Lemon Tart – Pretty, Simple & Sweet

With the abundant fresh meyer lemons, my wonderful friends always give me, I was excited to make this Lemon Tart.

As you can see from the recipe, there is nothing to it. This tart has two steps: The graham cracker crust and the lemon tart filling. 

Both are super easy to prepare, and you will soon be addicted to this dessert.

What is Graham Crackers made of?

A graham cracker is a sweet-flavored cracker made of graham flour that originated in the United States in the mid-19th century.

Combining honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract gives it that distinct signature flavor. 

It can be enjoyed as a snack or in a recipe. Makes the best crust for custard pies. 

I prefer to use my food processor to make crumbs from graham crackers. A personal choice, of course.

Your local grocery store may already have the graham crumbs in the baking aisle, which would also work perfectly.

A quick note about the sweetened condensed milk

You cannot replace sweetened condensed milk with evaporated milk.

They are not identical and cannot be used interchangeably in baking.

Although they are both concentrated from milk products and have 60 percent of the water removed, the evaporated milk does not contain sweets.

Enjoy this lemon tart with condensed milk.

Cooking tips and step-by-step instructions to create this excellent Lemon Tart

You can find the printable recipe with all the correct amounts at the bottom of this post.

• Use fresh lemon juice. The lemons already squeezed for you at the store do not have the same lemon flavor.
• The maple syrup with the regular sugar and the melted butter creates a delightful crust that will withstand the liquid poured over.
• When you are ready to fill the 10-inch cast iron, ensure that the bottom crust is even and that the corners between the bottom and the sides of the skillet are the same thickness. I made the mistake of not evenly distributing it, which was harder to cut.
• There is no need to bring the pie crust up to the top of the skillet, either. The custard will not rise, so there is no concern about spilling over it.
• And yes, you will use the whole tablespoon of butter to grease the skillet. You do not want to miss this step or put less. You will need that extra protection to prevent burning and sticking to the skillet when making a huge slice.
• I always use aluminum foil with weights or uncooked rice to part-bake the crust. I let it rest and cool before filling it with custard.
• Let the crust cool off before adding the filling. 
• Whisk all the ingredients and add them to the crust. 
• The thin lemon slices are for decoration. Have fun with it and create your design.

Once out of the oven, let it rest. The custard is hot, so it will solidify and not burn you.

Substitutions and Variations

There is little substitution to this lemon tart. However, you can have fun by adding your spin.

• Graham crackers can be substituted with crispy cookies, ice cream cones, pretzels, cereal, and even coconut macaroons. 

• You can also replace the lemon juice with lime juice to make Lime Tart. Better yet, Key limes and you will never be the same.
• To intensify the lemon flavor, combine some lemon zest with the egg mixture.
• Add some fresh berries over your tart.
• Dollops of whipped cream, or Chantilly, are always a welcome addition to desserts. That is my story, and I am sticking to it.

Storage

Store: If it is not too hot in your room, leave it at room temperature. When it is completely cooled, place it in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap. 

Bring it back to room temperature and enjoy.