Crispy German Pudding Tart
The German pudding tart has gained immense popularity recently. It boasts a crispy yet tender texture and is richly creamy with a strong dairy aroma. Despite sounding elaborate, the preparation process is quite simple and takes around an hour, allowing you to enjoy warm pudding tarts at home. Its widespread appeal online is well-deserved. When it comes to tarts, the most familiar ones are egg tarts, such as Portuguese egg tarts and Hong Kong-style egg tarts. In Western-style desserts, however, there are many kinds of tarts besides egg tarts, including fruit tarts such as apple tart, strawberry tart, and pear tart. Tart shells generally fall into two types: sweet shortcrust pastry and puff pastry. This German pudding tart closely resembles Hong Kong-style egg tarts, both in preparation and flavor. It also uses sweet shortcrust pastry, but its filling is softer and melts in your mouth like pudding. The crispy outer crust contrasts sharply with the tender inner filling, creating a delightful texture contrast. For the ingredients, the tart shell uses basic sweet shortcrust dough, which is quite similar to cookie dough. However, the butter-to-flour ratio for tart shells is lower than that for cookies, typically around 40%. This ratio ensures the dough is moderately soft and workable, and prevents it from cracking. Whole egg liquid serves as the liquid component of the dough, enhancing the tart shell's flavor, color, and crispiness. Its recommended ratio is around 25%. The tart filling is primarily composed of egg yolks, heavy cream, and condensed milk. If the cream's proportion is set to 100%, then the egg yolk proportion can be set at 20%. This amount of egg yolk is sufficient to help the filling solidify after baking. While using whole eggs or egg whites can also solidify the filling, egg yolks contain more fat and natural pigments. The fat makes the tart smoother, and the pigments help the filling achieve a caramelized color. Egg whites, which only contain protein, make the filling firmer but less rich and smooth. For those who dislike wasting egg whites, whole-egg liquid is also an option, albeit with less pure flavor, losing the familiar KFC tart vibe. Condensed milk is responsible for sweetness and dairy aroma. This concentrated milk contains a lot of sugar (over 40%), effectively contributing to the tart's sweetness. Clever cooks might have realized that if there's no condensed milk, half of its weight can be replaced with granulated sugar. Both the tart shell and filling's preparation processes are simple. For the tart shell, simply beat the butter, mix in the egg liquid, and combine into a dough. For the filling, just mix the three ingredients directly—it's quite effortless. The mold used here is standard-sized cupcake liners, but you can substitute with other similar small molds. Metal molds conduct heat better, making the tart shells crisper, while paper cups are easier to unmold and don't require cleaning, making them more convenient. Once the filling is added to the tart shell, the shell's inner sides are harder to bake thoroughly. Therefore, avoid making the tart shell too large or using oversized molds. Set a relatively high bottom heat and enough baking time to ensure crispiness. When the filling's surface develops caramelized spots and the tart shell's outer edges are clearly browned, it indicates they're baked properly. After slight cooling, you can cut through the filling, which appears as smooth as baby skin. At the intersection where the shell meets the filling, there might be a wet layer caused by the filling absorbing into the shell and not baking completely. Unless the shell is pre-baked before adding the filling, this layer can't be avoided, but fortunately, it doesn't significantly affect the overall taste. Serve while hot to experience its crispy exterior and tender interior. Once fully cooled, the shell may soften slightly; re-baking restores its original texture—so make sure not to skip this step!
Ingredients
Steps
[Environment] Room temperature 28°C [Duration] About 80 minutes [Mold] Diameter 7cm and height 4cm rolled-edge paper cups [Yield] 6 cups, suitable for 3-6 people [Baking] Middle-lower oven rack, 180°C upper and lower heat, 30 minutes [Storage] Store sealed in the fridge for up to 3 days
Prepare the tart shell. Cut the butter into small pieces and let it soften at room temperature. If the room temperature is too low, place it in a warm environment or microwave for a short period.
Heat the whole egg liquid over warm water until it reaches about 30°C. This prevents oil-water separation when mixing with butter.
When butter softens enough to be easily indented by your finger, it's ready. At current conditions, this took 20 minutes.
Sift powdered sugar into the butter.
Press with a spatula to avoid powder splashing, then beat with a handheld electric mixer on low speed until the butter turns pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Gradually add the egg liquid in two portions, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Adding warmed egg liquid in portions prevents oil-water separation.
Sift low-gluten flour into the butter mixture.
First mix with a spatula in a cutting motion.
Then knead by hand until no traces of dry flour remain.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Resting allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid, making the dough easier to shape. Maintain dough temperature, as low temperature reduces its pliability.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Prepare the tart filling. Whisk egg yolks, then add heavy cream and condensed milk. If no condensed milk is available, replace with half its weight in sugar.
Mix ingredients with a manual whisk until blended.
Once the dough has rested, roll it into a log and divide into six equal portions (about 50g each). Shape each portion into a ball.
I used rolled-edge cups with a 7cm diameter and 4cm height, perfect for 50g dough. Alternatively, find similar molds.
Press your thumb in each dough ball's center to make a cavity and rotate while shaping into a bowl-like structure matching the mold's size.
Place the dough in the cup and press its edges to fit tightly against the walls while rotating.
Flatten the base to fit tightly against the cup bottom, ensuring that corners are even to avoid thick tart shells.
Pinch the dough's rim neatly using thumb and forefinger.
Once all dough has been shaped, use a sieve to strain the tart liquid for extra smoothness.
Pour strained tart liquid into the cups carefully. Cups should be filled approximately 80% full—too little affects aesthetics, too much risks spilling.
Place the cups with gaps between them onto a rack (not the baking tray) for quicker heating. Transfer to the oven's middle-lower rack.
Adjust to 180°C for both upper and lower heat. Bake for 30 minutes or modify depending on oven variations.
When done, the tart liquid will solidify with caramelized spots on top, and the tart shell edges will brown noticeably.
Remove from oven.
Cool on a wire rack, then peel off the paper cup for easy unmolding.
Enjoy while hot for the best texture—crispy outside and tender inside.
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