Coconut lime tart made with a buttery, crumbly coconut tart base and a tangy coconut lime filling is the perfect way to celebrate the end of summer flavors. This recipe comes together so easily and is a must try!
Maybe I’m trying to hold onto the last bits of summer with this recipe’s flavors, or maybe coconut and lime is just always a good idea, either way, this coconut lime tart is gorgeous, delicious and easy to make!
Best Practices to make the Perfect Coconut Lime Tart
As I’ve mentioned, this recipe really is very easy to make. The hardest part is waiting for the tart crust to chill properly before baking!
Tip #1: Chill for the entire chill time! I know it’s tempting to say “what’s the worst that could happen here?” and skimp on the chill time for this coconut tart crust, but trust me, waiting will save you a lot of trouble in the end. The tart crust must chill completely so that the gluten has time to relax, ultimately preventing major shrinkage in the final result.
Tip #2: Don’t overwork the dough. Once you’ve added the liquid ingredients to the tart crust and it has just started to come together, gently work it for a few more turns by hand and then let it rest! It’s important not to overwork the dough or it will turn out tough……and we want a buttery and crumbly coconut lime tart!
Tip #3: Coconut Cream. This Coconut Lime Tart calls for coconut cream. This ingredient is important, and cannot be exchanged for coconut milk due to its differing fat content. Coconut cream can typically be found in the International Foods section at most grocery stores.
Tip #4: The green color is optional. I really wanted this coconut lime tart to POP so I added a few small drops of liquid green food coloring to the filling. This is a completely optional but fun step if you have the food coloring in the house already!
The Decoration
Other than flavor and textures, the decoration of a tart is one of its biggest appeals! Feel free to take your decoration in a different direction than I did, if inspiration flows! If you would like to replicate the design I used, simply slice 1-2 limes thinly and arrange them in a semi circle. Save the leftover tart dough and cut out a few small shapes of your choice, I used a small star cutter. Chill them in the freezer for 5 minutes and then bake on 350 for 6 minutes or until slightly brown. Then add some small flowers and leftover coconut flakes.
As always, if you make this Coconut Lime Tart, be sure to tag me on instagram @karisscorner letting me know how it went!
Can baking be therapeutic?
I often talk about baking being a therapeutic hobby but I’d like to share more about why I feel that way as well as how it can become a relaxing hobby for you!
When I bake, it’s my creative time. I may put on my favorite nostalgic movie or tv show in the background, or a Spotify playlist titled “French café” and leave my troubles behind.
Sometimes I pour myself a glass of wine and light a candle. Then, with the mood set, the mixing of batter, kneading of dough and smoothing of icing is my only care in the world.
When I say baking is therapeutic, sometimes people respond saying “not for me it isn’t!” I completely understand why someone might feel that way. There have been plenty of times where I spend hours on something only for it to fail or something breaks that shouldn’t or I forget to clean as I go and am left with a disastrous kitchen to clean.
So I should in reality, have a caveat to my “baking as therapy” claims…
Baking is therapy when you curate the experience to be relaxing.
How do you curate that relaxing experience for yourself, you ask?
How to make baking therapeutic…
- Prepare your mind–know that it’s okay if the cake doesn’t rise, or the butter wasn’t chilled enough. Shift your mindset from seeing your failures as mistakes to seeing them as opportunities for learning.
- Prepare your space–I cannot and will not bake on top of a messy kitchen. If I were to do this I would be starting from a place of stress! Take an extra 10 minutes to clean any dishes in the sink and wipe down the counters, this small effort will pay you back greatly in brain space and clarity.
- Clean as you go! I’ll tell you the one way to make baking stressful and tiresome, is to not clean as you go! After I use each ingredient that I no longer need, I put it away.
After each major step in the process, I wipe down the counters and put dishes that are no longer needed in the sink. If there is chill time or baking time I don’t sit, I do the cleaning then. Make this shift and you’ll really notice the difference!
By the way, this last tip really helped me when I was on The Great American Baking Show–and the crew that cleaned up behind us made a point to tell me that my workspace was always so clean they didn’t have much to do!
I would reply by saying “it’s how I stay sane in this tent!”
Additional suggestions:
*Maybe try printing off the recipe instead of looking at it on your phone, tablet or laptop and use this time to unplug from technology for a few hours
**Invite friends or family over to share your creation with you. Time spent with loved ones over food is a universally special experience
And that’s how I discovered baking for my mental health. If you try any of these suggestions, let me know how it went for you! I’m really invested in spreading this message to others in hopes that baking will enhance your lives more than it already does!
Happy Baking Friends!
Coconut Lime Tart
Ingredients
For the Coconut Tart Crust
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter cubed, chilled
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Coconut Lime Filling
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lime zest
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cup coconut cream
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- pinch of salt
- 4-5 drops liquid green food coloring optional
Instructions
For the Coconut Tart Crust
- Into a food processor*, add 1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut, 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1/4 tsp of salt. Pulse until combined.
- Add 8 Tbsp of cold, cubed unsalted butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together 1 large egg yolk, 1 Tbsp of heavy cream and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Pour this liquid mixture into the dry and pulse again for a few passes until the dough just starts to come together.
- Pour the dough out onto a floured surface and work with hands for a few turns until it comes together completely. Do not overwork the dough!
- Form the dough into a disk shape and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- After the dough has been chilling for 1 hour, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for 12 minutes to come to a workable temperature.
- Unwrap the dough and leave it on the plastic wrap. Then take another piece of plastic wrap and place it over top of the dough. Begin to roll out with a rolling pin. The plastic wrap will make the rolling out process much easier.
- Roll the dough to a circle roughly 10" in diameter. Then remove the top piece of plastic. Slip your hand underneath the rolled out dough (your hand should be touching the bottom piece of plastic) and flip it onto your tart pan.
- Before removing the plastic, use your knuckles to work the dough into the corners of the tart pan. Fold the excess dough over the edges of the tart. Then take your rolling pin and roll it over the top of the tart pan with slight pressure to eliminate the excess dough.
- Remove the plastic and place the tart pan with the rolled out dough onto a plate. Cover the tart and plate loosely with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F (roughly 190°C) when there are 15 minutes left on your timer.
- Remove the chilled tart crust from the freezer and unwrap. Place onto a baking sheet and poke a few holes with a fork into the bottom of the chilled crust. Cover the tart loosely with foil, making sure the foil covers the edges of the crust. This will prevent the edges from browning too quickly.
- Fill the foil with pie weights or uncooked beans and blind bake the tart crust for 24 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through.
- Remove the tart crust from the oven and remove the pie weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake for 5 minutes.
- The crust should be a nice brown color. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside to begin working on the filling.
For the Coconut Lime Filling
- Reduce the oven to 365°F (roughly 185°C).
- Add 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp of fresh lime zest into a medium bowl. Rub the zest and sugar together with your fingers for about 20 seconds or so.
- Add 4 large egg yolks and a pinch of salt and whisk gently to combine. Add in 3/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk and 3/4 cup of coconut cream and stir with a spatula until combined. Lastly, add in 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice and stir until combined.
- Using long strips of foil folded in half, tent (cover) the outer edges of the tart before adding in the filling.
- Pour the filling into the slightly cooled and tented tart crust and bake for 15 minutes or until set**.
- Remove the tart from the oven, remove the foil and allow to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving! Decorate how you please and enjoy!
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