Pumpkin Tart
This is one of my holiday favorites and graces our dinner table many times during the Fall and Winter months, and especially for Thanksgiving dinner. It's a family tradition to go pumpkin picking early in October, and I always manage to come home with some extra sugar pumpkins to roast. This time my sister-in-law surprised me by stuffing a bunch of them in my trunk. Do you think she wants some pie? 😋
Thanksgiving is usually a very busy time so I will indicate what steps can be done ahead of time. You can even make and finish this the day before you plan to serve it - it's just as delicious the next day. In addition, the way I prepare the tart here, by blind-baking the tart shell and protecting it with a layer of egg white, ensures that you will get a crisp cookie crust to go with the creamy custard.
Step by step:
Video
Read this before you begin
Measure by weight, if possible.
Measuring by weight is the best way for you to replicate my recipes. I develop recipes using ingredients (even liquids) measured in grams, which is why you see them listed first in the recipe cards. For measurements under 5 grams, I will typically only list the volumetric measurements (teaspoons, etc.), as most home scales are not precise for such small weights.
In most cases, I have converted grams to volumetric measurements (aka US customary units) for bakers who prefer this method. However, the measurements are not as precise and may have awkward proportions. The recipes should still work, but for the ultimate precision, try to use weight.
This is the OXO scale I use daily. I also purchased this budget version of a good scale, which I keep at my Mom’s house for baking. If you’re interested in other tools I use for my baking, I’ve compiled a list here.
Use room temperature ingredients.
All my ingredients should be used at room temperature, or 65-75 °F/18-24 °C. I will always indicate if you need something outside this range. If no details are given, room temperature is the default.
Pay attention to the ingredient descriptions.
I try not to be brand-specific, but I will always note an interesting result from a type of ingredient, be it negative or positive.
A specific note regarding salt: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt for everything on this site except for frostings. In frostings, you want the salt to dissolve more easily, and kosher salt tends to leave granules behind. If you substitute table salt (more finely granulated) for recipes that list kosher salt, you must use half the volume indicated in my recipes.
Substitutions are hard.
That’s not to say they’re impossible, though. For instance, in many cases, substituting reduced fat for whole milk (and thus reducing fat by less than 2%) will probably be fine. Using applesauce for oil or even Greek yogurt when sour cream is listed will definitely alter the fat content and adversely affect the crumb texture and density of the cake.
I experiment for hours to get these recipes to work for us. First, try to make them as written or use one of my tested substitutions, which I often dedicate a section to. Then, if necessary, you can make modifications afterward. Even then I would be pretty cautious, as substitutions are one of the hardest things to investigate in recipe development.
Read all the recipe instructions before beginning.
I’m in the “Pre-read the Chapter before Class Lecture” club... and I invite you to join! Baking new recipes can be intimidating, so let’s set you up for success. I want you to think about timeframes. Most fillings and frostings can be made ahead of time, and give you an extra day for mental space. Also, as you become a more proficient baker, you can anticipate and recognize steps. (“Oh, this has a meringue step, so I’ll need an extra clean bowl…” etc.) Ensure you go down the ingredient list and have everything at the right temperature.
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Pumpkin Tart
Orange-Vanilla Sweet Tart Crust
- 1/2 cup (113g/4 oz) unsalted butter, cold from the fridge
- 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (53g/1.9 oz) powdered sugar
- 1 3/4 cups (206g/7.3 oz) all purpose flour
- one large egg yolk (18g/0.6 oz)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (30g/1 oz) whole milk
Pumpkin Filling
- 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree (either fresh or canned)
- 1 cup condensed milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg1/8 tsp
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Orange-Vanilla Sweet Tart Crust
- 1/2 cup (113g/4 oz) unsalted butter, cold from the fridge
- 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (53g/1.9 oz) powdered sugar
- 1 3/4 cups (206g/7.3 oz) all purpose flour
- one large egg yolk (18g/0.6 oz)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (30g/1 oz) whole milk
Pumpkin Filling
- 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree (either fresh or canned)
- 1 cup condensed milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg1/8 tsp
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 - FOR THE TART DOUGH:. Cut your butter into cubes. To a stand mixer, add the butter, orange zest powdered sugar, and salt. Mix on medium-low speed until completely combined. Scrape down the sides.
2. Add the flour mixture and turn the mixer on low. Watch and mix until the dough resembles very coarse breadcrumbs. You want to evenly incorporate the butter into the flour.
3. Use a fork to mix the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and milk in a small bowl. Add the bowl of the mixer, and turn to low. Mix just until the liquid is absorbed and the dough comes together. Don't overmix at this point - you will form gluten strands in the dough, which will yield a tough tart crust when baked.
4. Plop the dough onto some plastic wrap, and form it into a ball, and then flatten into a disc. Wrap it tightly and let it rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.
1 - FOR THE PUMPKIN FILLING. Mix all the filling ingredients in a medium mixing bowl with a whisk until thoroughly combined. Make sure there are no lumps of brown sugar remaining.
2. Set aside to use immediately, or store the filling in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple days. (I've frozen this filling in my freezer for months.)
1 - ASSEMBLE AND BAKE. Adjust your oven rack to the lowest position with a baking stone if you have it. Preheat to 425.
2. Roll out your tart dough, saving the overhanging scraps for decorative cutouts, if desired. Place your dough in a 9-inch tart pan. Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights.
3. Bake at 425 for 5 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375 and bake for 15-20 more minutes until it is 75% done. Remove the pie weights and bake for 5 minutes more until it is just starting to turn golden brown. Immediately brush the hot tart crust with a bit of lightly beaten egg white. (This can be done ahead of time - just wrap your blind-baked tart crust and keep at room temperature for a couple days until you're ready to fill it for the remainder of the recipe.)
4. If you're making decorative shapes for the top, bake them for 5-7 minutes at 400.
5. Line your tart perimeter with foil to protect any further browning.
6. Pour the pumpkin filling from the recipe above into your blind baked tart shell. (If you've refrigerated your filling, warm in up gently in a small saucepan. You're not trying to cook it, but rather warm it up so it's not going into the oven completely cold.)
7. Bake your filled tart for about 30-35 minutes, until the center is still pretty jiggly, or until the internal temp is 200. The custard will look undone in the middle and you will question your worth as a baker. Don't worry; the custard will set some more out of the oven. Over-baking will cause the custard to crack, but don't worry, it will still be delicious.
8. When the tart is still warm, lightly press in your baked cutouts, if using.
9. Cool completely, about 2-3 hours, before removing it from the tart pan.
Recipe Card - Adriana's Notes
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