Easter is coming so I figured a Spring inspired dessert would probably be timely. I’ve pondered making an impressive chocolate tart (like this) or a lemon flavoured tart perhaps, but I figured what is missing from my blog is a large vegan custard tart so that’s what I settled on, I hope the recipe will come in handy.

This adult size vegan custard tart is based on these individual vegan custard tarts I made a while ago so if a large tart feels like too much but you are down with the general theme, you may want to check them out instead.

I teamed a dairy-free and eggless version of this classic dessert with my favourite fruit of the season – forced rhubarb, which I roasted in the oven. It’s amazing pink colour is simply irresistible and its tangy flavour offsets the sweetness of this tart so nicely. I do realise that pink rhubarb isn’t available everywhere so you can simply serve this tart naked with just a sprinkling of nutmeg or cinnamon or team it up with any tangy fruit or fruit compote of choice. Raspberries were my second go-to in case I could not find rhubarb locally.

MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

Although it may seem counterintuitive – as this traditional dessert relies heavily on eggs – my vegan version does not require many or any niche vegan ingredients. It’s all very simple and available in a larger supermarket.

AP FLOUR: the pastry is made with all purpose (also known as plain) white flour. If you would like to make these gluten-free, use a well balanced gluten-free flour mix and some xanthan gum to help the pastry stay together.

VEGAN BUTTER: vegan butter, also known as vegan block, makes the best pastry. I typically use the Danish brand Naturli and the Greek one called Violife, which are available in most UK supermarkets. Naturli is unsalted so if you were to use vegan butter than contains salt you may want to add less salt to the pastry. If vegan butter is out of your reach, use coconut oil instead. My recommendation is use refined version like this so that the final product does not taste of coconut and when you take the pastry out of the fridge it will be rock hard – allow it to acclimatise before attempting to roll out.

OAT MILK: I used Oatly barista, a rich oat milk, to make the custard filling. Any rich (thick, not watered down) plan milk will give you a rich plant-based custard. I also tested this recipe with high percentage (8%) soy milk and it came out equally delicious. Any rich (i.e. not watered down) plant milk with neutral taste will work well. After oat and soy milk, cashew or almond would be my recommendation.

CASTER SUGAR: A small amount of sugar is used to sweeten the pastry and quite a lot more to sweeten the custard. I used caster sugar, which is superfine white sugar in both instances. If that’s unavailable, use icing / confectioner’s sugar in the pastry and any sugar you like in the custard, just make sure it dissolves fully before adding cornstarch.

CORNFLOUR / CORNSTARCH: cornflour (known as cornstarch in the US) is what is used to thicken the custard in the place of eggs. Cornstarch is typically used in a traditional egg-enriched custard too, but here we are using a bit more to compensate for the fact that there are no eggs in this recipe.

VANILLA: custard and vanilla are an inseparable duo, use the best vanilla you can afford and be generous, vanilla is what gives this custard its moreish flavour.

CARDAMOM: I like to flavour my custard with a small amount of cardamom, but that’s totally optional. Only use if you and your guests like cardamom and don’t go overboard as it’s a potent spice. I used a third of a teaspoon of freshly ground spice – it has much better flavour than ground cardamom from a store. If you decide to use cardamom, you may want to skip the dusting of nutmeg or cinnamon, unless you like that combination of spices.

SALT: a good pinch of salt offers a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of any dessert. I used regular table salt and a pinch of kala namak, commonly known as eggy salt as it tastes like eggs due to its high sulphur content.

TURMERIC: the tiniest pinch of ground turmeric is nice to add for that warm, reminiscent of egg custard, colour, but it’s totally optional.

NUTMEG/CINNAMON: custard is associated with different kind of spices depending on the culture. Here, in the UK, it is quite common to dust custard tarts with nutmeg, in Portugal a sprinkling of cinnamon is frequently used. Pick whatever spice you like or skip completely if neither appeals. If you do decide to use nutmeg, get a whole nutmeg and grate it yourself, it is way more aromatic than ground nutmeg from a store.

I find that the best way to make cut fat into flour – which is the basis of making shortcrust type of pastry – is to use a food processor. Place all of you dry ingredients and cubed fat (vegan butter in this case) in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs – tiny pieces of butter coated in flour. Next, start in adding cold water very gradually, initially by tablespoon then by teaspoon increments – you want to add as little as possible. You only want to add as much as is needed for the flour to clump together in your hand.

Empty the mixture onto the workbench and bring together with your hands gently, press into a disc, cover and rest for at least 30 minutes. Next roll it out so until the pastry is large enough to line the inside of you tart tin and is about 2-3 mm in thickness. Roll it around your rolling pin, place the rolling pin over the tart tin, unfurl the pastry and gently tuck it into the tin, making sure it is relaxed (not stretched) and reaches all the way to the edges.

Trim the pastry with a sharp knife, prick the bottom with a fork and blind bake. Line the pastry with a piece of crumpled baking paper and fill with baking beads (or raw beans or rice).

Once you remove the beads, bake it for a few more minutes until the bottom no longer looks raw – you may need to protect the edges with a strip of baking foil to ensure they are not browning too fast. Fill with custard once ready and bake until set.

While the pastry is baking, prepare the custard on the stove. Heat up plant milk with sugar, thicken with cornstarch slurry, season with vanilla, salt, cardamom (if using) and a pinch of turmeric for colour if liked.

Once the custard has thickened, add vegan butter and allow it to melt in the residual heat. You should end up with silky smooth, thick yet pourable custard. Allow it to cool a little before filling the blind baked pastry cake and bake again until set.