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This cranberry curd tart will make a striking addition to your holiday dessert table. With a tart, sweet, and smooth custard filling on top of a buttery shortbread crust. Dress it up with toasted meringue and sugared cranberries.

meringue stars and toppings on a cranberry tart.

Table of Contents

Move over Christmas cookies because this cranberry curd tart is a must-make this holiday season. We’re pairing tart cranberry sauce with minimal ingredients and transforming it into a dessert that’s not only festive, but delicious too!

Why You’ll Love This

  • Absolutely STUNNING– a recipe that will steal the show on your dessert table
  • Fun and festive
  • Transform simple ingredients into an elegant dessert
  • The perfect way to use leftover cranberry sauce from the holidays

Ingredients in Cranberry Curd Tart

ingredients for cranberry curd tart with overlay text.
  • Tart Dough: The base is a buttery shortbread crust that is par-baked before the filling is added.
  • Cranberry Sauce: You need 14 ounces of cranberry sauce, either homemade or store-bought. Using homemade cranberry sauce will make the color more vibrant.
  • Eggs: This uses quite a bit of eggs between each part– the shortbread crust, custard filling, and the meringue.
  • Butter: Unsalted butter makes an appearance in the shortbread crust and the custard filling– you need 1 cup total.
  • Sugar: The granulated sugar helps sweeten the custard filling and provide structure.
  • Salt: Helps balance the sweetness.
  • Cream of Tartar: This is key when making meringue as it acts as a stabilizer for the egg whites and creates a lighter and fluffier meringue. If you don’t have it, you could substitute 2-3 drops of lemon juice or white vinegar.

2 Important Success Tips

  • Par-Bake Crust: The shortbread tart crust will take longer to bake than the filling– this is where par-baking the crust is key. Bake the crust until it just beginning to brown, takes about 20 minutes. Then, it will finish baking with the filling without being underdone.
  • Cranberry Sauce: You can use homemade or store-bought cranberry sauce. If you want a more vibrant filling, use homemade cranberry sauce.

How To Make It

eggs, cranberry, and butter in a glass bowl.

Step 1: Combine the filling ingredients over a double boiler, whisking continuously.

cranberry tart ingredients melted together in a glass bowl.

Step 2: Keep whisking until the mixture begins to thicken– getting it as smooth as you can.

topping the cranberry curd tart.

Step 3: Pour the filling into the par-baked shortbread crust and bake.

meringue stars on top of cranberry tart.

Step 4: Once the tart cools completely, pipe or spread on the meringue and decorate as desired.

cranberry curd tart with meringue topping.

FAQs

How to tell when curd tart is set?

Similar to a pumpkin pie, the filling will be set around the edges and the center can very slightly jiggle. As it cools, it will firm up.

How far in advance can I make a tart?

It’s best to only make a tart 2 days in advance.

How do you keep the bottom of a tart from getting soggy?

The trick is to par-bake the crust, similar to pie crust. Since the crust will take longer to bake, it gives it a jump start allowing the crust and filling to finish at the same time.

More Holiday Desserts

cranberry curd tart topped with meringue and cranberries.
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Cranberry Curd Tart Recipe

Servings: 12 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Chill Time:: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
This cranberry curd tart will make a striking addition to your holiday dessert table. With a tart, sweet, and smooth custard filling on top of a buttery shortbread crust. Dress it up with toasted meringue and sugared cranberries.
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Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

  • 1 1/2 cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup (40 g) powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) salt
  • 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, cold
  • 1 large (18 g) egg yolk
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 g) heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) vanilla extract

Filling

  • 14 ounces (396.89 g) cranberry sauce, homemade or canned
  • 2 large (88 g) eggs
  • 2 large (36 g) egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) kosher salt

Meringue Topping

Instructions
 

  • Start with the tart crust: Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor or large mixing bowl. Pulse or cut the butter using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla, pulsing or stirring until it gathers itself into a ball. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
  • Once chilled, preheat the oven to 325ºF.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough until it's 1-2 inches wider than the tart pan. Carefully press the dough into the tart pan, trimming away the excess. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the edges begin to turn golden brown.
  • While the crust bakes, begin the filling: Add the cranberry sauce, eggs, egg yolks, butter, and salt in a large heat-safe bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water to create a double boiler. Whisk until the mixture begins to thicken and reaches 170ºF– this will take about 10-12 minutes.
  • Pour the filling into the par-baked crust and smooth into an even layer. Bake for 16-20 minutes until the edges are set and the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool completely before topping with meringue.
  • Make the meringue: Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer on high speed, fitted with the whisk attachment, whip until foamy– about 10 minutes.
  • Reduce the speed to medium and slowly stream in the sugar. Once the sugar is combined, increase the speed to medium-high until stiff peaks form, about 1-3 minutes.
  • Spread or pipe the meringue on top of the cooled tart. Toast the meringue with a torch or place under the broiler (keep a very close eye on it). Add desired toppings like fresh cranberries. Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

  1. Make Ahead Instructions: The tart dough can be made up to 3 days in advance, stored in the refrigerator. It can also be par-baked up to 1 day in advance. Allow to cool completely before the covering tightly.
  2. Freezing Instructions: The tart dough can be made in advance and frozen for up to 3 months. You can also par-bake the crust, allow it to cool completely, wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
  3. Cream of Tarter: This is a very important ingredient for the meringue. If you don’t have it, you could substitute 2-3 drops of lemon juice or white vinegar.
Serving: 0.083tart, Calories: 344kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 119mg, Sodium: 127mg, Potassium: 71mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 628IU, Vitamin C: 0.3mg, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 1mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Tried this recipe?Mention @bakingamoment on Instagram or tag #bakingamoment.

Author

  • Allie is the creator and owner of Baking a Moment. She has been developing, photographing, videographing, and writing and sharing recipes here since 2012.

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