Forget time-consuming crusts and fiddly custards. This easy pear tart recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes using a blender. Quick, easy, and impressive -- it's the perfect easy tart for any day of the week.
I love French-style pear tarts but never feel like making pastry. So I usually opt for simpler desserts, like my lemon yogurt cake. But when a Spanish friend introduced me to her Spanish pear tart, I was intrigued.
It was just as pretty as any pear tart, but had no crust and was more flan-like in texture. A different dessert to be sure, but still delicious and (most importantly) SO EASY!
This recipe is perfect for anyone looking for a quick dessert -- the hardest part is cutting up the pears! I don't have many recipes that are mixed in a blender (and I'm always skeptical when I see one) -- but, honestly, this Spanish pear tart recipe is great, and you'd never know it was so simple.
Key Ingredients
Key Ingredients: Pears, eggs, milk, sugar, Greek yogurt (not pictured), flour, salt, cinnamon, apricot jam.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Pears: Okay, so you probably shouldn't substitute the pears in a pear tart, but of course if you are wondering if this would taste good with apples, the answer is yes! If making it with apples though, you need to use ¾ cups of applesauce for the filling instead of chopped apples. And if you're wondering what kind of pears work best, any sweet and juicy variety will work well.
- Cinnamon: You can substitute nutmeg, lemon zest, vanilla extract, or even a tablespoon of liquor (brandy or sherry both work well).
- Jam: I like to brush the finished tart with apricot jam to glaze, but you can use the jam of your choice or even honey.
Pear Tart: Step by Step
This pear tart is so easy, it's really only five main steps!
Step 1: Start by peeling and roughly dicing the pears for the filling.
Step 2: Put all of the ingredients into the blender (liquids first), except for the apricot jam (which is the glaze for later).
Step 3: Blend in the blender until everything is evenly mixed. Don't keep blending once it's done -- no need to over mix. Then pour the batter into a tart pan (I used a 28 cm/11 inch). Don't overfill, as the pears will make the batter rise more. If you have extra batter you can make another mini tart.
Step 4: Slice the remaining pears into thin, even slices about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Carefully lay over the tart batter, starting with the outer ring and moving inwards. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out completely clean.
When your pear tart comes out of the oven it may look dry on top. But we will soon fix this with our glaze!
Step 5: Wait 30 minutes for it to cool, and then heat 2 tablespoons of apricot jam with 1 tablespoon of water. Use a brush and spread the glaze on top of the tart. Wait for it to cool, and then take the tart out of the mold. Enjoy with a sprinkle of powdered sugar if you wish!
Recipe Tips & FAQs
This pear tart is meant to be enjoyed cold. It is like a pear flan in texture, and will taste better right out of the fridge.
Wrap the tart in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for up to three days.
Yes, make sure the tart is well wrapped in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months. To defrost leave it out on the counter until it comes to room temperature.
It depends. Some pear varieties have a thick, mealy skin. Others have a nice skin. If you would like to keep the skin on please do -- it adds a burst of color and texture to the tart!
Serving Suggestions
This pear tart recipe is perfect served with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream. It is very sweet already, so I like to make my whipped cream without any added sweetening.
And, of course, when enjoying something sweet here in Spain we always need a hot café con leche!
More Spanish Cakes
If you love this simple Spanish pear tart, don't miss a few of my other favorite cakes.
- Apple and Olive Oil Cake: The perfect combination of moist, cinnamon cake with fresh apples and extra virgin olive oil.
- Basque Cake: A typical cake in the Basque country filled with pastry cream or cherry jam.
- Spanish Cheesecake: An easy Spanish cheesecake recipe popular in the north of Spain.
- Spanish Almond Cake: The famous Tarta de Santiago cake, a Spanish almond cake worth trying!
Pear Tart Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 medium pears for the cake batter
- 2-3 medium pears to decorate the top of the cake
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk (180 ml)
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt (60 ml ) You can sub sour cream or cream cheese.
- 1 cup flour (120 g)
- ½ cup sugar (100 g)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon You can sub nutmeg (¼ tsp), or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, lemon zest, or alcohol (see notes).
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- butter to grease the tart pan
- 2 tablespoon apricot jam You can sub peach jam or similar or use honey if you prefer.
Instructions
- Peel three of the pears and cut them into rough chunks. These will be fully blended for the tart batter. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Add all of the ingredients (except for the jam) to a blender. Add the liquid ingredients first for the best results. Blend slowly until everything is fully mixed. Do not over blend.
- Grease and flour your tart mold (or molds). I used an 11-inch mold (28 cm) for this recipe. You can make mini tarts if you prefer.
- Pour the batter into the mold, making sure to leave space for the pears. The batter will barely rise when baking, but the addition of the pears will make it rise in the pan.
- Cut the other three pears in thin slices to decorate the tart. I don't do this earlier so that they don't turn brown. Carefully place them around the tart, one overlapping with the next. Start with the outer ring and move inwards.
- Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center completely clean.
- Let the tart cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes and then brush with the glaze. To make the glaze mix 2 parts of apricot jam with 1 part water, and heat until warm. Brush gently over the tart.
- Once fully cooled, take out of the tart mold and place in the fridge on your serving dish until you are ready to serve. Serve with optional powdered sugar sprinkled on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Enjoy cold -- it's best right out of the fridge.
- Store wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. Defrost by bringing to room temp on the counter.
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- Pears: You can sub apples for pears, but if making it with apples, you need to use ¾ cups of applesauce for the filling instead of chopped apples. And if you're wondering what kind of pears work best, any sweet and juicy variety will work well.
- Cinnamon: You can substitute nutmeg, lemon zest, vanilla extract, or even a tablespoon of liquor (brandy or sherry both work well).
- Jam: I like to brush the finished tart with apricot jam to glaze, but you can use the jam of your choice or even honey.
Nutrition
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Rex Hutcheson
Easy prep, good taste, pleasant appearance.
Sel Runn
Very nice, and easy...thank you! USA S.F. CA with roots in Santander the city by the great Cantrabia