Hello friends! If you are looking for the perfect dessert to serve at your 4th of July BBQ I’ve got you covered with this Strawberry Cream Cheese Tart. Fruit tarts look impressive but are super easy to make. I actually made the crust for this one in a 10-inch springform pan, which kept it nice and round. If you have a tart pan, of course that would also work.
The filling is simple sweetened cream cheese with a little heavy cream and vanilla extract. The first time I made this tart, the filling was too sweet, so I decreased the amount of powdered sugar. The shortbread crust and berries are on the sweet side, so you want let the tang of the cream cheese come through. Feel free to add a little bit of powdered sugar at a time, tasting as you go, so you get the amount of sweetness you prefer.
This tart can be made a little bit ahead of time, but be careful because when the fruit and filling get together, the sugar will start to bring out the juices in the berries. It still tastes great, but looks a little prettier when it is made fresh. If you want the pattern of the berries to have a very uniform look to them, sort them into like sizes and shapes after you slice them. Use berries of a similar size in the same ring. Of course, as pretty as berries are on their own, you could just randomly pile them on and it would be just as beautiful.
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PrintStrawberry Cream Cheese Tart
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
A buttery shortbread crust topped with a sweetened cream cheese filling and fresh berries. Easy, delicious, and patriotic!
Ingredients
For the ShortbreadCrust
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fruit
- 2–3 cups sliced strawberries
- 1/2 cup blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar on medium high speed. Add vanilla extract. Turn speed to low and add flour, mixing until a dough forms.
- Press the dough evenly into the bottom of a greased 10 inch springform pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Allow the crust to cool in the pan while you prepare the filling.
For the Filling
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat softened cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Add heavy cream and vanilla extract. Whisk together on medium high speed until soft and fluffy.
For the Tart
- Remove the crust from the springform pan. If you have difficulty removing the bottom of the pan without damaging the crust, try placing it in the freezer to firm it up so it can be easily maneuvered away from the pan.
- Spread the filling evenly over the crust, then arrange sliced strawberries and blueberries in a concentric pattern. I like to use similarly sized strawberries in each layer for a uniform look.
- Refrigerate until serving. This tart can be made a little bit ahead of time, but try to add the berries within a couple hours of serving or it will start to macerate from the sugar in the filling and the juices will run. It will still taste great, but won’t look as tidy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 247
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 122mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 9.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 23g
- Fiber: 1.2g
- Protein: 2.7g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
Jess M says
This is my second time to make this pretty little ditty! The first time it was a total hit and perfectly hit the spot. This time around I am trying out a gluten free shortbread crust (it’s for a friend) and since I have a load of peaches (the Texas kind), I am going to attempt to make some pretty design with peaches and blueberries. Wish me luck and thank you for such an inspiring summer time dessert. 🙂
Julie says
Love the idea of peaches and blueberries! Hope you and your friend enjoy!
Carol says
Hi, I made this and it was delicious, hover I doubled the filling. Do you think I could do a pudding filling AND a cheesecake filling swirled through it???
Julie says
I’m not sure how that would work without testing it myself, but it sounds like a great idea!
Martha Teran says
Madr this and posted it!