5 from 8 votes

Mango Curd Tart

Mango Curd Tart | photo by Zoë François

In a quest to create the perfect mango cheesecake, I discovered mango puree from the Indian market. I’ve tried making my own with fresh mangos, but the flavor was much too subtle and disappeared in most recipes. I even tried cooking it, to reduce the fruit, which usually works to intensify the flavor. But, it just made the mango taste like squash.

So, I asked the internet and my community taught me the ways of tinned (canned) mango puree, which is apparently a known and beloved ingredient in India. There are many types of mangos and the Indian market had them all in puree, so I tried them all. They are mostly sweetened, but I did manage to find one that wasn’t and it was amazing. If all you can find is the sweetened version, you can reduce the sugar in the recipe by a bit.

The mango cheesecake was a big hit and I had lots of the puree left over, so I went to work creating more desserts with it. This mango curd tart is the lucky result of that abundance of tinned mango. The curd is made just as you would a lemon curd, but I used a combination of mango and lime. It makes very little sense, but the lime makes the mango taste more like mango and not just cloyingly sweet. Slow cooking the curd over a double boiler is the key to the satiny texture.

You can watch my video of this mango curd tart on my Instagram page.

Mango Curd Tart | photo by Zoë François

I use this tart dough and have you blind bake it ahead of time. You can see me blind bake a crust in my Instagram story highlight.

Mango Curd Tart | photo by Zoë François

To garnish, add the sliced mango, raspberries and cherries.

Mango Curd Tart | photo by Zoë François

Whip the cream to medium peaks and pipe over the curd. Serve the remaining cream with the sliced tart.

Tropical Fruit Resources

Tropical fruit and purees can sometimes be hard to find locally, so I often order mine online. Here is the canned mango pulp I used in this recipe.
Fierce Fruit (for Fruit Purees)
Frieda’s
Melissa’s Produce
Miami Fruit
Rincon Tropics
Tropical Fruit Box
Vanilla Beans – here is more info on using vanilla beans

Mango Curd Tart with fresh mango, berries and whipped cream

Mango Curd Tart

The curd in this mango curd tart is made just as you would a lemon curd, but I used a combination of mango and lime. It makes very little sense, but the lime makes the mango taste more like mango and not just cloyingly sweet. Slow cooking the curd over a double boiler is the key to the satiny texture. This will make an 8-inch tart that is very full, or a 9-inch tart that leaves room for the fruit on top.
5 from 8 votes
Course: Dessert

Ingredients

Tart Dough

  • 1/4 cup (30 g) almond meal or flour
  • 1 1/4 cups (190 g) bleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (65 g) confectioners' sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 10 tbsp soft butter
  • 1 large egg yolk

Mango Curd

  • 1 1/4 cups canned mango puree Alphonso or Kesar, unsweetened if you can find it
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup if you find unsweetened mango puree
  • pinch salt
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter

Garnish

  • 2 mangos peeled and sliced thin
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1 cup pitted, halved cherries
  • 1 cup whipped cream
  • 1 tbsp confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Tart Crust

  • In a Stand Mixer cream the butter and sugar with the Beater Blade. Then add the yolk and mix to combine. Add the flour and salt, blend until it comes together.
  • You can immediately press the dough into a 9 to 10-inch Tart Pan with Removable Bottom or form the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
  • Roll out between a Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat (or wax paper) and a sheet of plastic wrap.
  • Use the silpat to pick up the dough and drape it over the tart pan. The dough will certainly break apart and you will have to press it into the pan, but by rolling it out you will have a uniform thickness.
  • Scrape off the excess dough from the top of the pan. Freeze the dough for about 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 350 degrees.
  • Fill the tart shell with foil and baking beans or Pie Weights. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Mango Curd

  • In a bowl set over a double boiler, mix together the mango, lime, sugar, salt and yolks. Use a rubber spatula to stir it until it starts to thicken. Then stir in the butter. Once it is thick, strain the curd. You can make this a few days ahead.
  • To make the tart, pour the curd into the prepared tart shell and bake at 325°F until the curd is set (this can take 15-20 minutes for curd that is still warm or up to 35+ minutes for chilled curd). Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until well chilled.

Garnish

  • To garnish, add the sliced mango, raspberries and cherries.
  • Whip the cream to medium peaks and pipe over the curd. Serve the remaining cream with the sliced tart.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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13 thoughts to “Mango Curd Tart”

  1. This is s beautiful, Zoe. I’ve purchased the boxed Mango purée at our international market here in town and loved it. I don’t recall the brand. I actually used it for a vinaigrette. But using it to make mango curd sounds like heaven. Your tart is stunning. I’d never think to pair it with cherries – sounds divine. I’ll definitely be trying this.

  2. This looks amazing!! Thank you for sharing the recipe. Can you give an estimated time that the curd takes to set in the oven?

  3. The crust on this is bangin’ and I’ve started using it as my go-to tart crust. I am horrible at baking so I appreciate something that turns out great every time!

  4. I have a mango tree and am always looking for new ideas. This looks lovely! Mine start coming in around the end of July. I’ll give this a whirl. Thank you!

  5. 5 stars
    Great recipe, made my own mango puree, your tart dough recipe was so easy and turned out perfect! Will definitely use it again.

  6. Does anyone actually make the recipes or just comment on how they look? All of the comments I read just say how beautiful the tart is. I didn’t see a single comment where someone made the tart and said how it turned out. This is the third recipe I’ve tried of hers that simply does not work. I am not a novice baker either. Her stuff does always look absolutely stunning, but I’m starting to question how well the recipes are tested. I mean I bought Zoe bakes, I want this stuff to work. I definitely feel the recipes would benefit from more details. For instance, when she discusses cooking the curd, she could specify for how many minutes and/or describe what “thickened” looks like (e.g. coat the back of spoon and when you drag your figure through, the liquid should not run back together).

    1. Hi Amy, we’re sorry you haven’t had success with some of the recipes. If you can share details, we can try to help! Only three people have rated this recipe on the website (this is a newer feature), but lots of people have tagged Zoë on Instagram to let her know they enjoyed the recipe.

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