Vanilla Caramel Custard Tart
A crème brûlée-inspired vanilla custard tart finished with a shiny caramel glaze. The custard is baked low and slow until smooth and creamy, with just enough structure to slice cleanly once chilled. Underneath, a pressed biscuit base made with brown butter adds a gentle crunch and a toasted, nutty note that pairs naturally with vanilla and caramel.
The caramel glaze gives it a glossy finish and a subtle brûlée-like flavor without turning it into a hard sugar crust. It melts cleanly on the palate, allowing the custard to shine.
I used my pâte sucrée recipe for the biscuit base here, baked until fully crisp and crushed, but this works just as well with store-bought biscuits like digestive or graham crackers if you’d prefer something quicker.
If you don’t feel like making the glaze, you can also keep things simple and finish the tart like a classic crème brûlée by sprinkling an even layer of sugar on top and caramelizing it with a torch just before serving. The custard itself is rich yet well balanced, and honestly tastes great on its own.
Hope you enjoy!
Recipe’s for a 20cm square ring (about 12 portions).
Biscuit dough (Pâte Sucrée):
75g unsalted butter, cold and diced
45g icing sugar
130g all-purpose flour
10g cornstarch
1g fine salt
30g whole egg, beaten
Sift the icing sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt into a bowl. Add the cold diced butter and rub it in with your fingertips, or mix on low speed, until the mixture resembles coarse sand with no visible butter pieces.
Add the beaten egg and mix just until the dough comes together. Stop as soon as it forms a cohesive dough; do not overwork.
Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to about 3mm thickness.
Remove the top parchment paper and bake at 160°C fan for about 15-20 minutes, until evenly golden and fully crisp. Let cool.
Reduce the oven temp to 120°C for the custard.
Brown butter pressed biscuit base:
