Lemon Posset Tart!
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Deliciously creamy lemon posset on top of a buttery biscuit base – a yummy no-bake dessert based on a classic… the lemon posset tart!
Lemon bakes
So we all know how much I adore anything lemon right?! My lemon meringue blondies, my no-bake lemon cheesecake, my lemon and elderflower cake… the list goes on. I genuinely have lost track of how many lemon themed bakes are on my blog, yet this beauty?! It’s one of my favourites.
I wanted to make a simple summery dessert, thats even easier to make than a cheesecake. So when I think of lemon desserts I knew I could think of something good = the lemon posset.
However, I always crave something biscuity with my Lemon Posset’s so decided to ramp up the standard recipe a tad and make it into a lemon posset tart! And do you know what this means? It’s basically just a no-bake lemon tart and who doesn’t love that idea!
Lemon Posset
I have always adored lemon posset as it’s so simple yet simple scrumptious. Who knew that combining sugar, cream and lemon could lead to something SO good?! Lemon posset is a thick set cream and it’s absolutely luxurious.
When I worked at a cafe a few years ago, they made afternoon teas every day… one of the preparations for this was to make mini individual Lemon Posset’s with a raspberry on top, and I made thousands of them. Luckily, I really didn’t mind as they are genuinely that easy to make.
Biscuit Base
I realise that this looks a lot like a Cheesecake but its not, its simpler then that and SO MUCH EASIER! Technically yes you need a hob to be able to do it, so you are ‘cooking’ something in a way, but it’s still just a five ingredient tart without the decoration.
For the base, I simply used a standard Cheesecake style base of 300g of biscuits to 150g of melted unsalted butter, and topped it with all of the Lemon Posset mixture – easy. I always use a simple biscuit such as a digestive because they are so readily available and I love the flavour of them. Press the biscuits into the base and sides of your 9″ tart tin.
You can use a shortbread base, a biscoff base, or even a ginger nut base if you want instead as they all work really well also, but you’ll want to use 100g of melted butter instead as they all require less butter.
The filling
It’s a very simple dessert to make in reality. All you do is add the cream and sugar together, heat and boil in the pan, and then add the lemon zest and juice! It really is only three ingredients (technically four if you claim lemon zest/juice is two.)
I find that possets in general are a very easy dessert – the ratio of 200ml of cream to 1 lemons worth of zest is what works best, and it’s delicious! However, that isn’t enough for this tart, so 600ml double cream is needed.
I use a heavy based saucepan and add the cream and sugar and melt them together on a low heat. You need to stir the mixture to make sure that the sugar doesn’t catch, and you need to make the sugar dissolve. Once the sugar has dissolved, you turn up the heat and boil for 1 minute before mixing in the lemon.
Decoration
The setting part is a little weird, as the mixture (because of what you do to it) sorta ends up jelly like, but it’s thicker, and completely natural. It genuinely its just a set lemon cream, and that’s the charm of it. The top of the tart naturally colours quite yellow as well, which helps with the lemon theme.
For the decoration, I go simple. It’s completely and utterly optional (as always!), but whipped swirls of cream, a sprinkle of a crushed biscuit, and some freeze dried raspberries. Simple, yet elegant. I whip my own cream using double cream and icing sugar, as pre-whipped UHT cream will just melt.
Tips & Tricks
You can obviously just make this in to individual Posset’s leaving out the biscuit base, or even serve them individually! If I do that, I usually make 8-10 portions of of this mixture! Or if you go mini, use shot glasses!
- This recipe will last for 3 days, in the fridge
- You can freeze this recipe for 3+ months
- Other citrus such as lime will also work.
- I use this tart tin in the recipe
- I use these freeze dried raspberries for the decoration
- I use this piping tip for the decoration
Lemon Posset Tart!
Ingredients
Biscuit Crust
- 300 g digestives
- 150 g unsalted butter (melted)
Lemon Posset Filling
- 600 ml double cream
- 200 g caster sugar
- Zest of 3 lemons
- 75 ml lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Decoration
- 150 ml double cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- freeze dried raspberries
- biscuit crumbs
Instructions
- Blitz the biscuits in a food processor and add the melted butter and mix together until combined
- Alternatively, bash the biscuits to a fine crumb in a bowl and mix in the melted butter
- Push the biscuits base into the bottom and sides of a loose bottomed 9" tart tin. I usually start on the sides, and then cover the bottom last.
