Sunshine Lemon-Lime Tart

Sunshine Lemon-Lime Tart

This is the best time of year. As soon as Cinco de Mayo hits, the weather gets sunnier and spending time outside is nothing but a sheer pleasure. Lazy days, frosty margaritas, flip-flops…and lime-infused desserts!

I still remember my first slice of key lime pie. It was quite a special moment. My husband and I were dating and we went on vacation to Florida, and in a restaurant overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, I had my first slice. I think that moment was perfection. And I’ve been trying to recreate it ever since. This particular tart, though not a key lime pie, manages to bring back that happy feeling effortlessly.

Sunshine Lemon-Lime Tart

Initially, I meant for this to be purely a lemon tart. But then (yay for happy accidents!) I ran out of lemons, so I improvised by combining lemon and key lime juice. It worked out beautifully, adding even more dimension to the tart citrusy flavor. And talk about summery! I decided to add the word “sunshine” to the tart’s name because it really is like a burst of warm, breezy air after a long, dark winter.

Before I start complaining about the weather again, let’s focus on this tart. The graham cracker crust is made with brown sugar and melted white chocolate. I happened to have some white chocolate chips hanging out on my counter, so I took about half a cup, melted them along with the butter for the crust, and the result was a solid and much more addictive base for the tart filling.

Sunshine Lemon-Lime Tart

If I’d been really fancy, I probably would’ve zested key limes along with the lemon for the filling. But since the key lime was kind of not on purpose, the lemon worked fine. It added all the necessary tartness and brightened up the color. Yellow is my favorite color. Reminds me of everything happy! As does my microplane zester. I could go on about my zester all day, but I’ll spare you. Suffice it to say that it’s one of my favorite kitchen tools, ever.

Sunshine Lemon-Lime Tart

If you’d like to make this as a pie, go for it. I just wanted to feel a bit fancier, and the tart pans that have removable bottoms are so easy to work with. If you don’t have one, it’s a great investment.

I’m going to go grab a frosted margarita right now along with a slice of this and pretend I’m back in Florida again. A gal can dream!

 

Crust:

  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs

 

Filling:

  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup key lime juice
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)

 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a tart pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and white chocolate. Stir until smooth. Mix in the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar until the crumbs are moist. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared tart pan, being sure that you pack the crust tightly with your fingers.

Bake the crust for 5-10 minutes until set.

While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. Combine the zest, lemon juice, key lime juice, and egg yolks. Stir in the condensed milk and mix until thoroughly combined. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 15-20 minutes until set.

Allow the tart to cool completely. Refrigerate overnight. When you’re ready to serve, slice into wedges!

Mir

I fulfill many roles in life: wife, mother, teacher, everlasting learner. This site is dedicated to one role that expresses my creativity in ways that I find consistently challenging and rewarding: baker. Inventing new ways to enhance food, especially if that food involves chocolate or peanut butter (or both!), is a passion of mine. I look forward to sharing my ideas with you.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Tahnycooks

    I love all things lemon and this couldn’t be any simpler! Love it!

    1. Mir

      Thanks! I’m so with you, this time of year especially. Bring on the lemon and lime!

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