Cranberry curd tart

Sweet and tangy cranberry curd fills a shortbread crust flecked with orange zest for a delightful and colorful autumn or holiday dessert!

  

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Cranberry curd tart is a show-stopping dessert that adds a bright burst of color and flavor to your Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's holidays and other festive gatherings. The red color is perfect for the holiday season. 

 

Cranberry curd is made with fresh cranberries. Fresh cranberries are used for the best flavor and because they have pectin to help the curd achieve the proper consistency.

The tart's crust has orange zest in it and the curd has fresh orange juice. The pop of orange citrus flavor makes the flavors really pop and adds an extra tough of holiday and winter time flavor.

I don't know about you, but sweet/tart desserts are my favorite! I love the flavor contrasts and the way the tart and tangy flavors cut through the sweetness. If you are like me, then you will also love this cranberry curd tart.

This tart definitely has a few steps and is time consuming. The steps are all relatively easy though and worth the time it takes to result in a smooth, creamy cranberry curd filling. No individual step is overly difficult to do. 

 

Please ensure when you make this that you are using a tart pan and not a pie pan. Tart pans are smaller with removable bottoms and are non-stick. This recipe will not fill a regular pie plate.

If you are feeling extra festive, make up a batch of sugared cranberries for decorating and garnishing the tart. 

 

Lightly sweetened whipped cream is a lovely topping. Top with some extra orange zest as well for an extra elegant pop of color.

 

This cranberry curd tart is part of #CranberryWeek. You can see more recipes for today from other bloggers at the bottom of this post. 

Add this elegant and festive cranberry curd tart to your holiday dessert menu this year. It's sure to wow your guests and please any cranberry lover. The lovely color will add a pop of brightness to any holiday meal.

Yield: about 8 servings

Author: Amy (Savory Moments)

Cranberry Curd Tart

Sweet and tangy cranberry curd fills a shortbread crust with orange zest for a delightful and colorful autumn or holiday dessert!

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup powdered (icing) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• zest of 1 orange

For the cranberry curd

• 12 oz. cranberries
• juice of 1 large orange
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut in tablespoon pieces

Instructions

1. First prepare the crust. Place the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add in the butter and orange zest and pulse until combined and the mixture looks like a sandy crumb.
2. Place the mixture into a 9-inch tart pan. Press it up the side and on the bottom. Place on a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After freezing, bake the crust for 22-23 minutes, until it just begins to turn golden. Set aside.
4. While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. In a medium saucepan, combine the fresh cranberries and orange juice. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until all the cranberries have burst and softened.
5. Strain the cranberry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Make sure the press down on the cranberries and scrape the bottom of the sieve to get as much of the cranberries as you can.
6. Whisk the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla into the cranberries. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan along with the butter. Heat over medium heat, whisking often until the mixture reaches 170 degrees.
7. Strain again through a clean fine-mesh strainer, pressing to get as much of the curd as possible.
8. Pour into the crust. Bake for another 11-13 minutes, until the filling is set, but slightly jiggly. Let cool for about an hour and then refrigerate until serving.
9. Serve cold or at room temperature and top with whipped cream, if desired.

This recipe is slightly adapted from Blossom to Stem.

I hope you give this cranberry tart a try! Let me know in the comments below.

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This post was originally published in 2019 and has been updated in 2022 with new text and more to improve reader experience.

Check out these other cranberry dessert recipes:

Cranberry Cornmeal Cookies 

Cranberry Orange Bread

Cranberry Custard Pie 

Sour Cream Cranberry Bars

It's Cranberry Week! See all the other delicious cranberry recipes being shared today (and follow #cranberryweek to see even more):

• Chocolate Cranberry Blondies from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Cranberry Amaretto Ice Cream from The Redhead Baker
• Cranberry Apple Flan from The Freshman Cook
• Cranberry Breakfast Smoothie from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Cranberry Crescent Rolls with Maple Icing from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Cranberry Glazed Meatballs from Palatable Pastime
• Cranberry Mule from The Spiffy Cookie
• Cranberry Nut Cream Cheese Ball from Our Crafty Mom
• Cranberry Orange Scones from Caroline's Cooking
• Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls from Cookaholic Wife
• Cranberry Pecan Mini Cheeseballs from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Gin & {Cranberry-Orange} Jam Cocktail from Books n' Cooks
• Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites from Sweet Beginnings
• Turkey Nachos with Cranberry Salsa from A Day in the Life on the Farm