- Pour the double cream and caster sugar into a large pan and heat on the hob gently, stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Turn the heat up (medium heat max!) and heat the mixture until it starts to boil gently, stir frequently to stop the mixture from catching on the bottom – let it boil for 1 minute and then turn off the heat.
- Stir in the lemon zest and juice and pour onto the biscuit base – refrigerate for 4+ hours, or preferably overnight so it has time to set properly.
- Once set, decorate how you please – I mix 150ml double cream with 2 tbsps icing sugar and pipe on, and then use some freeze dried raspberries, and some biscuit crumbs.
Notes
- You can obviously just make this in to individual Posset's leaving out the biscuit base, or even serve them individually! If I do that, I usually make 8-10 portions of of this mixture! Or if you go mini, use shot glasses!
- This recipe will last for 3 days, in the fridge
- You can freeze this recipe for 3+ months
- Other citrus such as lime will also work.
- I use this tart tin in the recipe
- I use these freeze dried raspberries for the decoration
- I use this piping tip for the decoration
ENJOY!
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J x
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Hi Jane i am a 65 year old man who loves cooking but have never baked a thing in my life, this lemon posset is the first sweet ive ever made & it went down a treat with with my family so im about to make an orange one with a chocolate digestive base wish me luck !
That’s amazing! Enjoy it, I love orange possets as well!!
HI,
Just found this site, and it’s a blessing. Curious question..where I am, there is no double cream. We get single cream in boxes. Would sweetened condense milk work?
Hiya – I’m really sorry but I don’t know – the idea is that the cream and sugar boils together and sets, so I’m not sure if condensed milk would work or not as its not just dairy if that makes sense? You could try the single cream but it might not set as well? x
I love this lemon posset so much it’s delicious your so clever Jane.
Thank you!
what size springform tin do you use for your lemon posset tart and how many people does it serve?
I use an 8″ one as mentioned in the method of the post. It also states how many it serves above the recipe.
Hi Jane.. i made this for my mother in law for boxing day and it was wonderful! I used some lemons i got brought ober from cyprus… the taste was out of this world! I want to make it for my sister on nye but shr doesn’t like biscuot bases. Can I do these in glasses/pots? How many do you think the posset mix would make?
Off the top of my head I can’t really remember how many, but it depends how big your glasses and such are as well. I’d say about 6-8 decently sized ones?
Would this be OK in a 23cm tin?
Yes, it will just be a lot thinner though! x
MacMillan Coffee Morning coming up – this and your FABULOUS lemon cheesecake meringue are my offerings!! Thanks Jane. Incidentally, it’s nice to see posts other than those from the US – the recipes are nice enough but the whole cup and stick thing throws me!!! ?
Ohh thank you Susie! I hope you love this and the cheesecake! ☺️ Yeah I’m really not a fan of cup measurements as I find them so unreliable and it’s just confusing haha!
Oh my! This was delicious!! And so easy – couldn’t believe that cream, sugar and lemon would set so well.
It’s insane isn’t it how it works so well! Easier than cheesecake almost ?
i love lemon posset. i usually serve mine with almond shortbread.
Yeah I love serving it with shortbread! I just wanted to try something different 🙂
Really great idea. Well done!
Ahh, I love lemon posset! this is a great idea… yum!
Awwh thank you!! ?
Reblogged this on PostDot.
Love Lemon Posset, and this is a beautiful tart.
Thank you! And me too, i love anything lemony haha 🙂
Lovely!
Thankyouuuu!
We have a neigbourhood party next week and since I had no idea what I should contribute to it I told the organizer that she should call me as soon she knows what everyone else is bringing and tell me if I should rather bring a salad, a cake or another dessert. Well, I think I have to call her right now and tell her that I’m bringing a cake 🙂
Awwwh haha yay!! If you do make it I hope everyone loves it 🙂 x
This looks amazing! I love lemon desserts.
Thank you!! 🙂
And me too!