Sugar lemon tart

This is my friend Rebecca’s wonderful tart and one of my favourites. She is a most excellent baker. Two sugary, gooey, lemon butter tarts – you will need two 20cm springform tins. Two are lovely – you can give one to a friend. I sometimes serve the tart with a spoon of creme fraiche or thick cream.

INGREDIENTS

Base

• 230g best quality unsalted butter
• 280g plain flour
• 80g icing sugar

Filling

• 2 eggs
• 5 tbsp lemon juice
• 40g (4 tbsp) plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• scant ½ tsp salt
• 280g sugar
• a few drops of vanilla extract
• a little icing sugar, for sifting

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional).
2. To make the base, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed medium pot over a low heat. Remove from the heat. Add in the flour and the icing sugar, mixing at first with a wooden spoon and then, when it cools down a little, with your hands to combine. Divide the mix in half and press onto the bottoms of 2 x 20cm springform tins (you don’t need to go up the sides here). Make sure the bases are quite firm and even. Bake the bases for 20 minutes (no more), swapping them around in the oven halfway through cooking so they are evenly pale golden, then remove.
3. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a wide metal bowl, whip the eggs until creamy, about five minutes. Beat in the lemon juice. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then stir in the sugar. Add to the eggs along with the vanilla and beat in well. Scrape evenly over the two crusts, being sure to cover the edges.
4. Lower the oven just a little to 155C fan-forced (175C conventional) and bake for 20 minutes, until set and pale gold on top, again swapping the tins around halfway through cooking. Remove from the oven and sift a very little icing sugar over while still hot.
5. Slip a dull knife around the sides to make sure no caramelised edge is stuck to the tins while still warm, then leave to cool in the tins. Serve the tarts at room temperature. They are good the next day too, but don’t store in the fridge.

Makes 2 x 20cm tarts

This is an edited extract from Now & Then by Tessa Kiros, Murdoch Books, RRP $59.99. Photography: Manos Chatzikonstantis. Buy now