Easy Blueberry Lemon Tart with Shortbread Crust

This blueberry lemon tart is one of my favorite things to bake at the end of summer when blueberries are at their ripest and sweetest. No resting time for the dough, a quick berry filling, and under an hour start to finish.

If you love blueberry baking, you will also want to try my Blueberry Crostata, Blueberry Crumble, and Blueberry Banana Streusel Muffins.

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This tart is inspired by the Italian torta sbriciolata - a style of crumble cake where the same dough forms both the base and the crumble topping. The addition of cornmeal to the shortbread gives the crust a slight texture and a nutty flavor that keeps it from going soggy under the berry filling.

Two-thirds of the dough gets pressed into the pan, the blueberries go on top, and the remaining dough gets crumbled over everything and baked until golden and bubbling.

Ingredients

Crust and Crumble:

• All-purpose flour
• Cornmeal - adds a slightly nutty, earthy texture and helps the crust stay crisp under the juicy filling; substitute equal parts flour if needed
• Lemon zest - from one lemon; grated finely with a microplane
• Granulated sugar and light brown sugar - the combination gives the crust a deeper flavor than white sugar alone
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Unsalted butter - melted and slightly cooled; vegan butter sticks work equally well

Blueberry Filling:

• Blueberries - fresh is best in summer; frozen works too (see tips)
• Light brown sugar
• Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest - the lemon juice brightens the blueberries and helps the filling thicken as it bakes
• All-purpose flour - thickens the filling as the berries release their juice during baking; keeps the tart sliceable
• Salt

How to make this blueberry cornmeal tart

Here are the steps to prepare this delicious tart:

Preheat your oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare a 9-inch tart pan by lightly greasing it.

First part of the recipe is gathering all the ingredients together.

Once you get them together, it's a matter of prepping a very simple cornmeal shortbread dough and an even easier blueberry filling.

You could make the dough and crumble topping in one bowl mixing the ingredients together with a wooden spoon. Another idea is to use your food processor or mixer attached with the dough hook.

I love working with the dough by hand. Especially when it's a crumble dough. It is really easy to come together and you could control the clumps as they're forming with your fingers.

Crust: The next step is to add ⅔ of the dough to the bottom of your tart pan making sure to press up about ½ inch up the sides.

Filling: Spoon over the blueberry filling and cover the bottom remembering not to touch the sides of the pan (it will stick to the pan while baking and will be hard to remove). One last step is to sprinkle on the rest of the crumble mixture and bake at 350F.

Bake: Bake the tart for 40 - 45 minutes, until lightly browned and blueberry filling bubbles.It bakes until the crust is golden and the blueberries thicken and bubble.

Cool and serve: Allow the tart to cool completely before cutting into it. Enjoy this delectable Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Shortbread Tart as is, or top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for extra indulgence.

Recipe Tips

• Use melted butter, not cold. Unlike a flaky pie crust, this shortbread uses melted butter to create a tender, crumbly texture that presses easily into the pan and crumbles perfectly for the topping.
• Keep filling away from the pan sides. Blueberry filling that touches the sides of the tart pan will caramelize and stick, making it impossible to remove cleanly after baking.
• Do not skip the flour in the filling. Fresh blueberries release a lot of juice as they cook. The flour absorbs the excess and turns the filling into a thick, glossy layer that holds its shape when sliced.
• Cool completely before slicing. The filling is liquid when it comes out of the oven. It firms up as it cools. Cutting into a warm tart means a runny, messy filling - give it at least an hour.
• Frozen blueberries work. Do not thaw them before using. Add them directly from frozen and extend the baking time by about 5 minutes.
• Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Either turns this into a full dessert; the vanilla softens the lemon brightness beautifully.

This same crumble technique works beautifully with other fruits. My Italian Apple Crumble Cake uses the same sbriciolata method with fall apples, and my Blueberry Bars are another easy no-fuss way to use summer blueberries.

Save this recipe to your favorite dessert board with this pinable photo below!

More posts like this:

• Easy Espresso Shortbread Cookies
• Blueberry Banana Streusel Muffins
• Blueberry Crumble

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very slightly adapted from NY Times

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5 from 6 votes

Blueberry Lemon Tart with Shortbread Crust

Blueberry Lemon Tart just melts in your mouth with its buttery, lemon infused crust and a sweet and juicy blueberry filling. Sprinkle on the rest of the lemon shortbread for a perfect crumble. The most delightful way to use up summer's blueberry bounty!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blueberry, shortbread, sourdough starter

Servings: 1 tart

Calories: 3306kcal

Author: Lora

Equipment

• 1 bowl
• 1 9 inch tart pan
• 1 whisk

Ingredients

CRUST AND CRUMBLE:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup cornmeal
• zest of lemon grated
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter or vegan butter sticks,melted and slightly cooled

FOR THE FILLING:

• 1 pound blueberries
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• zest of one lemon grated
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

CRUST AND CRUMBLE

• Preheat oven to 350- Grease a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan and place this on a baking tray.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, lemon zest, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Add melted margarine (or butter). Using a wooden spoon, combine everything together forming large clumps.
• Using floured hands, press two-thirds of the dough evenly into bottom and ½ inch up the sides of a prepared 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (you could also use a 9-inch cake pan); set aside the rest of the crust and crumble mixture.

FILLING

• In a small bowl, stir together the blueberries, brown sugar, vinegar, flour and salt. Spoon the filling into the crust, making sure you're not touching the sides of the pan.

TOPPING

• Crumble the remaining dough into large crumbs and scatter evenly over the filling, covering most of the surface.
• Bake the tart for 40 - 45 minutes, until lightly browned and blueberry filling bubbles.
• Leave to cool completely in the pan before slicing.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Notes

• Frozen blueberries: use straight from frozen, do not thaw. Add 5 extra minutes to bake time.
• Keep the filling at least ¼ inch from the sides of the pan so it does not stick and prevent clean removal.
• Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
• Store: Covered at room temperature up to 1 day, or refrigerated up to 3 days.

 

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Nutrition

Serving: 8people | Calories: 3306kcal | Carbohydrates: 488g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 145g | Saturated Fat: 88g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 37g | Trans Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 366mg | Sodium: 1663mg | Potassium: 999mg | Fiber: 21g | Sugar: 273g | Vitamin A: 4499IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 475mg | Iron: 14mg

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