This soft fruit tart is a classic Italian fruit dessert, but with a soft base. It’s easier to prepare than the traditional shortcrust pastry because it doesn’t require long work with butter, which can be tricky to handle in summer, and it doesn’t need chilling in the fridge.

To make it, you’ll prepare the base dough and the pastry cream. The base includes olive oil among its ingredients, and the pastry cream is made with dark brown sugar. Once everything is cooled, the tart is assembled with fresh fruit glazed with a mix of jam, lemon, and water. The soft shortcrust base is moistened with a non-alcoholic citrus syrup.

The result is a triumph of fresh fruit, perfect after a hearty dinner or to celebrate a special occasion.

This recipe is a variation of the soft fruit tart by one of my favorite authors: Chiarapassion.

Ingredients for the soft base

• Eggs — 2 (room temperature)
• Brown sugar — 100 g
• Olive oil — 50 g
• Cow’s milk or plant-based milk — 2 tablespoons
• All-purpose flour — 150 g
• Baking powder — 2 teaspoons
• Grated zest of half an organic lemon
• Salt — 1 pinch

For the pastry cream

• Egg yolks — 4
• Brown sugar — 120 g
• Cornstarch — 20 g
• All-purpose flour or rice starch — 20 g                                                                                
• Milk (or plant-based milk) — 500 g
• Grated zest of half an organic lemon
• Vanilla bean — ½
• Cold butter — 10 g

For the non-alcoholic syrup

• Water — 125 g
• White sugar — 100 g
• Lemon and orange peel — 2 small pieces

For decoration

• Mixed berries — 2 packs
• Raspberry jam or similar, to taste — 3 tablespoons
• Water — 2 tablespoons
• Lemon juice — a few drops

Preparation

Grease a 28 cm (11-inch) tart pan, then lightly flour it.

Measure the olive oil in a bowl or jug and grate the lemon zest directly into it.

Weigh the flour, add the baking powder and pinch of salt, and sift well.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

In a bowl with a hand whisk or stand mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar. Add the milk, then the olive oil with lemon zest, mixing continuously. Add the flour mixture and stir just until uniform — do not overmix. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Lower the oven temperature to 160°C (320°F) static (no fan) and bake for about 20 minutes. Check for doneness before removing from the oven, then let cool on a wire rack.

For the pastry cream

Measure the milk: pour 400 ml into a saucepan and set aside 100 ml in a cup. Add the lemon zest and half the vanilla bean to the saucepan.

In a bowl, combine and mix well the flour and cornstarch.

In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until dissolved. Add the flour–cornstarch mixture and keep whisking. Pour the reserved cold milk into the egg-sugar mixture, whisking constantly.

Bring the milk in the saucepan to a boil with the lemon zest and vanilla.

When the milk in the saucepan boils, strain it into the egg mixture in two batches, removing the lemon zest and vanilla.

Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring with both a whisk and a spatula, making sure it doesn’t stick to the corners.

When it starts to bubble, turn off the heat.

Pour the cream into a clean shallow bowl, top with tiny dots of butter, and brush them over the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Cover with a plate, lid, or plastic wrap (not in direct contact), and let cool.

For the syrup

In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, and citrus peels. Heat until the sugar dissolves, then set aside.

To glaze the fruit

If using raspberry jam, strain it through a sieve. Add water and a splash of lemon juice, then heat until boiling. Set aside.

Assemble

Place the tart base on a serving plate and brush with the syrup.

Spread the pastry cream evenly over the base.

Decorate with the berries and brush with the diluted jam to glaze and keep them in place.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Tips

You can use other types of seasonal fruit.

Instead of olive oil, you can use butter.

I used an organic stone-ground cake flour, which makes my dough darker, but you can also use another type of all-purpose flour if you prefer.

For the preparation, it’s important to weigh all the ingredients beforehand, as this recipe doesn’t require a difficult technique but having everything ready makes the various steps easier. I recommend preparing the base the day before, if you have time to plan ahead.

Basic Equipment Needed

• Base preparation
• 28 cm (11-inch) tart pan
• Mixing bowls (2–3)
• Hand whisk or stand mixer
• Kitchen scale
• Grater for lemon zest
• Sieve or sifter (for dry ingredients)
• Rubber spatula
• Cooling rack
• Pastry cream
• Medium saucepan
• Heatproof bowl
• Fine mesh strainer or colander
• Whisk
• Spatula
• Shallow baking dish (for cooling)
• Plastic wrap, plate, or lid
• Syrup & glaze
• Small saucepan
• Pastry brush
• Assembly & serving
• Serving plate or cake stand
• Offset spatula