French Lemon Cream Tart (Gluten-free)

Quick Summary: French lemon cream tart is a crustless, gluten-free lemon dessert. Instead of a pastry, it sits on a flourless coconut dacquoise, topped with tangy lemon cream (lemon cremeux) and piped Italian meringue. There is no tart shell to blind-bake, and it is served chilled. It takes some time because of the chilling steps, but each part is simple to make.

What is a lemon cream tart?

A lemon cream tart (tarte à la crème de citron in French) is a lemon tart whose filling is set apart by how the lemon is prepared. Unlike tarts filled with plain lemon curd, mascarpone, or cream cheese, this one uses a French lemon cream: a smooth lemon custard (lemon crèmeux) that gets its rich, melt-in-the-mouth texture from butter whisked into a warm lemon-egg base rather than added cream.

The technique was made famous by French pastry chef Pierre Hermé and popularized by Dorie Greenspan, and it is the reason a French lemon cream tart tastes richer and rounder than a standard lemon tart. This version takes the idea one step further: it is crustless and gluten-free, swapping the usual shortcrust pastry for a flourless coconut dacquoise base.

On top, the tart alternates piped lemon cream with cooked Italian meringue, which is safe to eat, then it is finished with a little fresh lime zest for extra brightness.

You might also like other lemon desserts like Lemon Curd Cake, French lemon tart, or lemon poppy seed bars.

Why you'll love this recipe

• It is a simple tart recipe, easy peasy to make.
• The creamy lemon tart topping has a perfect balance with the sweet meringue. It is ideal for filling delicious pastries like French cream puffs, chouquettes, and eclairs.
• Flourless lemon tart is a gluten-free dessert.
• It is very refreshing and is perfect for finishing a heavy meal.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Eggs: Use large whole eggs and egg whites at room temperature. To make the meringue, use pasteurized egg whites to serve the tart for kids, pregnant women, or if you are concerned about Salmonella bacteria in raw eggs. Please read on how to pasteurize eggs at home.

• Sugar: To make a coconut dacquoise, use caster sugar or process granulated sugar with a food processor to make it superfine. To make the meringue, use any white sugar.

• Lemon juice: Make it yourself using a citrus juicer. Avoid using bottled lemon juice that is very sour, tart, and sometimes even bitter. Fresh lemon juice is essential to make lemon cream.

• Gelatin: You will need a ½ gelatin sheet with a strength of 200 bloom.

• Butter: The recipe calls for softened unsalted butter. Take it out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours before you start.

• Lime and lemon zest: use untreated citrus to make the zest with a zester grater.

• Shredded coconut is the base of coconut dacquoise.

• Almond flour is another dacquoise ingredient to make the tart's base.

Equipment

• A citrus juicer to juice the lemons
• A saucepan and a cooking thermometer to cook the lemon cream
• A fine-mesh sieve to strain the cream
• A stand mixer or electric mixer for the dacquoise and meringue
• An 8-inch (20 cm) cake ring and a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Pastry bags with a plain pastry tip to pipe the cream and meringue
• A blow torch to color the meringue and a zester grater for the lime

How to make French lemon cream tart

Step 1. To make the lemon cream, get fresh lemon juice using a citrus juicer. Soak half of the gelatin sheet in cold water for 10 minutes.

Step 2. Pour lemon juice, add sugar, drained gelatin, lemon zest (from 3 lemons), and eggs in a small saucepan and mix.

Step 3. Heat the egg mixture over medium heat to 185°F (85°C), constantly stirring; use an instant-read thermometer (photo 1). Pass the preparation through a fine-mesh sieve to get the zest.

Step 4. Cover the lemon mixture with plastic film in contact and let it cool. When the preparation is about 113°F (45°C), add the softened butter little by little and mix it with a rubber spatula (photo 2).

Step 5. Cover the cream with a piece of plastic wrap in contact and refrigerate overnight.

Step 6. To make coconut dacquoise, preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Butter an 8-inch (20 cm) cake ring and place it on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Step 7. In a bowl, mix almond flour and coconut and set aside. Using a stand or electric mixer, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.

Step 8. Gradually add caster sugar to get a glossy meringue (photo 3). Using the spatula, gently incorporate the dry mixture in two batches (photo 4).

Step 9. Transfer the preparation to a pastry bag with Ateco plain pastry tip 809 or a cut tip and push a spiral into the cake ring (photo 5).

Step 10. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (photo 6). Let cool on a wire rack.

Step 11. To make Italian meringue, whisk egg whites with a stand or electric mixer until they are foamy.

Step 12. Pour water into a stainless steel bowl, add sugar, and heat to 250°F (121°C), checking it with a cooking thermometer.

Step 13. Slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg whites, constantly whisking. Beat the meringue until it is cooled down (photo 7).

Step 14. To assemble the tart, place coconut dacquoise on a serving platter or a cake board. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag with Ateco plain pastry tip 809.

Step 15. Pipe large balls on the dacquoise in a circular pattern, skipping a "spot" that will be filled with the cream. Using a hand-held blow torch, brown the meringue until slightly browned.

Step 16. Place lemon cream in a pastry bag fitted with Ateco plain pastry tip 809 and pipe large drops between the piped meringue balls. Press on the pastry bag, then lift to obtain the drops (photo 8).

Step 17. Using a Microplane, zest the lime over the tart. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Expert Tips

1. Use pasteurized egg whites if you are concerned about raw eggs.
2. Pipe the meringue and lemon cream filling in staggered rows or any pattern you prefer.
3. Decorate the tart with slices of candied lemon if desired.
4. To omit meringue, double the creamy filling and pipe it over the tart. Decorate it with small store-bought meringues and lime zest.
5. To make a 9-inch tart or a more extensive crowd pleaser, use this simple cake pan converter to recalculate the ingredients.
6. Make-ahead option: Prepare the lemon cream and bake a coconut dacquoise one day in advance. Keep the tart's base in an airtight container overnight. The next day, assemble the tart and serve.

Storing & freezing

Store creamy lemon tart in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It is not recommended to freeze any part of the dessert.

Recipe FAQ

Can you make a French lemon cream tart ahead of time?
Yes. Make the lemon cream and coconut dacquoise ahead and keep the base in an airtight container overnight, then assemble and serve the next day.

Is this lemon cream tart gluten-free?
Yes. The base is a flourless coconut dacquoise instead of pastry, so the tart is naturally gluten-free.

What is lemon cremeux?
Lemon cremeux is a smooth, creamy lemon custard set with a little gelatin. It is the tangy topping used on this tart in place of a classic lemon curd.

Is this like the La Madeleine lemon tart?
It has a similar bright, creamy lemon flavor, but this version is crustless and sits on a coconut dacquoise rather than a pastry shell.

Can I make it without a blow torch?
Yes. The blow torch only lightly colors the Italian meringue. You can skip it and leave the meringue white.

How many calories are in this lemon cream tart?
One serving of this French lemon cream tart has about 404 calories.

Love pies and tarts? Try these next!

• French Strawberry Tart
• Plum Frangipane Tart
• Strawberry Pistachio Tart
• French Pumpkin Pie
• Or browse all the tart recipes

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from www.notretemps.com. It was originally published on May 07, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos.