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The finished tart rests on the white marble cooktop, its surface adorned with pastry stars lightly dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon. The tart’s creamy custard filling and festive decorations make it ready to be sliced and enjoyed.

Eggnog Custard Tart

This festive eggnog custard tart combines creamy spiced custard with a crisp pastry shell, topped with delicate star-shaped decorations dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar for a holiday-inspired dessert.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Servings 10
Calories 475 kcal

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Knife
  • Saucepan
  • Fine sieve
  • Whisk
  • 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin
  • Baking paper
  • Baking beans or rice
  • Rolling Pin
  • Star-shaped cookie cutters
  • Baking tray

Ingredients
  

  • Pastry
  • 225 g plain flour plus extra for dusting
  • A pinch of sea salt
  • 50 g caster sugar
  • 150 g unsalted butter diced
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • 1 egg yolk for glazing
  • Icing sugar and ground cinnamon for decoration
  • Eggnog Custard
  • 300 ml single cream
  • 100 ml whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/3 nutmeg freshly grated
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 50 ml spiced rum

Instructions
 

Make the Pastry:

  • Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add diced butter and rub it into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
    A large mixing bowl sits on a white marble cooktop, filled with a mixture of flour, salt, and caster sugar. Small cubes of butter are visible, partially blended into the dry ingredients, creating a coarse breadcrumb texture. A beaten egg has been added, starting to bring the dough together in clumps.
  • Drizzle in the beaten egg, and use a knife to mix. Once clumps start to form, bring the dough together on a work surface, press into a disc, and chill for 1 hour.

Prepare the Eggnog Custard:

  • Heat cream, milk, vanilla, cinnamon stick, and grated nutmeg in a pan until it just begins to simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and infuse for 1 hour.
    A saucepan on the white marble cooktop holds a creamy mixture with vanilla extract, a cinnamon stick, and a sprinkling of grated nutmeg. The liquid is beginning to steam gently, just approaching a simmer, with the lid nearby, ready to cover for an hour-long infusion.
  • Reheat the cream mixture to boiling. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks with sugar until smooth. Pour the hot cream over the yolk mixture through a sieve, whisking constantly. Add rum and whisk gently to combine.
    A bowl on the white marble cooktop contains a smooth, pale yellow mixture of egg yolks and caster sugar, freshly whisked together. A sieve rests above the bowl, with hot cream being poured through it to combine with the yolk mixture. The addition of spiced rum gives the preparation a warm, festive touch.

Blind Bake the Tart Base:

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C/gas 6). Roll out pastry to 2-3mm thickness. Line a 23cm tart tin with the pastry, trimming excess.
  • Use star cutters to create pastry stars from excess dough. Place stars on a lined baking tray, brush with egg yolk, and set aside.
    The rolled-out pastry, now about 2-3mm thick, lines a 23cm tart tin on the white marble cooktop. The edges are neatly trimmed, and small star shapes, cut from the leftover dough, are brushed with egg yolk and arranged on a lined baking tray beside the tart base.
  • Line the tart shell with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden, then remove beans and bake for another 10 minutes. Brush the inside with egg yolk and bake for 1 more minute.
    The tart shell, lined with baking parchment and filled with baking beans, sits on the white marble cooktop. It is halfway through a blind-baking process at 200°C, having baked for 20 minutes. The next steps involve removing the beans and brushing the shell with egg yolk for an additional golden finish.

Bake the Tart:

  • Reduce oven to 150°C (fan 130°C/gas 2). Place the cooled tart shell in the oven on a baking tray. Pour in the custard, and bake for 30-40 minutes until the edges are set and the center has a slight wobble.
    A pre-baked tart shell on a baking tray is on the white marble cooktop as a creamy eggnog custard is being poured in. The custard fills the shell, preparing it for baking at 150°C. The goal is a smooth filling, set at the edges with a gentle wobble in the center.

Decorate and Serve:

  • Allow the tart to cool fully, then decorate with pastry stars dusted with icing sugar, cinnamon, or left plain.
    The finished tart rests on the white marble cooktop, its surface adorned with pastry stars lightly dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon. The tart’s creamy custard filling and festive decorations make it ready to be sliced and enjoyed.
  • Best enjoyed on the day but can be refrigerated for up to two days.
  • This classic tart brings together holiday flavors with creamy eggnog custard and festive pastry stars. Perfect for special gatherings!