Cherry Mascarpone Tart

Preparation time: 40-60 minutes + 2 hours refrigeration | Serves: 4-6 people

This lovely tart recipe celebrates the stone fruit at its finest, with a cinnamon-spiced oat cookie base, topped with creamy folds of mascarpone and handfuls of fresh, juicy cherries.

Why you’ll love this recipe -

As a child, I ate cherries by the handful and, in my haste to wolf them down, would swallow them whole (seed and all). I remember Mum constantly warning me that a cherry tree would grow inside my stomach. While my stomach is sadly tree-free, and I've long since learned to eat cherries properly, when the season comes around I'm always dreaming up new ways to eat them.

This Cherry Mascarpone Tart has a simple base reminiscent of an oat cookie that pairs so well with the honey sweetened waves of mascarpone and chilled cherries, offering a lovely contrast.

I like to scatter cherries whole (stem and all) on top, and serve it as is. There's something about letting each person pull a cherry stem straight into their mouth that feels like the best part of the whole dessert!

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Ingredients

‍ ‍ For the base -

• 150 gms rolled oats

• 120 gms brown sugar

• 64 gms flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1 tsp. cinnamon

• 110 gms cold butter

• 1 egg yolk

  For the filling -

• 150 gms mascarpone

• 250 ml thickened cream

• 1 tsp. vanilla paste

• Pinch of sea salt

• 100 gms good quality honey + more to drizzle

• Handful of fresh cherries
  

Method -

Make the base -

1. Pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor, then add the cold butter and egg yolk. Blitz till combined.

2. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for about 30-45 mins.

3. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan forced) and line a 30cm tart tin.

4. Gently press the dough into the prepared tin with your fingers (no need to roll it out).

5. Bake for 18–20 minutes till golden (it will puff up), use a spoon to flatten the base.

6. Refrigerate for an hour.

Make the filling -

1. Whip the mascarpone and thickened cream till soft peaks form, then fold in the honey and vanilla paste.

2. Gently tip into the prepared (and chilled) tart base - use a palette knife/ spoon to to smoothen the top.

3. Refrigerate until set (about an hour).

4. Serve chilled scattered with cherries and a drizzle of honey.

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You might also like -

Greek Yoghurt Panna Cotta

Whipped Rhubarb Cheesecake

Honey Poached Peaches

Marbled Chocolate Sesame Banana Bread

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RECIPE NOTES

Sides, Swaps and Serves

1. Can I use canned cherries for this recipe?
   Canned cherries are a great alternative to fresh cherries in this recipe as they’re simply the garnish.

2. What fruits can I use instead of cherries?
   Any stone fruit (or berries) would work beautifully with this mascarpone tart! You can use peaches, nectarines, plums, or fresh raspberries, strawberries and blackberries.

3. What can I use instead of mascarpone?
   Whipped (smooth) ricotta, or cream cheese can be substituted for mascarpone. Please note, the texture might be slightly different.

4. 3. How long can I store the cherry tart?
   The base will get quite soggy after 1-2 hours, so I would recommend eating this tart fresh or within a day or so.

5. 4. Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
   You can make the dough for the base ahead of time and bake just before making the filling. The filling can also be made ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container for 1-2 days.

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