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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Another amazing recipe
Hi Jane, I made this today and it tasted so good!! I let it set in the fridge for 8 hours but I found when I cut myself a slice the inside was still a little runny. Is this just because it needed to set for a little longer? X
I would expect it to be set after 8 hours – It might have needed a bit longer boiling if all the ingredients were correct!! x
Apologies if these are stupid questions….
Do you think this would work if I used 75ml of blended and sieved raspberry juice instead of lemon?
Also would it be OK to submerge some whole raspberries in the posset mix before setting?
Thanks 😊
In all honesty I have absolutely no idea! I haven’t tried it personally and have only made posset with citrus – but yes to the raspberries!
Thanks for the reply. I was brave and gave it a go using 85ml of raspberry puree and it worked fabulously! 😀
I took a fork and squished fresh Raspberries onto the base and the hot posset poured over made beautiful shades of pink at the bottom after it set: it worked great!
Hi Jane,
Gradually working my way down your list of recipes and came across this one! I need to make two of these (one GF). I have the 23cm tin as suggested but have had to order a second 25cm tin as they were out of stock. Do you recommend I change the quantities for the 25cm one and if so, by how much? Thanks so much.
Hey! Yes, I would increase it – maybe by about a quarter?! xx
Tried this yesterday for my brother’s birthday. Everyone loved it. Your recipes always work their magic. Keep up the good work!
My sister lives in Brazil where they use condensed milk in a lot of recipes. She makes a lemon tart where you whisk a tin of condensed milk with 200ml double cream and then whisk in as much lemon juice as you like and it magically thickens into a posset like mixture. Pour it on top of a biscuit base and set in fridge. I was amazed how well it worked and how easy!
This is a delicious tart. I enjoyed making this. It was a doddle to make and was scoffed by everyone – in fact, some had 2 portions. Thank you.
So glad it was a success!!
I don’t have a flan tin, will a normal cake time work?
Yes it would – but you still need to put the biscuits up the side to contain the posset mix!
I’ve made this once and everyone I asked to try it LOVED it!! Making it again this week. So tart and tangy but creamy and yum. Thanks!
I got the tin on your link and it was perfect. Xx
Awh yay!! So glad it was a hit!! x
Do you cool the mixture before pouring onto the biscuit base? I have a homemade burnt butter & coconut biscuit crumb in my freezer that i need to use up and think this would be perfect with it but I’m just a bit worried the base will go soggy if the cream mixture is hot when poured onto the base?
No, you pour it on hot. As soon as it cools it’ll start to set, so you pour it on when freshly made!
This recipe sounds great but I would have thought the posset would leak over the side of the base. Does the springform cake tin hold the posset in place without leaking?
If you make the posset correctly as is stated in the recipe, it sets firm so won’t leak.
Hi! I’d like to replace the caster sugar with honey-can you tell me how many mls I would need? Also, will the posset firm up enough if I use honey? I’m just worried about the firmness & that it won’t hold its shape 😉 Many thanks!
I wouldn’t replace the sugar with honey.
Can I use 300ml clotted cream and 300ml double cream. Would that work? 🙂
I’ve never tried that with a posset before, but as long as it still boils etc then I don’t see why not! x
Hi, would this work with a pastry base?
Thanks
Yes!
We have what is equivalent to whipping cream in fat content here – do you think it would be ok to use instead? Can’t get double cream.
It’s probably worth a go?