Vegan rhubarb tart - this delicious rhubarb and custard tart consists of a crisp shortcrust pastry base, creamy vegan vanilla pastry cream and tangy roasted rhubarb.
It is not too difficult to make but tastes amazing and it looks so pretty too! The perfect recipe for rhubarb season.
Rhubarb and custard is such a classic pairing, and for good reason. The tangy rhubarb and sweet, rich, creamy custard balance each other out perfectly, making an irresistible combination.
For this vegan rhubarb tart I have taken things up a notch by replacing the custard with my incredible vegan vanilla pastry cream. Topped with sharp orange roasted rhubarb on a crisp shortbread pastry base this tart is utterly addictive!
You don't need to go as decorative with the rhubarb as I did, it would still look great simply piled on top of the pastry cream, or feel free to play around and come up with your own design. Either way this beautiful pink tart would be perfect for celebrations such as Easter or Mother's Day.
Ingredient Details:
Rhubarb: Use forced rhubarb for a beautiful pink colour and sweetness.
Pastry cream: You will need one batch of my vegan pastry cream, chilled.
Vegan white chocolate: This is optional, but brushing the baked pastry case with melted white chocolate before adding the filling stops the pastry from soaking up any moisture and keeps it crisp for longer.
I order mine from here, but there are various other options online and vegan white chocolate can also be found in some supermarkets.
Orange: Roasting the rhubarb with some orange zest and juice gives it a great flavour.
Vegan butter: It is important to use a block butter/margarine, not the spreadable kind in a tub. I use Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Butter.
Plain flour: Just plain (all-purpose) flour is best.
Vodka: Vodka is my (not-so) secret trick for crispy pastry. Because it has a lower water percentage than well, water; using a bit of vodka rather than water to bind the pastry makes for crispier pastry as the alcohol burns off when it cooks.
You can't taste it at all and you can absolutely use water instead if you prefer, but if you happen to have a bottle of vodka lurking in the cupboard I urge you to give it a try!
Sugar: I use icing (powdered) sugar in the pastry and caster or granulated sugar for the rhubarb. For the best results don't swap these for other types of sugar.
Ground almonds: Adding some ground almonds to the pastry gives it a great flavour and crisp texture. You can swap them for an equal weight of plain flour if you want.
How To Make Vegan Rhubarb Tart:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Step 1: Start by making the pastry. Place the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
Add the cold butter and rub it in using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the cold vodka and mix to combine. Gradually add enough cold water to bring the pastry together into a ball. Wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
Step 2: Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a circle big enough to line a 23-25cm tart tin. Press the pastry right into the corners then trim off the excess.
Prick the base of the pastry shell all over with a fork then place it in the freezer for 20 minutes until solid.
Step 3: Line the pastry case with baking parchment, then fill with baking beans.
Step 4: Bake for 25 minutes then remove the tin foil and baking beans and return the tart shell to the oven for a further 15 minutes.
Step 5: Slice the rhubarb into 5cm pieces and lay them in a single layer in a roasting tin. Sprinkle over the sugar and orange zest and pour over the orange juice and vanilla.
Roast for 12-15 minutes until soft but still holding its shape.
Step 6: Brush the cooled pastry case with melted white chocolate and set aside until set.
Step 7: Spoon the pastry cream into the pastry case and spread it level.
Step 8: Arrange the rhubarb on top of the pastry cream, shaking off any excess juices.
Top Tips:
All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup coversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
It is important to chill the pastry before rolling it out, otherwise it will be too soft and you will struggle to roll it.
For the best, crispy pastry, make sure that you don’t overwork it or let it get too warm. Freezing the tart shell prior to blind baking it helps to make the pastry crisp and stops it from shrinking too much.
The pastry can be made in advance and stored (well wrapped) in the fridge for up to 2 days. If it becomes too firm to roll out let it sit out at room temperature for ½ an hour before rolling.
If you want to save time you can use shop bought shortcrust pastry instead. Many are vegan friendly - Jus Roll pastry is vegan (apart from the 'all-butter' one).
Be careful not to overcook the rhubarb otherwise it may fall apart and be difficult to decorate the tart with.
FAQ's:
This vegan rhubarb tart needs to be kept refrigerated. It will keep, covered, in the fridge for 3-4 days.
No, I do not recommend freezing this tart.
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Vegan Rhubarb Tart
Equipment
- 23 - 25 cm (9 - 10 in) loose bottomed tart tin
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 200 g (1 + ⅔ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 50 g (½ cup) ground almonds
- 30 g (⅓ cup) icing (powdered) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 130 g (½ cup + 1 Tablespoon) vegan block butter cold and diced
- 1 Tablespoon cold vodka (or water)
Rhubarb:
- 400 g (14 oz) forced rhubarb
- 60 g (heaped ¼ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To Assemble:
- 75 g (2 ½ oz) vegan white chocolate melted
- 1 batch vegan pastry cream chilled
Instructions
- Make sure that you have prepared the vegan pastry cream before starting on the rest of the tart so that it has time to chill.
- To make the pastry, place the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
- Add the cold, cubed butter and rub it in using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of butter remain.
- Add the cold vodka (if using) and mix to combine. Gradually add enough cold water to bring the pastry together into a ball. Shape the pastry into a disc (don't knead it), wrap and refrigerate for about an hour until firm enough to roll out.
- Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a circle big enough to line a 23-25 cm (9-10 in) loose bottomed tart tin. Press the pastry right into the corners then trim off the excess.
- Prick the base of the pastry shell all over with a fork then place it in the freezer for 20 minutes until solid. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Line the pastry case with baking parchment, pressing it right into the corners, then fill with baking beans or dried rice, making sure that the sides are propped up.
- Bake for 25 minutes then remove the tin foil and baking beans and return the tart shell to the oven for a further 15-20 minutes until nicely browned. Set aside to cool.
- Slice the rhubarb into approx 5cm (2 in) pieces and lay them in a single layer in a roasting tin. Sprinkle over the sugar and orange zest and pour over the orange juice and vanilla.
- Roast for 12-15 minutes until soft but still holding its shape. Set aside to cool.
- Brush the inside of the cooled pastry case with melted white chocolate and set aside until set.
- Give the chilled pastry cream a good whisk until it becomes smooth and creamy again then dollop it into the pastry case and spread it level.
- Arrange the rhubarb on top of the pastry cream, shaking off any excess juices.
- If you like, pour the leftover rhubarb juice into a small pan and simmer until it has reduced by half. Allow to cool then brush the rhubarb with the syrup before serving. Keep the tart refrigerated.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup coversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- Be careful not to overcook the rhubarb otherwise it may fall apart and be difficult to decorate the tart with.
T
Delicious! I think next time I'll leave out the white chocolate - it does make it a little tricky to cut once it's chilled. The creme pat was silky, and the orange/rhubarb combo was amazing! Thanks for sharing.