This Italian plum tart is made with plums, pie crust, eggs, cream, and sugar, and no fancy techniques are needed to make it. Perfect for when plums are in season.
Do you love plums as much as I do? I think they don't get enough love, especially in desserts. This is my favorite plum recipe that I make each year to make sure they are not forgotten in my house and it couldn't be easier to make.
What I love most about this Italian plum tart is that it looks really sophisticated and like something that you would have spent a lot of time making but it is actually very simple.
Let me show you how I make it.
Ingredients
Here is what you will need (quantities listed below):
- Italian plums: Italian plums are firm and small in size and not always available to everyone. If you cannot find them, any small plums that are firm to the touch will work.
- Pie crust: This is my favorite pie and quiche crust recipe.
- Eggs.
- Sugar.
- Brown sugar.
- Heavy cream.
- Cinnamon
- Lemon
- Almonds: These are finely ground into an almond meal.
Tip: My pie crust recipe makes 3 crusts. They freeze well for using at a later time. If you want less work, a good quality store-bought pie crust will work fine too.
How To Make
- Prep the plums: Remove the pits then add the plums to a medium bowl with lemon juice, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Let them sit for a bit to soak up those flavors.
- Prepare the pie crust: You can make my all butter pie crust or use store-bought. You want to roll the crust out to a little larger than the tart pan. Gently place the crust in the tart pan and press it in well.
- Make the custard: Mix the eggs, sugar, vanilla and cream then stir in the finely ground almond meal.
- Assemble and Bake: Place plums cut side up and pour the custard over the top. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
Tips
- Choose a plum variety that is firm and not too large. Many of the purple plums in the store can be a little on the soft (almost mushy side) when you buy them. When you buy the plums, give them a gentle squeeze. If they feel firm then they will hold up to the heat of the oven.
- When choosing a tart pan (see dimensions in the recipe below), make sure it is not too large. A standard pastry or pie crust will fill a small circular or rectangular tart pan nicely leaving a slightly thicker crust which is what you want.
- Make sure you let your tart cool for a bit when it comes out of the oven so you give the crust time to pull away from the pan before removing the sides of the pan.
This Italian plum tart is so easy to make and can be eaten for dessert, breakfast, or even as a light snack with some coffee or tea. I hope you give it a try!
Recipe Faqs
No. You do not peel the plums before baking them.
Any firm small plum makes a great substitute for Italian plums.
Since this tart is made with a custard base, it does not freeze well.
Storing
This tart stores well in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for up to 5 days. Make sure to refrigerate it since it is made with custard. I do not recommend freezing it because of the custard base.
More Italian Desserts
Here are some more Italian desserts for you:
Italian Plum And Custard Tart Recipe
Equipment
- rectangular tart pan (13.5 long x 4 x 1 inch thick), or a round tart pan (9.5 x 1 inch thick)
Ingredients
- 1 disc of pastry dough/or pie crust
- 3 plums 3-4 plums depending on size . halved and pitted
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- a pinch of cinnamon
Custard
- ⅓ cups almonds finely ground
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
- While your oven is pre-heating, prepare your plums by cutting them in half, removing the pits and then set aside.
- Grab a tart pan and grease it and set aside so it is ready for the pastry crust you will be rolling out.
- Now on a lightly floured work surface, roll out your pastry crust or pie dough until it is just a little bit bigger than your tart pan.1 disc of pastry dough/or pie crust
- Place your crust inside your pan pressing up along the sides so that it stays in place.
- In a medium bowl, mix together your plums, cinnamon, brown sugar and lemon juice and set aside.3 plums, 2 tablespoon brown sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- In a medium bowl, whisk together your egg, sugar ,vanilla and cream until it is a pale yellow color.⅓ cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup heavy cream
- Now mix in the almonds until well incorporated.⅓ cups almonds
- Remove the plums from the bowl and shake off excess liquid and place them on top of your pie crust cut side up making sure to position them all around the crust evenly.
- Pour this egg mixture over the top of your plums and pastry and place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the custard is set and not jiggly anymore and the top is a nice golden color.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes on a cooling rack.
- Carefully remove the outer layer of the tart pan and let it cool for another 5 minutes.
- Cut your tart into slices, dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer hereTried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Sammy says
This plum tart was absolutely delicious and so simple. Can’t wait to make it again!
Melissa says
So glad to hear that!
Tracy says
Can this be made the day before it is to be eaten, if so should it be stored in the fridge?
Melissa says
Hi Tracy. I haven't made the whole thing ahead of time but I have refrigerated extra plum tart that wasn't eaten- you want to do this because of the dairy. It tasted wonderful the next day. You can eat it cold out of the fridge or let it come to room temperature before serving.
I hope this helps 🙂
Dorothy Ianucilli says
Can I leave out the lemon juice as I am allergic to lemon
Melissa says
Hi Dorothy. Sure. The lemon just adds a little complexity of flavor. You can just leave it out or substitute some orange juice if you that is something you can have.
Hope this helps!