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British

English egg custard tart

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

A crisp sweet shortcrust case filled with a deep, just-set custard of cream, milk and egg yolks, grated generously with nutmeg — a British bakery classic since medieval times.

English egg custard tart is a British pastry from United Kingdom, ready in about 3 hours 5 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, heavy cream and egg yolk. It serves 8 and is rated advanced to cook.

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Prep
30 min
Cook
1 h 5 min
Rest
1 h 30 min
Total
3 h 5 min
Serves
8
Level
Advanced
Calories
384

Ingredients

8 servings

Pastry

Custard

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rub or pulse the flour, butter and icing sugar (opens in a new tab) to crumbs, then add the yolk and water and bring together into a dough. Flatten, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Roll out to 3 mm and line a 20 cm deep tart tin (opens in a new tab), leaving the excess overhanging. Chill 15 minutes. Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 190 °C (fan 170 °C).

    Dough being rolled out with a rolling pin
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Line with baking paper and baking beans and bake 15 minutes, then remove the beans and bake 5–8 minutes more until pale golden and dry. Brush the inside with a little beaten yolk from the custard and bake 1 minute to seal. Trim the edge and lower the oven (opens in a new tab) to 130 °C (fan 110 °C).

    A sealed, fully baked case is the secret to avoiding a soggy bottom.

  4. Step 4

    Heat the milk (opens in a new tab) and cream until steaming. Whisk (opens in a new tab) the yolks and sugar (opens in a new tab), pour on the hot milk while whisking, then strain into a jug.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Set the tart case on the oven (opens in a new tab) shelf and pour in the custard to the brim. Grate nutmeg (opens in a new tab) thickly over the top. Bake 35–40 minutes until set at the edge with a gentle wobble in the middle.

    • 40 min
    • 130°C · fan 110 °C
    Grating on a box grater
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  6. Step 6

    Cool in the tin on a rack for at least 1 hour; serve at room temperature.

About this dish

Origin
England, United Kingdom · Commonly attributedCustard tarts ('crustades') appear in English recipe collections from the Middle Ages.More food from United Kingdom
Dish
Dessert · Snack · Pastries · Desserts
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
creamy, sweet, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Heavy cream · Egg yolk · Nutmeg · Unsalted butter · Icing sugar
Techniques
Baking

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom unsalted butter, milk, heavy cream
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg yolk
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

384 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 128 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 7%
  • Carbohydrate 33%
  • Fat 60%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy384 kcal300 kcal
Protein6.6 g5.2 g
Carbohydrate32.3 g25.2 g
Net carbohydrate31.6 g24.7 g
Sugars15.1 g11.8 g
Added sugars12.4 g9.7 g
Fibre0.7 g0.5 g
Fat25.7 g20.1 g
Saturated fat15 g11.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol224 mg175 mg
Sodium31 mg25 mg
Salt equivalent0.1 g0.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
116 mg
Calcium
83 mg
Iron
1.5 mg
Magnesium
12 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
277 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
1.7 µg
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
89 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Common mistakes

  • Baking the custard too hot, which makes it bubble and weep.

Food safety

  • Keep eggs refrigerated (below 5 °C / 40 °F) and refrigerate cooked egg dishes within 2 hours.

Storage

  • Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature to serve.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The body of the dish

Custard

Used in steps 1, 4, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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