English Custard Tart
English Custard Tart
This Traditional English Custard Tart is right up there in the top 10 favourite desserts and in my bakeries both in the UK and here in Spain it was always our best seller without fail.
English Custard Tart
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portions
Calories per Serving 361
Ingredients
- For the Pastry NOTE: You can use ordinary shortcrust pastry if you wish
- 250 g Plain Flour
- 130 g Cold Butter
- 60 g White Sugar
- 1 Medium size Egg
- 20 g Milk
- 2 g / 1/4 tsp Salt
- For the Custard
- 3 Medium Eggs
- 75 g White Sugar
- 450 g/ml Whole Milk
DISCLAIMER
I recommend using the Metric measurements (instead of cups & spoons) for more accuracy and better results.
Instructions
- For full method see my video by clicking the photo below.
PAUL'S TIPS
NOTE, this recipe doesn't have any vanilla flavouring in.
Have you tried this recipe?Please leave a comment below, or If you have any other questions or problems Leave me a message HERE
Watch Video by clicking on the photo below.
Category: Baking, British, Cakes, Pastries & Biscuits, Cuisine, Desserts & Puddings, Pies & Tarts, Recipes, Teatime Treats, Snacks, Party Food, Vegetarian,, Vegan & Free From, Videos
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When I lived in the NW UK, there was and still is a bakery called Oddies, who made the most amazing custard tarts, with beautiful sweet pastry.
I now live in the SW and never eat shop bought custard tart because they are rubbish compared. There again, the SW doesn’t really have bakeries like the north with delicious cream cakes and regional sweet treats.
This recipe however, is like the custard tarts which I love from the north.
Thanks Mr Paul!
All info is on my video at this link: https://youtu.be/Ss_cjdNld4o
They are 110 x 35 mm
Please? What size are ‘Mr. Paul’s’ custard tart baking tins? I have tried to adapt but the actual size that you use/have used would help even more. 🙂
I have used and loved your recipe for Custard tarts several times, but seem to have lost the last pat of the recipe involving cooking times. I am just trying to find that bit!
Hi Brenda, I very pleased you love my recipe, it’s been very well tested as I used it in my bakeries in the UK and also her in Spain for around 60 years. I do thank you for your feedback which is much appreciated and also for the 5 Star rating.
I absolutely love this recipe. Perfect every single time.
Hi Pat, Thanks for your feedback.
Best ever just like in the old days!
The tins I used in the video are 10cm x 3.5cm
The tins are 10cm wide (ish, inner measurement) and 4.5 (ish) deep.
So bigger than an ‘individual’ but smaller than yours – which have dimensions of…?
180 for 20 minutes is what I was coming to the conclusion with – they were uncooked after 20 mins. at 170. No fans in those days of course. I might try that!
I can’t really say without seeing the tins. In the bakery we made small individual custard tats and they baked at 180ºC no fan for 20 minutes. The custard should still have a bit of a wobble when you take them out,
Hi it’s me again, Penny.
I also remember that we didn’t use any form of tin or casing for the tarts: I stamped them out, arranged them on trays and filled them with the custard mix (we used mostly cracked eggs delivered fresh each morning).
At the end of each day I’d go home with my hair greasy with flour!
Ah, Memories!
Hi, my name is Penny. Many many years ago I had a Saturday job at the local village bakery and after being in charge of the washing up – (disgusting if it was sausage rolls day) I got to be in charge of the egg custards (the making of but not the baking) and the jam doughnuts (but not the frying). I did get to put the jam in the doughnuts, which I enjoyed 🙂 A bit too generously on occasion though – a local woman complained that there was too much jam in hers! Anyway, I just made some custard tarts using your method. It was the first time I had used a processor and it will probably be the last at this rate: I had to chuck that batch out (nothing to do with your recipe – it’s the processor). The thing is, I couldn’t find any tins that were the same as yours so had to settle for 4 smaller ones (fluid capacity was ‘right on’). They are still in the oven and I am keeping a close eye on them. I have used 170 degrees fan but I imagine the cooking time could be less. I know that by the time you read this they will be done (at least I hoe so!! But could you advise me on what sort of cooking time I should be going for with smaller tins please? (For next time.)
Rivington Pike for us was always Good Friday, pull down at 11.30 then drive through the night to Huddersfield to open Easter Saturday, no sleep till Easter Sunday. Happy Days Pete.
Rivington pike was a Sunday afternoon on the motorbike, and Hollingworth lake, Rochdale, was a hot summers day for swimming. I now live in Almonte, in Spain. Thank you for the recipes, and videos. 🙂
Hi Melissa,
Greetings from Granada, Spain. Thanks so much for the feedback, I’m always happy to hear how things turn out. Also Thanks for the 5 star rating too.
Hi Paul! Greetings from Canada! My boyfriend and I have been binge-watching “As Time Goes By”. We’re on the final episode and as a little surprise, I made these custard tarts for us to enjoy. (Lionel Hardcastle would be envious!) This recipe was quite easy to follow, and the little hints you provided in the video were very helpful. I just took them out of the oven and they smell and look divine! I can’t wait to taste one.
Thanks very much–I will let you know how we like them!
Hi Sonya, Thanks for the feedback. I really do appreciate. I’ll let you onto a secret Shhhhh! In the bakery trade vanilla is normally used to hide other flavours, I never used it in my bakeries in 60 years.
I made your egg custard tarts yesterday and they were the best egg custard’s I have ever tasted! I am looking forward to eating more today now that they’ve been in the fridge overnight. I did half of the tarts using your traditional recipe and then added a few drops of vanilla to the other half. By far, the one’s without vanilla definitely tasted better! So easy to make and so tasty! Thanks for the super recipe Mr Paul!
Hi Marie,
You will need to blind bake a 23cm pastry case first, then when you add the custard bake a fjurther 40-50min at 130ºC (110ºC fan) until just set with a little wobble. Hope this helps.
Thank you so much, Mr. Paul, for sharing your recipe for custard tarts. I miss these desperately, living in the United States. Reminds me of my school days, when my mum would put one in my lunch!
How long would I bake a 9”/23cm tart, and at what temperature?
Hi Alan, ALL my recipes are in Metric and Celsius.
MR Paul in your custard tart recipe you said bake at 170 is this in Celsius or Fahrenheit?.
The fair you mentioned was Wallis’, we went with them every year to Rivington Pike and Hollingsworth Lake at Easter time.
Hello again.
As a youngster I lived in Manchester and the fair used to come to some spare ground near my home. There were three rides with organs. I used to go on the waltzer a lot just to hear the organ. I think the fair was Wills brothers or Wild but not sure. I visited Thursford on a holiday a few years ago and there are quite a few restored mechanical organs there.
I am half owner of a Wurlitzer from a cinema and we present about 6 concerts a year.
Thanks again for your recipes as I miss my Mum’s English cooking.
Hi Ray,
Thank you for your feedback, I really do appreciate it. I see you’re an organ fan, we I too am a fan, however, being brought up on the fairgrounds in the UK, my interest is in Fair Organs (Gavioli, Etc,), the ones with punch card music rolls. Please keep in touch and in the meantime stay safe,
Hello Mr Paul,
I made your English custard tart recipe today. It turned out great.
I couldn’t get my pastry to roll out as neatly as yours. It tended to fall apart a bit. Anyhow I squished it all together and rolled it again and it was much more successful.
Custard tarts available in the shops here (Perth Western Australia ) taste yuk. I think they are made with custard powder and eggless.- your tasted great
Thank you for your sharing
Regards Ray
Hi Carol, Thank you for your comment, I’m pleased you enjoyed the custard tart, that recipe is one I’ve used in my bakerie for more than 50 years both in the UK and here in Spain.
This is by far the best custard pie I have ever made. Thank you Mister Paul! It reminded me of my childhood and my Gran’s baking. Every time I visit home, I’d grab a custard, but it wasn’t exactly what I remembered. This was, and now my children and grandchildren have been able to experience it! Can’t wait to taste the cheese and onion and steak and kidney pies!
Hi Christine, Thanks for commenting and please do let me know how you get on, you can send some photos of your results either via email or my Facebook page. Good Luck x
Hi Mr Paul l came across your website by chance while contemplating buying a recipe book from amazon, I’m not the best of cooks just the basics,your videos and recipes are inspirational l look forward to making the cakes and biscuits and let you know how hopefully and successful they turn out Takecare Christine