Cranberry Tart

Talk about an easy holiday dessert! Our cranberry tart recipe comes together in a snap—no fussy tart shell needed. Instead, sugared cranberries and sliced almonds are baked in a thick batter, emerging from the oven as a gorgeous cranberry tart that’s dusted with confectioners’ sugar. It’s sweet, tangy and perfumed with a rich marzipan nuttiness that could not be more perfect for the holiday season.

Ingredients for Cranberry Tart

• Cranberries: Fresh or frozen cranberries are fine for this cranberry tart recipe. However, if you’re using frozen, allow the cranberries to thaw completely first, then drain away any excess liquid.
• Sugar: Cranberries are an extremely tart fruit, so we need 1 cup sugar to dilute the tartness. Half the sugar will coat the cranberries and almonds, and the other half will be used in the batter.
• Almonds: As an option, try toasting the nuts beforehand to bring out their naturally rich nuttiness.
• Eggs: Take two eggs out of the fridge 30 minutes before starting this cranberry tart recipe to bring them to room temperature.
• Butter: Melt the butter and let it cool slightly so the heat doesn’t accidentally cook the eggs. Please, no scrambled eggs in the cranberry tart!
• Almond extract: If you’re tempted to use vanilla extract in place of almond extract, don’t! The almond extract creates a warm, nutty and rich taste. It’s completely worth buying. Use up the rest of the bottle in these recipes with almond extract.
• All-purpose flour: Thanks to its mix of hard and soft wheat, all-purpose flour will lend the tart a strong structure while keeping a tender, moist crumb.
• Confectioners’ sugar: We like to dust confectioners’ sugar all over the top to add a little more sweetness and an easy decoration.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the cranberries, almonds and sugar

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Preheat your oven to 325°F. In a small bowl, combine the cranberries, 1/2 cup sugar and the almonds.

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Transfer the mixture to a greased 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.

Step 2: Make the batter

In a small bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the eggs, melted butter, almond extract and the remaining sugar. Beat in the all-purpose flour just until the flour is moistened. The batter will be quite thick.

Step 3: Spread the batter over the cranberries and almonds

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Pour the batter into the tart pan over the sugar, cranberries and almonds. Use a rubber spatula, the back of a spoon or a mini offset spatula to spread the batter evenly over the berries.

Step 4: Bake the cranberry tart

Bake the cranberry tart until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool the cranberry tart in the tart pan on a wire rack. Once cooled to room temperature, dust the tart with confectioners’ sugar.

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Recipe Variations

• Use your favorite fruit: Want to make this tart in the summer with in-season fruit? Omit the cranberries and use blueberries, raspberries or blackberries instead. Reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup.
• Change the nuts: Almonds are the mildest tasting of all the nuts. For a heartier, richer type of nut, toasted walnuts, pecans or, my favorite, macadamia nuts can be used in place of the almonds.
• Add orange zest: Cranberries and oranges are an iconic flavor pairing. The bright sweetness from the oranges complements the cranberry’s tartness. To create that flavor in this cranberry tart recipe, add the zest from half an orange to the batter. Zest an orange just as you’d zest a lemon, and avoid the bitter pith!

How to Store Cranberry Tart

If you have cranberry tart leftovers, let them cool completely to room temperature. Cut the tart into slices and transfer the tart slices to an airtight container. Refrigerate the tart for up to three days.

Can you freeze cranberry tart?

Yes, you can freeze this cranberry tart. Once the tart has cooled to room temperature, either wrap it tightly in a layer of storage wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil or cut the tart into slices and transfer them to an airtight container. Freeze the tart for up to two months, and thaw it overnight in the fridge before serving.

Cranberry Tart Tips

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Can I bake cranberry tart in a different pan?

Yes, you can bake this cranberry tart in a different pan. Bake the tart in a 9-inch springform pan, a 9-inch square pan or a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Shallow 9-inch pie plates will not be big enough.

How can I decorate this cranberry tart?

There are a ton of fun ways to decorate this cranberry tart. Once the tart has cooled to room temperature, plop homemade whipped cream on top and use the back of a spoon to spread it out in a swooping motion. Top with extra cranberries and some ruby red pomegranate seeds if you have them. If you added orange zest to the batter, place dried orange slices on the whipped cream.

Or, simply serve this cranberry tart with homemade vanilla ice cream or a fun fall flavor like butter pecan ice cream.