Advertisement

Try our cranberry tart with cinnamon cream, then check out our cranberry cake, ginger and cranberry steamed pudding and Christmas cranberry rocky road. Plus, discover more delicious Christmas desserts.

Jewels of winter, these crimson fruits are often simmered with sugar to make jam, and served alongside the turkey for Christmas. However, these tart gems can offer so much more than just a festive condiment. Their sweet-sour nature lends them to refreshing, zingy desserts, such as fools, crumbles and pies.


Cranberry tart with cinnamon cream recipe

Ingredients

CURD

  • 400g fresh or frozen cranberries (defrosted if frozen)
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 75g butter

PASTRY

  • 200g spelt or plain flour
  • ½ tsp almond extract
  • 100g cold butter, cubed
  • 1 egg yolk whisked with 1 tbsp of cold water

CREAM

  • 150ml double cream
  • 1 tbsp icing sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

TO DECORATE

  • rosemary sprigs
  • cranberries dusted in caster sugar
  • dried orange slices

Method

  • STEP 1

    To make the pastry, whizz together the flour, extract and butter in a food processor until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and whizz again until it forms a ball – add an extra 1 tbsp of cold water if needed, to bring the mixture together. Wrap and chill for 30 mins.

  • STEP 2

    Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll the pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin and use it to line a 20cm tart tin. Line with baking paper and beans, and bake for 15 mins until pale and dry. Remove the paper and beans, and cook for a further 10-15 mins or until golden brown and sandy – the pastry needs to be completely cooked at this point. Trim the edges and leave to cool.

  • STEP 3

    Put the cranberries, sugar and 150ml of water in a pan, and simmer over a medium heat for 6-8 mins or until the berries burst, and the liquid is syrupy but not jammy. Use a hand blender to whizz until smooth, then strain into a large heatproof bowl. Leave to cool for a few minutes.

  • STEP 4

    Whisk the egg yolks into the cranberry juice over a small pan of simmering water for 6-8 mins or until the mixture thickly coats the back of a spoon. Whisk in the butter until smooth and shiny. Pour the mixture into the pastry case and chill for at least 1 hr until set.

  • STEP 5

    Decorate with the rosemary, sugared cranberries and dried orange slices in a wreath around the topping for a Christmas centrepiece. Whip together the cream ingredients until soft peaks form and serve a spoonful along with the tart.

Discover more cranberry recipes.

An iced loaf cake with one slice taken out of it

Authors

Anna Glover profile
Anna GloverSenior food editor

Alternative ways with cinnamon

Advertisement

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Overall rating

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement