This recipe is sponsored by Vermont Creamery, but as always all opinions are my own.
Got some fresh strawberries to use up? Well, you are at the right place my friend! Because today we are splurging on a delicious mascarpone strawberry tart that is easy to make and oh-so-delicious.
Why Should You Make This Recipe:
If you have never tried your hand in making mascarpone filling for a tart, this is a great recipe to start. But that is not the only reason why I think this strawberry tart recipe is awesome. Here are a few other reasons why you will love this recipe:
- The gluten free almond flour crust and the maple sweetened mascarpone filling are mildly sweet perfectly complimenting the naturally sweet strawberries
- It is visually impressive making it a perfect brunch dish for our favorite spring holidays like Easter and Mother’s day
- Ready in about 30 minutes but it is best if you let it cool in the fridge for a few hours
- While it has three different components all of them can be made in advance
- Gluten free and paleo friendly
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions:
This easy strawberry mascarpone tart recipe has three sets of ingredients for each component; Almond Flour Crust, Mascarpone Filling, and Strawberry Topping. Below are a few helpful notes to help you with ingredients:
- Almond flour vs. Almond Meal: You can use almond flour and almond meal interchangeably in this recipe. If you can’t find almond flour at the market, feel free to read my post on how to make almond flour at home.
- Maple syrup: You can substitute maple syrup with agave nectar or honey in this recipe
- Cold ingredients for best results: Mascarpone cheese is prone to curdling so it is imperative that all you mascarpone filling ingredients are cold.
- Seasonal fresh fruit: I used fresh sliced strawberries and blackberries but any of your favorite fruit that you find in your local farmers market would work here.
Preparations To Make The Tart:
While it might seem like this strawberry and mascarpone dessert has too many steps, with just a bit of prep you can make with just 30 minutes of hands on time. The recipe has 3 components:
- Gluten-Free Almond Flour Crust
- Mascarpone Whipped Cream Filling
- Strawberry Topping
Now, let’s talk about each of them in detail.
Gluten-Free Almond Flour Tart Crust
If you have been following me for a while, you know that I am a big fan of almond flour recipes.
In the past, I used to make this tart with all purpose flour. However, I have been experimenting with almond flour tart crust for some time now and I finally found a good recipe that is “foolproof”. So I thought why not change things up and make the tart dough with almond flour instead.
To make it:
- Prep the tart pan: Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Grease a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with coconut oil using a pastry brush. Be sure to cover all the corners and crevasses of the pan.
- Process: Place almond flour (or almond meal) and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process for 5 seconds or until combined. Add in the 2 tablespoons coconut oil, maple syrup, and egg into the almond flour mixture and process until the mixture forms a ball.
- Shape: Transfer the mixture into the tart pan. Using your fingers, press and push dough into the pan evenly making sure to stretch it towards the edges of the pie tin. Be sure to watch the how-to video in the recipe card to see how I do it.
- Bake & cool: Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until it turns golden brown. Set aside to cool completely to room temperature before filling.
Pro Tip: Almond flour crust is different than tart crust made with all purpose flour. It doesn’t expand or rise so you won’t need to cover it or fill it with pie weights.
Mascarpone Whipped Cream Filling
Have you ever made Mascarpone Whipped Cream Filling? If not, this recipe is a good one to start. In my opinion, creamy mascarpone cheese whipped with heavy cream, maple syrup and vanilla extract is truly an indulgence. It is a creamy and soft filling that literally melts in your mouth. To make it, simply:
- Mix heavy cream, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a mixing cup.
- Place mascarpone in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn the mixer on in medium-low speed and slowly pour in the heavy cream mixture. Whisk until it is light and fluffy. To test, remove the whisk attachment and turn it upside down. If it is able to hold up, it is good to go.
Alternatively, you can place the mascarpone cheese in a large bowl and use a hand mixer with whisk attachment. Simply start whisking it in medium speed and pour in the heavy cream mixture until it is thickened. - Gently fold in the zest of a lime (lemon zest would also work) using a spatula making sure to not break the mascarpone mixture. Keep it in the fridge as you are prepping the fruit mixture.
When it comes to mascarpone cheese, I always look for Vermont Creamery’s Mascarpone Cheese as I think it is currently the creamiest mascarpone cheese that is sold in supermarkets. Having visited their farm and production facility during their yearly Vermont Cheese Camp back in 2016, I know first hand that every one of their products are the highest quality you can get your hands on.
If you have some extra mascarpone cheese on hand and looking for things to make with mascarpone, be sure to try my Mascarpone Filled Dates and Poached Pears with Mascarpone recipes.
The Strawberry Topping:
To make the strawberry topping:
- Slice strawberries (or your choice of fresh fruit) in small pieces and place them in a medium bowl.
- Drizzle with maple syrup and add in chopped fresh mint. Give it a toss.
How To Assemble and Serve:
To assemble:
- Remove the now-cooled crust from the tart tin and place on a large plate or cake stand.
- Spread the creamy mascarpone filling evenly in the tart crust smoothing out towards the edges with a spatula.
- Place the tart in the fridge for 1 hour up to 4 hours.
- Garnish it with strawberry mixture and blackberries. Slice and Serve.
Make Ahead & Storage Instructions:
Make Ahead:
- Tart Crust: You can make the tart dough up to 2 days in advance. Simply cover the dough with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use it. When ready, follow the instructions in the recipe to bake the crust.
- Mascarpone filling: You can make the mascarpone filling a day in advance, cover it with stretch film, and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use.
To Store:
Place the tart into an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It should be fresh up to 2 days.
Helpful Tips:
- The ratio of mascarpone to heavy cream: As you will see in the recipe below, the ratio for mascarpone cheese to heavy cream is 1 to 2. The recipe below makes just enough filling to fill the tart crust, but if you want to make more and use it in other recipes feel free to use this ratio to make more.
- Add more maple syrup if you want it sweeter: I prefer my Strawberry Mascarpone Tart to get its sweetness from strawberries so I added just a little bit of maple syrup into the filling, but if you like it sweeter you are more than welcome to add more.
FAQs:
Yes, it is. Since it is made by mixing heavy cream with lemon juice (or other acidic ingredients like vinegar or citric acid), it does not have any wheat or gluten in it. As a result, mascarpone cheese is gluten-free.
Yes, you can. This Sweet Shortcrust Pastry recipe is my go-to recipe whenever I need a foolproof pie crust.
Got More Strawberries?
There you have it friends, a delicious paleo-friendly and gluten-free fruit tart made with an almond flour crust. If you have some leftover strawberries that you need to use, below are a few other delicious strawberry recipes from the archives:
- Strawberry Basil Limeade
- Strawberry Banana Yogurt Smoothie
- Almond Flour Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Topping
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Strawberry Coconut Milk Popsicles
Strawberry Mascarpone Tart
Ingredients
For the Almond Flour Tart Crust:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons almond flour (or almond meal), 8.40 ounces
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 large egg
For the Mascarpone Whipped Cream:
- 8 oz. Heavy Cream, cold
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 oz. Mascarpone cheese, cold
- Zest of a lime
For the Strawberry Topping:
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled cut into small chunks
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, (optional)
- 4-5 leaves of fresh mint, sliced thinly
- Handful of blackberries, optional
Instructions
- To make the almond flour tart crust: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9-inch tart pan (preferably with a removable bottom) with coconut oil. Set aside.
- Place almond flour (or meal) and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process for 5 seconds or until combined.
- Add in the 2 tablespoons coconut oil, maple syrup, and egg and process until the mixture forms a ball.
- Transfer the mixture into the tart pan. Using your fingers, press the dough into the pan evenly. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Set aside to cool completely.
- To make the Mascarpone Whipped Cream: Mix together heavy cream, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a cup.
- Place mascarpone in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn the mixer on in medium-low speed and slowly pour in the heavy cream mixture. Whisk until it is light and fluffy. To test, remove the whisk attachment and turn it upside down. If it is able to hold up, it is good to go.
- Gently fold in the zest of a lime. Keep it in the fridge as you are prepping the fruit mixture.
- To make the Strawberry Topping: Place them in a bowl, drizzle with maple syrup and add in the mint. Give it a stir.
- To assemble the Strawberry Mascarpone Tart: Gently remove the tart crust from the tart pan onto a plate or cake stand.
- Spread the Mascarpone whipped cream evenly in the tart crust smoothing out towards the edges with a spatula. Place the tart in the fridge for 1 hour up to 4 hours.
- Garnish it with strawberry mixture and blackberries. Slice and Serve.
Video
Notes
- Mascarpone filling ingredients: It is imperative that the ingredients for the mascarpone filling, particularly mascarpone cheese and heavy cream are cold. Otherwise, the filling might curdle.
- To make ahead: You can make the tart dough up to 2 days in advance. Simply cover the dough with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use it. When ready, follow the instructions in the recipe to bake the crust. You can make the mascarpone filling a day in advance, cover it with stretch film, and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use.
- To Store: Place the tart into an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It should be fresh up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The almond flour crust portion of this recipe is adapted from the cookbook Sweet Laurel (affiliate link).
This Strawberry Mascarpone tart recipe was originally published on May 2018. It has been updated with additional helpful information and with no changes to the originally published recipe on May 2021.
This was so good! I love everything about this tart!
That is so good! I love everything about this tart!
The almond flour in the crust was just perfect!
YAY! Music to my ears. Thanks for your feedback Melissa.
I was so excited to make this tart and it did not disappoint! Every component was delicious plus it is just gorgeous!
Awww this is music to my ears. So happy to hear that you liked it Liz. Thank you!
Can one use other oil instead of coconut oil?
Will try this recipe tonight
Sure you can. I think I have made it with avocado oil once. Though I think any oil should work. Hope you’ll like it. ๐
Love the simplicity of this. The pictures are beautiful and the video illustrates how easy it is to make. (How many cameras did you use to make this video?) Wonderful recipe and beautiful work, as usual.
Hi Shelly,
Thanks for your kind words.
I use 3 cameras to shoot my videos. It is a lot of work, but so worth it.
I hope you will try this cake someday.
Cheers my friend.
Crust turned out great and flavor of marscapone whipped cream was great, but I couldnโt get it to thicken. I made sure everything was cold. Itโs unfortunately inedible since it didnโt set. Any suggestions?
Himmmm. I am sorry to hear that.
Here are a couple of questions:
– Did you use the ratio of 8 oz. of heavy cream to 4 oz. of mascarpone?
– Did you make sure that both the heavy cream and mascarpone were cold?
– Did you start with the mascarpone and then pour in the heavy cream into the bowl as it was whisking?
– Did you whisk it by hand or using a mixer?
If you could provide me with more information I will do my best to pinpoint the issue. When working with mascarpone it is very important that the temperature of heavy cream and mascarpone are cold and at the same (at least similar) temperature. If they are not then you may have the issue of not thickening or even curdling.
This is what I can think of so far, but as I said if you could provide me with more information I will do my best to help.
Thanks.
I love Mascarpone and use it a lot even mixing half and half with Greek Yogurt to make it healthier but still yummy. However, Mascarpone is a bit fussy in that it doesn’t hold well when warmed or it’s overbeaten. And, in that case, no amount of refrigerating seems to thicken it again. So in general I say keep it slightly chilled and don’t overbeat it. But sometimes it happens especially living in a country where we have very hot summers. I find that adding Gelatin (or xanthan gum for vegans) stabilizes the whipped cream and keeps it from deflating after beating.
Oh, this is my very favorite type of dessert! It looks delicious! xo
This looks so light and delicious. Such pretty pictures my dear!!
xx
Thank you Asha.
This means so much coming from a talented photographer like you. โค๏ธ
I made this cake this weekend and it was amazing. Thank you for yet another great recipe.
Thanks for letting me know Samantha. So glad you liked it.
This looks both delicious and gorgeous – and perfect for baking on these hot summery days where you don’t feel like baking anything heavy! I think I will see if our blackberry bushes are making any berries yet worth picking and give this one a try!
Thank you Kristin. I agree with you, this is an easy recipe when you want something easy and simple.
Blackberries sound great!
Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!