge of the crust to prevent it from getting squished and coming out from the decorated fruits on the edge while decorating fruits on top. It'll look messy!
One batch of the recipe should be enough amount for about 1 10" (25 cm) tart pan or all the tarts in the image below. Make more or less as you like!
As an option, dust some powdered sugar on the edges of the crust as a little accent!
TIP💡: You can mix a bit of cornstarch in powdered sugar. The sugar remains a little bit better on the surface!
Step 7. Decorate fresh fruits on top.
Use any fruit you like to decorate them on top.
3 tips for decorating fruits on top of a fresh fruit tart:
- Slice the fruit if needed and remove the excess moisture with a paper towel or a cloth to prevent the tart crust from getting soggy.
- Decorate from bigger fruits first and fill the gaps with smaller fruits.
- Create some volume in the center of the tart to make it look gorgeous.
I often focus on those 3 tips when I decorate fruits, but there are exceptions. You can also divide fruits in different colors, like the images below.
Decorating fruits on a tart is like painting on a white canvas. All the tips aside, the most important thing is for you to have fun! Enjoy it however you feel like.
Step 8. Glaze apricot jam on top.
Heat the apricot preserves and water in a small saucepan at medium heat until it starts boiling.
Strain it with a fine mesh strainer to remove chunks of apricot.
2 tips for applying the glaze successfully
- Tap it gently with a pastry brush. Avoid adding too much pressure to prevent the fruits from sliding.
- Apply it while it's still warm. It'll slowly get thick and lumpy as it cools down. Heat it again if it gets too thick.
The 3 benefits of Nappage glaze
- It adds a fantastic shine to the fruits. The tart looks even more fabulous!
- It prevents fruits from getting dried quickly.
- It helps fruits to stick to each other to prevent them from falling.
And it is DONE!! Enjoy. This time, I had a cup of herbal tea with the tarts. Phew. A time for an indulgence.☕️
📌 Frequently Asked Questions
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. You can store it for 4 - 5 days, but I highly recommend consuming it within that day for the best taste. The crust slowly soaks up the moisture from the filling and gets soggier, and the fruits lose freshness as they sit. If you can, fill the cream right before you serve!
In the fridge: for up to five days
In the freezer: for a few months
You can store it at room temperature for 1 - 2 days or in the refrigerator for 4 - 5 days. Store the crust in an airtight container with a silica gel. It'll soak up unnecessary moisture in the air, keeping the crust crispy! Or bake them at 350ºF (175ºC) or lower for 3 - 5 minutes to release some moisture. It'll bring back the crispiness again.
Yes, you can make fresh fruit tart with pie dough. But note that it is not sweet like this tart crust. And you'll need to blind-bake the crust with pie weights.
It happens most frequently when the starch in the flour is not cooked enough. Try heating it longer!
Here are the 3 main causes:
1. The pastry cream was loose.
2. The whipped cream was loose. Whip until it gets very thick and fluffy! Get a heavy cream or heavy whipping cream with 40 - 50% fat content so it whips up well.
3. It was remixed after leaving it in the fridge for some time. The whipped cream gets looser by doing it. Use the cream right after it's made.
A fresh fruit tart is a classic tart made with a sweet tart crust, filled with sweetened cream, often with pastry cream or diplomat cream, and topped with fresh fruits. It is one of the most popular classic French desserts.
📌 More Fruit Recipes
If you love this fresh fruit tart, also check out other popular recipes using fruits!
📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
Watch this video to learn how to make classic French fruit tart visually and have a deeper understanding of all.
💬 If you loved this classic fresh fruit tart recipe, please share your feedback on this post! I always love hearing how you enjoyed it with your friends and family.
Perfect Fresh Fruit Tart
Equipment
- Stand mixer with a peddle attachment or food processor
- Knife
- Spatula
- Pot A stainless pot is recommended.
- Whisk
- Sieve
- Hand blender optional
- Hand mixer to whip heavy cream
- Brush
Ingredients
Tart Dough
- 250 g (2 cups) All-purpose flour
- 105 g (½ + ⅓ cup) Powdered sugar
- 35 g (⅓ cup) Almond flour
- A pinch (1/16 teaspoon) Salt
- 127 g (9 Tablespoons) Unsalted butter
- 50 g (1 medium egg) Egg
- Some Bread flour to dust on a working surface - Or use all-purpose flour.
The Filling [Pastry Cream + Whipped Cream]
- 400 g (1 ⅔ cups) Whole Milk
- ¼ pod Vanilla Beans - or ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 100 g (½ cup) Granulated Sugar
- 4 yolks Egg Yolks
- 20 g (2.5 Tablespoons) Corn Starch - Level the surface.
