Burnt Cheese Tart

5 from 4 votes

This Burnt Cheese Tart has a crunchy shortcrust tart base, a melty sweet and savory cream cheese filling, and a caramelized burnt top. This treat is a mind-blowingly delicious combination of textures and tastes.

Author: Jaja Bakes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Singaporean

Servings: 1 8-inch/20 cm tart

Prep Time30

Cook Time50

Chilling Time1 30

Total Time2 50

Ingredients

Tart Crust

7 tbsp (100 gr) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (65 gr) confectioners' sugar
2/3 (35 gr) egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups (170 gr) cake flour
1/4 cup (30 gr) cornstarch
3 tbsp (20 gr) almond flour
1/4 tsp salt

Cream Cheese Filling

10.5 oz (300 gr) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (100 gr) castor sugar
1 (50 gr) egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbsp (10 gr) cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp (30 ml) whole milk

Instructions

Tart Crust

In a large bowl, add butter and sift in the confectioners' sugar. Mix with a spatula until well combined.
Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix until well incorporated.
Sift in cake flour, cornstarch, almond flour, and salt. Mix until well incorporated.
Wrap the dough with a cling wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. If you don’t want to use the dough right away, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to a month and then thaw it overnight in the fridge.
Grease an 8-inch/20 cm tart pan with a removable bottom.
Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy rolling. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin thinly, about 1/8-inch/3 mm thick between 2 parchment papers, then place gently into a tart pan. Adjust the pastry to fit into the tart pan, taking care not to stretch it. Trim the edges of the pastry with a knife.
Place in the freezer until firm for about 30 minutes. Frozen dough is less prone to shrinking while baking.
When you are ready to bake, reheat the oven to 320℉/160℃.
Prick the base of the tart with a fork. Press a parchment paper against the crust, covering the edges to prevent them from burning. Fill with pie weights/dried beans/uncooked rice, making sure they’re fully distributed over the entire surface.
Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer the tart crust to a wire rack and remove weights and parchment paper. Bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool completely in the tart pan.

Cream Cheese Filling

Preheat the oven to 340℉/170℃.
In a large bowl, add cream cheese and castor sugar. Whisk or beat on low speed using a hand mixer until well combined. Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
Sift in the cornstarch and salt. Whisk until well incorporated. Add whipping cream and milk. Mix until combined. Don't overmix.

Assemble

Pour the filling mixture into the cooled tart crust.
Bake for 17-18 minutes for the melty center or a few minutes longer for a firmer center.
Cool the tart in the tart pan on a cooling rack. The filling will look jiggly after you remove it from the oven. It will continue to cook with the residual heat and set properly after the tart has cooled down.
Once it has cooled completely, use a blow torch to burn the top of the filling. Serve at room temperature. Store the leftovers in the fridge and bring them to room temperature before serving until the filling is soft and melty again.

Notes

Using weight measurement is recommended for this recipe.

You can use the leftover tart crust dough to make 2 5-inch/12 cm mini tarts. This recipe's filling is enough to fill the mini tarts. After you add the cream cheese filling to the crust, bake at 340℉/170℃ for 12 minutes.

You need to adjust the baking time if using tart pans of different sizes.

Nutrition

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