This Cranberry Jelly Tart has cranberry orange curd in a vanilla shortbread crust topped with cranberry juice jellies and whipped cream. It is a festive red and white tart that is perfect for the holiday season!
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The cranberry curd recipe for this holiday tart is adapted from NYT Cooking. I always have to add vanilla and salt where there isn’t any, so those are the two upgrades I made.
This tart was inspired by the first recipe on my site, Lucky New Year Fruit Tarts! As we approached the end of the year I was thinking about what I was doing last year and remembered the white grape juice jellies I made for that bake. I thought cranberry juice would make such pretty jellies, thus this tart was born.
I always love a fruit tart, like my Rainbow Fruit Tart. So if you’re in the mood for something a bit simpler give that one a go.
Ingredients
Cranberry is the star of this tart, but orange lends it juice and zest to make the overall flavor more interesting.
- all-purpose flour
- almond flour
- powdered sugar
- cornstarch
- kosher salt
- vanilla extract
- unsalted butter
- eggs
- white chocolate
- cranberry juice (not pictured)
- unflavored gelatin (not pictured)
- orange
- cranberries
- heavy cream
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here’s how to assemble the tart:
Bake the vanilla tart case and let it cool completely.
Brush a thin layer of white chocolate in the tart to prevent a soggy bottom.
Pipe or spoon cranberry curd into the tart case. Bake for 10 minutes at 350F to set the curd. Chill completely.
Add the jellies on top and pipe whipped cream (if desired) in between jellies.
Good to know: Use a small offset spatula or butter knife to slide around the edges of the jellies to help them release from the mold easier.
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Substitutions
Here are some easy ingredient swaps if you want to make this tart dairy-free:
- Butter — use dairy-free butter
- Heavy cream — use cold, full-fat coconut milk
Variations
Here’s how to customize this tart to your liking:
- No orange — feel free to skip the orange completely or use lemon or lime instead
- Orange jellies — no cranberry juice or want to make the orange stand out more? Use orange juice in place of cranberry for the jellies
- Meringue — use meringue in place of whipped cream if you don't like whipped cream
Do you have any other variation suggestions? Let me know in the comments!
Equipment
I used these silicone molds for the jellies. I find the flexibility of silicone molds make it easier to unmold the jellies, but you can use whatever molds work for you.
I baked my tart in this round fluted tart pan, but you could also use a rectangle or pie pan.
For piping my whipped cream on top, I used a french star tip and piping bags.
Storage
Store tart in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The unbaked tart shell can be stored in the freezer for up to one month.
I do not recommend freezing the jellies at all.
Top tip
Keep your tart dough chilled for easier handling. Take the extra few minutes to pop it into the freezer in between rolling and cutting.
Lastly, if you make this Cranberry Jelly Tart be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Jelly Tart
Equipment
Ingredients
Vanilla tart dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
- ½ cup almond flour (60g)
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar (85g)
- 5 tablespoon cornstarch (50g)
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10 tablespoon butter (130g) room temperature, cut in ¼ inch cubes
- 1 large egg beaten
- 3 oz white chocolate
Cranberry jellies
- 1 cup cranberry juice
- 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
Cranberry curd filling
- 1 medium orange
- 12 oz cranberries (340g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (225g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened and cubed (113g)
- 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
Garnish
Instructions
Make ahead
- The jellies, tart dough and curd can all be made days ahead and assembled the day of.
Make the tart dough
- Whisk dry ingredients together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add butter and mix on low until a sandy texture forms. Dough should remain in a clump when grabbed.
- With the mixer running on low, add vanilla. Add half of the egg. If the dough comes together and looks like cookie dough it is ready. If it is still too dry, add the rest of the egg.
- Wrap in plastic and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate overnight or at least two hours.
Make the cranberry jellies
- Pour ½ cup cranberry juice in a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over the juice and let sit for a few minutes to bloom.
- Heat the remaining ½ cup juice to simmering. Remove from heat, let cool for one minute, then pour over the gelatin mixture. Whisk until all of the gelatin is dissolved.
- Pour into silicone molds (I used small and medium semicircle molds) and place in the refrigerator to set for at least two hours.
Bake the tart shell
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Roll out tart dough on a floured surface or between two sheets of plastic (I cut up plastic from random stuff like packing material or cereal bags and wash them) into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to the 9-inch tart pan and trim edges using a paring knife. If using plastic, you may find it easier to remove the plastic after popping it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
- Prick tart base with fork. Place a 12-inch circle of parchment on top of tart and fill with pie weights or dried beans or rice. Chill dough in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes. This dough will not take on a lot of color. Remove weights and parchment and return to the oven for a few minutes if the middle is still not done.
- Let cool completely. Melt white chocolate and brush the tart bottom. This will prevent a soggy bottom. Chill until chocolate is set.
Make the cranberry curd
- With a peeler, remove the orange part of the orange. Set aside. Slice the orange in half and squeeze the juice into a medium saucepan.
- Add the peel, cranberries, sugar, vanilla and salt. Set over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender or in a traditional blender. Sieve the mixture to remove the solids, leaving the liquid.
- To the liquid, add the butter and whisk.
- Beat the eggs and egg yolks together in a separate bowl. While whisking, slowly stream one cup of the warm cranberry liquid into the eggs to temper them. Add this mixture to the cranberry liquid.
- Cook the liquid in a saucepan over low heat until bubbling and thickened, while stirring constantly. Mine took a little over 10 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a heat proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap pressed against the curd. Cool completely.
Bake the tart
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the cooled cranberry curd to the cooled tart shell. Bake for 10 minutes to set the curd. Cool completely.
Decorate the tart
- Add the jellies to the top of the tart, flat side down. Pipe small dollops of whipped cream in between jellies, or however you’d like.