- 20 g (2.5 Tablespoons) All-purpose flour
- A pinch Salt
- 30 g (2 Tablespoons) Butter (Unsalted)
- 100 g (⅜ cup) Heavy cream
Decorations
- Some Fresh fruits of your choice!
- 100 g (⅓ cup) Apricot jam
- 20 g (4 teaspoons) Water
NOTE: For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements (US customary units) are provided for your convenience.
Instructions
Make tart dough.
- Check out my tart crust recipe to see how to make the sweet tart dough step by step. I'm showing how to make it with a stand mixer and food processor. Chill it in the fridge for more than a few hoursOne batch of the recipe is enough for 2 9-inch tarts (or 2 10-inch tarts if you could roll it thinly). You can make half batch or make one batch and store the leftover in the freezer to use it some other time!250 g All-purpose flour, 105 g Powdered sugar, 35 g Almond flour, A pinch Salt, 127 g Unsalted butter, 50 g Egg
Roll the dough and fit it into the tart pan.
- Leave the chilled dough at room temperature for 5 - 15 minutes to soften it a little bit. Dust bread flour all over the surface of the dough, work surface, and rolling pin. Roll it into 2-3 mm (inch). You can also roll on parchment paper to make the process a little bit easier.Fit the dough into a tart ring or pan. To roll out the dough thinly and evenly, and fit it into the pan or ring successfully, check the step-by-step instructions in the sweet tart crust post!Chill the dough completely in the fridge or freezer before baking them.Some Bread flour to dust on a working surface
Bake the tart.
- Bake it at 350ºF (176ºC) for 10 - 20 minutes or more until it gets a nice golden brown. Adjust the baking time and temperature depending on the oven, the size, and the thickness of your crust.The crust is more fragile when it's hot. Take it out from a pan after it cools down.
The Filling
- Make one batch of my pastry cream. Follow the steps in the post to learn how to make it.400 g Whole Milk, ¼ pod Vanilla Beans, 100 g Granulated Sugar, 4 yolks Egg Yolks, 20 g Corn Starch, 20 g All-purpose flour, A pinch Salt, 30 g Butter (Unsalted)
- Whip heavy cream and make a very stiff whipped cream. Loose whipped cream leads to loose diplomat cream. Make it very stiff so the cream can hold its shape much better! Add it to the pastry cream and mix until they are combined.100 g Heavy cream
Pipe the cream.
- You can use a piping bag and pastry tip or spread with a spatula.3 tips for piping the filling on the tart crust1. Create a low hill with a filling to create more volume on top, which makes the fruit tart look more gorgeous (Well, in my opinion!).2. Pipe it using a piping bag to shape it easily. (optional)3. Don't pipe the filling around the edge of the crust to prevent it from getting squished and coming out from the decorated fruits on the edge while decorating fruits on top. It'll look messy!
Decorate fresh fruits on top.
- Use any fruit you like to decorate them on top.3 tips for decorating fruits on top of a fresh fruit tart1. Slice the fruit if needed and remove the excess moisture with a paper towel or a cloth to prevent the tart crust from getting soggy.2. Decorate from bigger fruits first and fill the gaps with smaller fruits.3. Create some volume in the center of the tart to make it look gorgeous.I often focus on those 3 tips when I decorate fruits, but there are exceptions. The most important thing is for you to have fun!Some Fresh fruits of your choice!
Glaze apricot jam on top.
- Heat the apricot preserves and water in a small saucepan at medium heat until it starts boiling. Strain it with a fine mesh strainer to remove chunks of apricot.2 tips for applying the glaze successfully1. Tap it gently with a pastry brush. Avoid adding too much pressure to prevent the fruits from sliding.2. Apply it while it's still warm. It'll slowly get thick and lumpy as it cools down. Heat it again if it gets too thick.100 g Apricot jam, 20 g Water
Video
Notes
How to store it:
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. It is possible to store it for up to five days, but I highly recommend consuming it within that day for the best taste. The crust slowly soaks up the moisture from the filling and gets soggier, and the fruits lose freshness as they sit.Fill the cream right before you serve when you can!
Tari says
Hi Aya, you had another no bake recipe with fruits using gelatine, i saw it 2 days ago and just about to prepare to make but its no longer there.. what happened? Did u remove it?
Thanks in advance. Loving yr recipes
ayacaliva says
Hello! I haven't written it on my blog yet but I have the tutorial on my YouTube Channel. I think I shared last year. No-bake cheesecake with fruits jelly. Check it out if you haven't yet! The amount of ingredients are listed in the description.
The_Broke_Chica says
Have you ever experimented with adding savory ingredients to your fruit tarts, such as herbs or cheeses, to create a unique and unexpected flavor combination? What were the results?",
"refusal
ayacaliva says
Hi! Yes, I added dried herbs and black pepper before and it worked out well. I've never tried it with cheese though!