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 – any tips for easy removal of the tart from the pan without he sides crumbling? Thank you!
Hiya! Always make sure you are using a loose bottomed tin – this will make things so much easier! x
Made this for Christmas dessert and then shared with my in laws (the little bit that was left!). Every single person loved loved LOVED this. Creamy and tangy and super simple to make.
I used biscotti biscuits (reduced the butter to 100g) and then spread my homemade raspberry coulis thinly on it before pouring over the lemon mix. Absolutely devine
I made this yesterday and it tastes absolutely amazing! Is it suitable for freezing please? ☺️
Thank you so muuuch! Yes absolutely – you can freeze this for up to 3 months! Hope this helps! x
I absolutely love this recipe so I have decided to make it for dessert on Christmas this year however would I be able to make it now and freeze it until then?
will this work with another citrus such as orange?
Hiya! Yes it should! Enjoy, hope this helps x
This is one of my favourite desserts to make. Can I freeze this?
Love this recipe!
I’m usually a disaster when it comes to baking – something ALWAYS goes wrong and my kitchen does be upside down. But this recipe was so easy to follow, didn’t make a mess and turned out perfect!
Loved this recipe – such an easy one to follow and worked really well. Great detail in recipe- thanks for making it so clear. Highly recommend trying this! It went down very well at a summer BBQ lunch.
Do you need to set the base in the fridge for a while (like you do with cheesecakes) before adding the filling?
Hello, I don’t bother!xx
Would this work with dairy free cream?
I haven’t tried it myself!
So I made a slight error with my online shop and ordered 30 packets of biscoff biscuits instead of 3 so I am currently making all things biscoff (your blog is helping massively!) I was hoping to make this lemon tart and swap the digestives for the biscoff biscuits- would this work??? Would I still use 300g of biscuits/150g butter?? Thank you
Hello! Oh what a palaver! I would use 100g of butter but otherwise yes it will be delicious. Good luck with it!xx
Hi, I made this and it was a hit. Thanks. Do you think it would work by using chocolate digestives for the base?
Ah yay! It would, but you need to use about 1/3 less butter!
Hi Jane,
Just a quick question. Would using extra thick double cream help it to set, or is standard double cream preferable?
And also, would spreading a little lemon curd over the base before pouring the posset affect the setting?
Making for Christmas day!
Standard double cream is preferable because of the method – it’s the boiling etc that does it! And the lemon curd would be lovely x
Lovely recipe. Made it following your instructions. Measurements might have been less and more. But it was a complete hit with the family. Thanks for the recipe. Will definitely make it again but with different combinations. Might try an Oreo base next time.
After discovering your website a couple of months ago and this is the fourth thing I tried, its as perfect as the first three!
I actually prefer this to a lemon cheesecake, rich but zingy.
I might try it with Lime.
Thank you