These easy Strawberries and Cream Puff Pastry Tarts are a delicious summer dessert idea and take less than 30 minutes to prepare!
Huge thanks to Jess at What Jessica Baked Next for sharing this recipe! Here’s what she says:
My mum inspired me with this recipe and she’s been making these puff pastry tarts for as long as I can remember, both with sweet and savoury fillings. I often pick up a pack of readymade (and ready-rolled) puff pastry to transform into a dish or dessert of some kind.
I’m filling these puff pastry tarts with a classic British summer combo: strawberries and cream.
This summer, I’m happy to be working again with my local pick your own fruit farm, McLauchlans of Boxted and share another recipe on their website using the strawberries from the fruit farm. Last year I shared these scrumptious Strawberries and Cream Shortbread Sandwiches. I kept with the same theme for this recipe as you can’t go far wrong with a classic strawberries ‘n’ cream dessert in my opinion!
Heading down to McLauchlan’s fruit farm is something I’ve done since I was very little (I will turn 25 years old this summer!) and still enjoy venturing down to get strawberries every summer if given the chance.
The best part is that you get to taste a few strawberries as you pick and decide which variety you want!
These tarts can be made vegan or non vegan, I only had to make one swap with regular double cream and switch that for whippable oat cream. I added some vanilla and icing sugar to mine to make a simple Chantilly whipped cream to fill the tarts. You could add a different flavouring such as lemon/orange extract or zest.
Assemble the tarts near enough just before serving. Once the cream goes into the pastry cases, the puff pastry will start to lose it’s crispness and goes softer. The separate components can be prepared ahead of time and put together when ready.
To decorate, push down the puffed pastry in the centre so you’re left with a hollowed out middle, pile the cream in and then scatter the strawberries over the top of the cream filling. Before adding the cream to the centre, you can add a spoonful of lemon curd or jam if you fancy. Also, the top can also be decorated with a melted chocolate of your choice!
A bit about me: I’m Jess, a professionally trained chef and baking enthusiast based in North Essex. I spend my free-time creating content for my food blog whatjessicabakednext.com where I document my favourite recipes and share stories and food inspired by my travels.
Makes 8 tarts.
Ingredients:
320g pack sheet of ready rolled puff pastry, take out from the fridge 10 minutes before baking
250ml double cream or plant based alternative
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons icing sugar, plus extra for serving
Approx. 250-300g strawberries, washed, hulled and chopped into quarters or small pieces
Method:
- Start by taking the puff pastry out from the fridge and allowing it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
- Take the puff pastry and roll it out on a work surface, take a sharp knife (or pizza wheel) and cut the pastry in half vertically down the centre, then cut each half again vertically down the centre once again. Finally, cut across the entire piece of pastry horizontally, now you will have eight rectangular pieces of puff pastry.
- Place each piece of pastry between two large baking trays (I put four pieces on each baking tray) and using a sharp knife, score around the edges leaving approx. a 1cm border. Bake the pastry for 15-20 minutes until well risen and a light golden colour. Once baked leave the pastry to cool down completely.
- Get the fillings ready by whisking the cream with the vanilla and icing sugar until soft peaks form. Cut the strawberries up and set them aside at room temperature.
- When ready to serve, take the puff pastry case and press down the risen centre gently with your hand or the back of a spoon. Fill the centre with the whipped cream and pile the strawberries on top of the cream. Dust liberally with icing sugar and serve. The tarts are best eaten straight away.
