Blackberry Tart So Good You Won’t Believe It’s Vegan

Are you searching for a fresh fruit dessert recipe to add to your repertoire? Look no further! This blackberry tart recipe is all kinds of delicious. Juicy, sweet blackberries are cooked with a bit of jam in a buttery, homemade crust until they start to soften and release their wonderful juices. Yum!

WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE

• Vegan-friendly. This recipe has no dairy and no eggs, making it perfect for vegans.
• Easy to adapt. Tarts are fun to make, mainly because they’re so versatile. You can fill a tart crust in so many delicious ways.
• Flavorful. The sweet, slightly tart flavor of ripe blackberries with earthy undertones paired with sweet blackberry jam, all nestled inside a wonderfully crumbly crust. This dessert is just bursting with flavor!
• Looks as good as it tastes. The fluted edge of the tart and the dusting of white powdered sugar on the deep purple blackberry filling make for a beautiful presentation.

INGREDIENTS

Here are the key ingredients for this recipe:

• Cold butter
• Ice water
• Unbleached white flour
• Fresh blackberries
• Blackberry jam
• Fresh lemon juice
• Lemon zest
• Raw cane sugar
• Sea salt
• Vanilla extract 
• Powdered sugar

INGREDIENT NOTES

• Flour: If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, do a straight one-for-one swap for white, unbleached flour with a gluten-free variety. You don’t need to add xanthan or guar gum.
• Blackberries: Loaded with vitamins and minerals like vitamins C, K, and manganese, blackberries have several health benefits. Furthermore, the berries are high in fiber. If you don’t have blackberries, any kind of berry or sliced fruit can work. Use what you like and what’s in season.
• Cold butter: Apart from imparting that marvelous buttery flavor, the still-intact pieces of cold butter in the crust shell melt and steam while baking, creating little air pockets that keep the crust light. I use plant-based butter sticks from Melt Organic, which are vegan-friendly.
• Ice water: This holds all the dough ingredients together and keeps the dough cold. In addition, flour does not absorb cold water easily, which helps to keep the dough tender.
• Raw cane sugar:  It contributes to the crumbly texture of the baked crust and also helps it to brown nicely. Also, the sugar balances out the tartness found in the berries.
• Lemon juice and zest: This adds a refreshing, tangy twist to the dessert.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: MAKE THE TART DOUGH

Cut the cold butter into small cubes. Add to the bowl of your food processor along with the flour, raw cane sugar, and sea salt. 

Process the mixture using short bursts/pulses until it resembles a coarse meal. Do not overprocess. There should be small chunks or pea-sized pieces of butter visible.

Add the vanilla extract and ice water. Pulse a few more times to combine.

Once the dough comes together, remove it from the processor and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently form it into a flat disk, about 1-inch thick, without working the dough too much.

Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Start at the center and roll outward, turning your dough a quarter turn. Repeat until the diameter of the whole crust is about 4 inches larger than the tart pan. If the edges start to split, pinch them together before continuing. 

Allow the rolled-out dough to rest flat for about five minutes before transferring it to the tart pan.

STEP 2: BLIND-BAKE THE TART CRUST

Lightly coat the tart pan with cooking spray.

Carefully fit the dough against the bottom and up the sides of the pan, pressing gently against the sides. Don’t stretch or pull the dough but allow enough slack so that you can fit it snugly down into the edges of the pan.

Use a sharp knife or pair of scissors to trim the edge of the dough, leaving a bit of overhang to compensate for shrinkage as you blind-bake the crust.

Refrigerate the unbaked shell for 1 hour.

Line the cold tart shell with parchment paper. Place pie weights or dried beans into the shell to prevent it from shrinking away from the sides of the tart pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the crust cool on a cooling rack.

STEP 3: MAKE FILLING AND ASSEMBLE THE TART

In a large mixing bowl, add the fresh berries, raw cane sugar, sea salt, flour, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and blackberry jam. Mix until everything is incorporated.

Scoop spoonfuls of the blackberry filling into the pre-baked tart shell. Sprinkle the top with raw cane sugar. You can also add a few small pieces of butter.

Place the blackberry tart on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any juices. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven at 350°F.

STEP 4: SERVE AND ENJOY

Once the crust turns golden brown, remove the blackberry tart from the oven. Place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.

Dust with powdered sugar. Remove the sides of the pan before slicing and serving. For a special treat, serve with a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream or a bit of fresh whipped cream.

EXPERT TIPS

• Don’t burn the tart. If the crust starts to brown too much before the dessert is ready, place a piece of aluminum foil over the blackberry tart.
• Prick the crust. To prevent the dough from puffing up while it bakes, gently prick the bottom and sides of the tart shell before chilling it in the refrigerator.
• Make designs from the excess dough. Roll out any remaining pastry dough or scraps and use cookie cutters to create designs that will decorate the top of the blackberry tart. Stars are great for patriotic holidays, leaves and pumpkin cutouts are perfect for fall, and snowflakes for winter.
• Keep the bottom crust from getting soggy. No one likes a soggy bottom crust. To prevent this from happening, put a rimmed baking sheet in the oven while it preheats. Direct contact with the hot metal of the baking sheet helps to brown and crisp the bottom crust under all the filling.
• Use a pan with a removable bottom. Keep the crust (and the entire tart) intact by using a tart pan with a removable bottom.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What’s the difference between a tart and a pie?

Tarts and pies are similar, with a couple of key differences. For example, pies are baked in deep pans with sloped sides and can have a single or double crust. Tarts are baked in shallow pans and only have a bottom crust. Pies are served right out of the pie dish while tarts are removed from the pan before serving.

Can I use frozen blackberries?

Yes, but the tart filling will have a lot of liquid, and the crust may become soggy. If you use unsweetened frozen blackberries, reduce your jam a bit. Also, partially thaw the frozen berries in a strainer before using them to reduce their liquid. Fresh berries yield the best results.

What if I don’t have a tart pan?

You can use a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan to make this tart if you don’t have a tart pan. However, you may face some difficulty in slicing and serving. A better substitute is a springform pan where you can easily remove the dessert by releasing the springform. Alternatively, instead of a tart, you can make blackberry compote, blackberry cobbler, or vegan blackberry muffins.

How long does the blackberry tart stay fresh?

Store the tart loosely covered in the refrigerator. It is best eaten within three days but can go up to 5 days. Frozen pastry dough will keep for three months if sealed in plastic wrap and stored correctly in a freezer bag. Thaw the dough in the fridge before rolling it out.

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TRY THESE DESSERT RECIPES NEXT:

• First, try my vegan peach coffee cake with streusel topping recipe, a dense yet extremely moist cake laced with peaches and complete with a delicious crumbly topping.
• Next, have a go at my double-layer carob cake recipe, which has all the excitement and flavor of a dense and decadent chocolate cake but happens to be naturally sweetened and paleo-friendly.
• Finally, try my vegan squash pie recipe that is full of warm spices and is so creamy yet entirely dairy-free and gluten-free.

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