This Matcha Tart recipe has a matcha pistachio tart crust that is filled with orange curd and white chocolate ganache and dusted with a matcha powder stenciled design. This matcha dessert recipe is perfect for any time of the year, but is especially festive as a green dessert for St. Patrick’s Day.
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The inspiration for the stencil design of this tart is from @lanibakes on Instagram, whose colorful designs inspire me constantly. I saw this design over a year ago and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. With St. Patrick’s Day approaching and a lack of tarts on my feed, I knew it was time. I went hunting for stencils at Michaels and found a pack of 12 with some interesting designs.
I adapted the orange curd recipe from my Lucky New Year Fruit Tarts, and subbed in granulated sugar for honey. The white chocolate ganache is adapted from another New Year’s tart, oddly enough, my White Chocolate Chai Tart.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- The look is impressive but is made easy by a stencil.
- The citrus and matcha work beautifully together.
- The green motif is a festive dessert idea for St. Patrick’s Day.
Ingredients
- White chocolate is the base of the ganache layer.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the orange curd.
- Powdered sugar sweetens the tart crust.
- Eggs bind the crust and curd.
- Roasted pistachios add texture and salt to the crust.
- All-purpose flour is the base of the matcha crust.
- Kosher salt balances the overall flavor profile.
- Matcha provides flavor to the crust and the top of the tart.
- Heavy cream adds richness to the ganache.
- Unsalted butter is the fat that binds the crust.
- Lemon and orange lend their zest and juice to the curd.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize this tart to your liking:
- Matcha — in lieu of straight matcha for the design (which can be a bit strong for folks that aren’t as keen on the flavor) mix some with powdered sugar before dusting the top.
- No pistachios — swap pistachios for almond flour.
- No orange — swap for additional lemon juice and zest.
- No white chocolate — swap for milk or dark chocolate.
- Different filling — instead of orange curd, swap for another fruit curd, jam or pistachio paste.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to assemble the matcha tart
Step 1: Make the tart crust dough according to recipe instructions. Roll the dough out and carefully transfer to the tart tin. Trim the edges and prick the bottom. Freeze for 1 hour. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake at 325°F for 20 minutes, then carefully remove the parchment and weights. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the surface looks dry and crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool. When cool, brush the bottom and sides with melted white chocolate.
Step 2: Prepare the curd according to recipe instructions. Pour into the baked, cooled and lined crust. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and refrigerate 2 hours, or until completely chilled.
Step 3: Prepare the white chocolate ganache according to recipe instructions. Pour the ganache into the cooled tart crust and smooth with an offset spatula, as necessary. Let cool completely to room temperature before placing in the fridge to chill completely to set, about 2 hours.
Step 4: Place a store-bought or homemade stencil over the tart. Place 1 tablespoon of matcha powder in a fine mesh sieve and dust over the stencil onto the tart. Remove the stencil and enjoy. Serve chilled.
Hot tips
- Scrunch up the parchment before smoothing it flat to place in the tart. This will help it sit better in the bottom and ridges.
- If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or food processor. Work quickly as the ganache will thicken as it cools.
- Keep your tart dough chilled for easier handling. Take the extra few minutes to pop it into the freezer between steps, if needed.
- In lieu of straight matcha for the design (which can be a bit strong for folks that aren’t as keen on the flavor) mix with powdered sugar before dusting the top.
Recipe FAQs
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months wrapped tightly in plastic inside an airtight container.
Yes, I found even the matcha design will keep well in the refrigerator, so you could make this a day ahead of time. But if you are worried, you could wait to garnish just before serving.
You can use leftover egg whites to make Meringue Kisses or macarons.
More recipes you’ll love
Lastly, if you make this Matcha Tart recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Matcha Tart
Equipment
Ingredients
Matcha pistachio tart crust
- ¾ cups powdered sugar (90g)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (230g)
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder (6g) plus more for garnish
- ⅓ cup roasted and salted pistachios ground to a fine meal (42g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113g) chilled, cut in ¼ inch cubes
- 1 large egg (50g)
- 2 tablespoon water chilled
- 2 tablespoon white chocolate melted, optional
Orange curd
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature (56g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 whole eggs
- ⅓ cup orange juice freshly squeezed
- ⅓ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 teaspoon orange zest finely grated
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
White chocolate ganache
- 6 oz white chocolate (170g)
- ¼ cup heavy cream (60g)
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (28g)
- Pinch salt
- Few drops white food coloring optional
Instructions
Do ahead
- The crust can be made one day ahead of time and either stored in a ball wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator or rolled out and trimmed in the tart pan and stored in the freezer until ready to bake.
Make the crust
- In a large bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, flour, matcha powder and ground pistachios.
- Add the chilled butter and toss with your hands to coat it in the mixture. Rub the mixture between your fingers to incorporate the butter. Keep going until the mixture is sandy and no big chunks of butter remain. Alternatively, use a pastry cutter.
- Add the egg and mix just until combined. If the dough is too crumbly and won’t come together when grabbed, start adding the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix just until combined and the dough clumps and stays in a clump when grabbed.
- Roll the dough between two sheets of plastic, parchment or silicone baking mats until ⅛-inch thick. If you do not have these, use flour, but sparingly.
- Carefully transfer the dough to the tart tin. If the dough is too warm and difficult to work with, pop it into the freezer for 10 minutes. Press the dough into the pan and trim the excess off the edges. You will have some leftover dough and can save it to bake off as linzer cookies.
- Prick the bottom of the tart crust all over with a fork and transfer it to the freezer to freeze solid for at least 1 hour before baking.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F. Remove the tart from the freezer and line with parchment paper* and ceramic pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully remove the parchment and weights. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the surface looks dry and crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Optional: Melt 2 tablespoons of white chocolate in the microwave in short spurts of 15 seconds. Use a pastry brush to brush the chocolate onto the inside of the cooled tart crust to line it. This will prevent a soggy bottom from the moisture of the curd.
Make the curd
- In a heatproof bowl, beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar together with beaters or a stiff spatula.
- Beat in the egg yolks and whole eggs. Add the orange juice and lemon juice, followed by the orange zest and lemon zest.
- Place the bowl over a bain-marie (a saucepan with one inch of water in the bottom that does not touch the bowl when the bowl is placed on top). Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and reaches 165°F on an instant read thermometer.
- Remove from heat and pour into the prepared cooled and white chocolate-lined crust. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and refrigerate 2 hours, or until completely chilled.
Make the white chocolate ganache
- In a heatproof bowl, combine the white chocolate, heavy cream, butter and pinch of salt.
- Set this bowl over a bain-marie (a saucepan with one inch of water in the bottom that does not touch the bowl when the bowl is placed on top). Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until all of the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Optional, but strongly encouraged: Transfer to a cup or smaller container and blend with an immersion blender until lightened in color and emulsified. Be sure to keep the blender submerged the entire time as to not introduce air bubbles into the ganache. Completely optional: Add a bit of white food coloring to lighten the color.
- Pour the ganache into the cooled tart crust and smooth with an offset spatula, as necessary. Let cool completely to room temperature before placing in the fridge to chill completely to set, about 2 hours.
Garnish
- Place a store bought or homemade stencil over the tart. Place matcha powder** in a fine mesh sieve and dust over the stencil onto the tart. Remove the stencil and enjoy. Serve chilled.
