Easy Easter egg custard tarts with a creamy vanilla filling, decorated as cute chick tarts. A fun Easter bake kids and adults will love!
Egg Custard Tarts
Egg custard tarts are incredibly easy to make, and while shop-bought versions are always tasty, there’s something extra special about baking them from scratch. Homemade egg custard tarts have a fresher flavour, a creamier texture, and that comforting, just-baked feel that you simply can’t beat.
These ones take things up a notch by being subtly flavoured with banana, adding a gentle sweetness that pairs perfectly with the classic custard filling. They’re also decorated as adorable little chickens, making them a fun and creative Easter baking idea. Perfect for kids and adults alike, these cute custard tarts are guaranteed to be a hit at Easter parties, family gatherings, or as a festive homemade treat.
Making your own shortcrust pastry is surprisingly simple and gives you beautifully crisp, buttery pastry every time. However, if you’re short on time, shop-bought ready-made shortcrust pastry works just as well, making this an easy and flexible recipe for busy bakers. Whether you’re new to baking or looking for a unique Easter dessert, these banana-flavoured egg custard tarts are a delicious, fun, and seasonal bake worth trying.
Ingredients
Pastry
- Plain Flour– Forms the structure of the shortcrust pastry, giving the tart cases their crisp and crumbly texture.
- Cold Unsalted Butter– Cold butter creates a flaky, melt-in-the-mouth pastry. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the overall flavour.
- Caster Sugar– Adds a subtle sweetness to the pastry and helps it brown beautifully during baking.
- Egg Yolk– Binds the pastry together while adding richness and tenderness to the shortcrust.
- Cold Water– Brings the pastry dough together without warming the butter, which is essential for a light, flaky crust.
Egg Custard
- Egg Yolks (Custard Filling)– Provide richness and help thicken the custard, creating a smooth and creamy texture.
- Caster Sugar– Sweetens the custard and balances the banana flavour without overpowering it.
- Semi-Skimmed Milk– Forms the base of the custard, giving it a light yet creamy consistency.
- Vanilla
Decoration
- White Chocolate (Coloured Orange)– Used for decorating the tarts, adding sweetness and helping create cute Easter chick details.
- Edible Eyes– Bring the Easter chick decorations to life, making the tarts fun and visually appealing for kids and adults.
I highly recommend using melted white chocolate coloured orange to decorate your Easter chick custard tarts, as it works perfectly for both the beaks and the feather details. While I did test using orange Smarties for the beaks, I found that the colour can bleed into the custard over time, which takes away from the clean, cute chicken design. Melted and coloured white chocolate doesn’t bleed, so it keeps your chick decorations neat and vibrant.
For best results, melt the white chocolate gently, add orange food colouring, then allow it to cool slightly until it thickens. This thicker consistency gives you much better control when decorating, making it easier to pipe or shape the chick details neatly. Using coloured white chocolate is a simple but effective decorating tip that really elevates these Easter custard tarts and keeps them looking perfect for serving or sharing.
Tips & Tricks
- Use cold butter or baking spread for the pastry– Keeping the fat cold helps create a crisp, flaky shortcrust pastry, which is essential for classic English egg custard tarts.
- Decorating tip– Use melted white chocolate coloured orange for the chick beaks and feathers, as it won’t bleed into the custard like Smarties can.
- Best results– Let the coloured white chocolate cool slightly after melting so it thickens, giving you better control when decorating your Easter chick custard tarts.
- Bring eggs to room temperature– Room-temperature eggs blend more smoothly into the custard, helping to create a creamy, evenly baked filling.
- Whole milk gives the creamiest custard– Whole milk produces a richer, silkier egg custard, but I used semi-skimmed milk for a healthier version or you can use a mix of both.
- No blind baking needed– These egg custard tarts bake perfectly without blind baking the pastry, making the recipe quicker and easier.
- Shop-bought pastry is fine if short on time– Ready-made shortcrust pastry works well and makes this an easy egg custard tart recipe for busy bakers.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy egg custard tart recipe– Simple steps and no blind baking make these homemade custard tarts perfect for beginners and experienced bakers alike.
- Fun Easter baking idea– Decorated as cute little chicks, these egg custard tarts are ideal for Easter parties, family gatherings, and baking with kids.
- Homemade tastes better– Freshly baked shortcrust pastry and creamy custard create a richer flavour than shop-bought egg custard tarts.
- Customisable and flexible– Make your own shortcrust pastry or use ready-made pastry if you’re short on time.
- Kid and adult approved– The cute design and creamy custard filling make these tarts a hit with all ages.
- Perfect for seasonal baking– These custard egg tarts are an ideal Easter dessert or springtime bake.
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These homemade egg custard tarts are a perfect balance of classic and creative, combining traditional shortcrust pastry with a creamy, vanilla flavoured custard filling. While shop-bought custard tarts are convenient, making them from scratch delivers unbeatable flavour, texture, and that satisfying homemade touch.
With their cute Easter chick decoration, these custard egg tarts are ideal for Easter baking, family gatherings, or baking with kids. They’re simple to make, easy to customise, and guaranteed to impress both children and adults alike.
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Egg Custard Tarts
Ingredients
Pastry
- 175g Plain Flour
- 85g Cold Unsalted Butter (Cubed).
- 1 Tbsp Caster Sugar
- 1 Medium Egg Yolk
- 2 Tbsp Cold Water
Custard Filling
- 4 Egg Yolks (50g Each).
- 30g Caster Sugar
- 250ml Whole Milk
- 1 Tsp Vanilla
Decoration
- 50g White Chocolate (Coloured Orange).
- 50g White Chocolate (Coloured Yellow).
- 18 Edible Eyes
Instructions
- Rub the flour, sugar, and butter together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix the egg yolk with a little cold water, then add to the bowl and bring together to form a dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes. Line a tin with greaseproof paper strips, this will help you lift out your custard tarts easily.
- Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 9-12 circles and press them gently into a cupcake tin. Chill again while you prepare the custard.
- Warm the milk until just lukewarm (do not boil). In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, vanilla and sugar until pale, then gradually whisk in the warm milk. Strain the mixture into a jug.
- Carefully pour the custard into the pastry cases. Preheat your oven to Gas mark 6/180C Fan/200C/400F and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to Gas mark 4/160C Fan/180C/350F and bake for a further 10 minutes, until the custard is just set, lightly golden, and slightly puffed.
- Leave the tarts to cool in the tin for 1 hour. Use the greaseproof paper strips to carefully lift them out.
- Decorate with orange-coloured melted white chocolate and edible eyes to create chick designs ( I recommend using white chocolate to attach the eyes, instead of pressing the edible eyes in as it will make your custard crack). Store in the fridge and consume within 2 days.