Words can’t describe how I feel about this tart, oh how I love thee. The pop of red from the fresh strawberries, the sweetened mascarpone cheese, and the lemon zest crust are perfectly perfect together in this Strawberry Mascarpone Spring Tart.

As I mentioned earlier this week Spring is just upon us and we’re really feeling it this week with bright sunshine days and cool breezes. The flowers are just barely starting to bloom and it is finally warm enough to walk out of the house without a parka on.

The grocery store had fresh strawberries this weekend and I wanted to take full advantage of them. I had planned to make this tart for Easter Sunday but I got a litttle lazy after all the cleaning we did so a weekday treat this became.  Eric’s been busy with Spring Ball so we only have a few nights to spend together during the week and having this tart made it feel extra special while we watched Better Call Saul on the couch. 😉Here’s the mascarpone I used, you should be able to find it at the grocery store in the fancy cheese section. If you haven’t used it, it’s thick like cream cheese and has the flavor of cream. For the tart filling the mascarpone gets mixed with sugar, Vanilla extract and fresh lemon juice. The tart crust is extremely easy with only 4 ingredients mixed by hand and pressed into the tart pan. The lemon zest in the crust might be my favorite part of this whole strawberry tart, it adds a great dimension of flavor. While the crust is baking you might see air pockets form, but not to worry they’ll deflate on their own as the crust cools. phew! 🙂
After the crust is baked and cooled, spread that creamy filling on leaving a little bit of that pretty crust to show around the edges. Follow the mascarpone by spreading with a thin layer of fresh strawberry spread. Time to get creative with your strawberry design…and voila! After I finished making this strawberry tart I could not wait to eat it! I was like a little kid waiting for it to be time for dessert. Put it on a pretty plate or stand for major eye candy action. I’m in love ♥This Strawberry Mascarpone Tart is sweet, simple and oh so gorgeous. It would be the perfect dessert to serve at a girls brunch, baby or bridal shower, picnic or anytime for your loved ones.

Strawberry Mascarpone Spring Tart

Serves 10-12

Ingredients
Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Mascarpone Filling
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Strawberry Topping
1/2 cup mashed strawberries (about 4-5 strawberries)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
8-10 sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 325º F

Preparation
Crust
In a medium size bowl combine crust ingredients. Mix with clean hands until all ingredients come together and you can form into a ball. In a 9-inch nonstick tart pan with removable bottom* use your hands to press the dough down until  it evenly covers the entire bottom of the pan and goes up the sides about half way to create a nice fluted edge. Holding the edges of the pan place the tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake at 325º F for 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Mascarpone Filling
In a medium size bowl using a hand mixer; mix together the mascarpone cheese with the vanilla, sugar and lemon juice until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Strawberry Topping
In a small sauce pan over medium heat combine mashed strawberries, sugar and cornstarch. Mix all together and let cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the strawberries cook down and the liquid thickens. Remove from heat and let cool.

Assembling the Tart
Using an offset spatula spread the mascarpone filling onto the crust evenly, leaving a little crust to peek out the edges. Next spread on the cooked strawberry topping thinly and evenly. Top it all off with the sliced strawberries in your preferred design.

Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

*Removable bottom is optional but preferred for easy removal.

Thanks for stopping by CB EATS! Hope you enjoyed this recipe. Follow CB EATS by subscribing to email updates or follow along on Instagram or Pinterest.

xo CB