Fresh Berry Shortbread Tart with Cream Cheese Filling

fresh berry shortbread tart with cream cheese filling

It’s been a really busy baking time for the past few weeks. Clients’ weddings, birthdays, friends gatherings, year-end gifts to kids’ teachers. A lot of cakes, cupcakes, pies, cookies…

Like I’ve mentioned so many times, the best gift is something edible. And I love to bake for my loved ones. It’s hearty, homey, cozy. It’s the sweetest gift! I honestly think a beautiful lattice pie is a better gift than any gift cards.

What’s even better is that we got to snack on the leftovers. Like those two extra cupcakes from a dozen, a few cookies from a batch, and I always make a few more cake pops for my kids.

fresh berry shortbread tart with cream cheese filling fresh berry shortbread tart with cream cheese filling

This tart is totally a creation with leftovers. I used half portion of that shortbread dough to make the crust, then I mixed some cream cheese frosting with whipped cream for the filling, top it with tons of fresh berries, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. That’s it! And here we have a fresh berry shortbread tart with cream cheese filling. But even you are making it from scratch, trust me, it’s just as easy!

Ingredients (one 7″x 11″ tart or two small tarts):
Shortbread Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling
1 cup whipping cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups fresh berries
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions:
To prepare crust, sift the flour and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter and powdered sugar in a bowl of a standing mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla.
Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until just incorporated.
Gather dough and form a dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to chill.
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a tart pan with a removable bottom.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Line the prepared pan with the rolled dough. Leave a tiny overhand of dough. Use a small kitchen knife to trim the excess and to score the tops of the tart.
Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edge is lightly browned.
Remove from oven and let the crust cool completely before removing from the pan.
To prepare filling, in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream until it holds firm peaks. Remove cream from bowl and keep cold in fridge.
In the same bowl, use a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until it’s soft and creamy.
Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten the mixture, then add the remaining cream and continue folding until incorporated.
Pour the cream mixture in the cooled crust. Smooth the top with a spatula.
Arrange berries on top of the pie.
Refrigerate the tart until set, about 3 hours.
Garnish with a sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving.

10 comments

  1. This was *the* perfect dessert for our summer wedding – light, delicious and so beautiful! The best part is that it’s so easy to make, we can do it often as a reminder of our special day!

  2. Could this be prepared in advance and frozen? Thinking it could be a great alternative to cupcakes at a summer wedding but wouldn’t want to be doing it the night before! :)

    1. I have never tried to freeze the whole cream pie before. You can definitely freeze the lined pie crust or even the baked one though. :)

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