This gluten-free plum tart pairs juicy seasonal plums with a silky vanilla-almond custard and a tender, buttery crust made with millet and almond flour. The plums add a bright, slightly tangy contrast to the creamy filling and a pop of color, creating an elegant dessert without added sugar. It is lightly sweetened with allulose or a monk fruit and allulose blend, a nearly calorie-free alternative to sugar, although granulated sugar can be used if preferred.
When I Find Local Plums
A casual stop at a local farm shop ended with an impulse purchase: one kilogram of locally grown, organic, hand-picked plums. Since we don’t eat large quantities of fresh fruit, I needed to find a good way to use them. Then I remembered my always-reliable gluten-free tart crust and decided to turn the plums into a French-inspired custard tart.
I’m not certain of the variety, but based on their size, dark-purple skin and green-amber flesh, they appear to be Czar plums, or possibly Opal. They were ripe but pleasantly tart rather than very sweet, which made them particularly well suited to the creamy custard filling. Any small, round purple plums will work well here; simply adjust the optional sweetener sprinkled over the fruit according to their natural sweetness.
A Versatile Gluten-Free Tart Crust
I’ve been using this reliable gluten-free tart crust for years, especially when I want to turn seasonal fruit into an elegant but uncomplicated dessert. Cherries are a favorite, but plums and blackberries work beautifully, and I suspect small apricots would be lovely too.
The crust can also be fully baked and used with fillings that don’t require additional baking. One version I’ve made is filled with chocolate avocado mousse and topped with blueberries or other seasonal berries.
You can find the separate gluten-free tart crust recipe here, with more details and photographs showing how it can be used. For easy reference, this post and the recipe card below still include the complete crust recipe.
How to Make This Gluten-Free Plum Custard Tart
The tart comes together in two main stages: preparing and prebaking the crust, then adding the plums and custard filling. The crust stage takes approximately two hours from start to finish, including chilling, freezing, baking, and cooling, but the hands-on time is minimal. The dough is simple to prepare and easy to work with.
It is very important you use a non-stick tart pan with a removable bottom (8-inch) for this recipe.
Prepare and prebake the crust
Make the tart dough, chill it, and roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper. Transfer it to the tart pan, patching any small cracks as needed, then freeze it before prebaking. Once the crust is lightly golden and set, remove it from the oven and let it cool.
Prepare the plums and custard
While the crust cools, halve and pit the plums. Sprinkle them with a small amount of granulated monk fruit and allulose sweetener and toss them.
For the custard, whisk the cream with the eggs, sweetener, tapioca starch, vanilla, almond extract, and optional rum until smooth. The mixture will be quite thin and runny at this stage, which is exactly how it should be.
Assemble and bake the tart
Arrange the plum halves evenly over the prebaked crust, then pour the custard over them. Gently lift the plums with a small knife and fork to help the custard flow underneath and fill any gaps.
Bake until the surface is golden brown and the custard is bubbling lightly but set around the edges.
Cool and refrigerate
Let the tart cool at room temperature before refrigerating it for at least one hour. Once chilled, carefully remove it from the pan, transfer it to a serving platter, and dust it with allulose before slicing.
Slice and Serve
The removable bottom will make it easy to unmold the tart. Place it on a serving platter, and cut it into six slices. I love to serve it with coffee or tea 😊 !
This post contains affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.
Print
Gluten-Free Plum Custard Tart
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free
Description
This gluten-free plum tart pairs juicy seasonal plums with a silky vanilla-almond custard and a tender, buttery crust made with millet and almond flour. The plums add a bright, slightly tangy contrast to the creamy filling and a pop of color, creating an elegant dessert without added sugar. It is lightly sweetened with allulose or a monk fruit and allulose blend, a nearly calorie-free alternative to sugar, although granulated sugar can be used if preferred.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 70 grams millet flour
- 30 grams almond flour
- 10 grams tapioca flour
- 20 grams allulose or monk fruit sweetener
- Pinch of salt
- 35 grams cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 20 grams beaten egg (less than 1 whole egg)
For the filling
- 14 small, round fresh plums, halved and pitted (28 halves)
- 1 teaspoon granulated monk fruit and allulose sweetener
- 160 grams organic whipping cream (38% fat)
- 2 small eggs
- 25 grams allulose or monk fruit sweetener
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or a little vanilla bean or vanilla powder
- 2–3 drops almond extract
- A dash of rum, optional but lovely
Instructions
Make the crust
- In a mixing bowl, combine the millet flour, almond flour, tapioca flour, sweetener, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse sand. As the dough tends to become a little sticky, you may want to use just one hand and keep the other clean.
- Add the beaten egg and mix gently until the dough comes together, being careful not to overmix. If the dough feels too soft, you may add a little more millet flour, but keep in mind that it will firm up in the refrigerator.
- Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper lightly dusted with millet flour, forming a circle approximately 9 inches (23 centimeters) in diameter—large enough to cover the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper, then use the remaining sheet to lift and invert the dough over an 8-inch (20-centimeter) tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently peel away the parchment paper and fit the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. If the dough breaks around the edges, simply patch it with your fingers, making sure the sides are covered evenly. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Prebake the crust
- While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) with a baking sheet on the middle rack. Halve and pit the plums, sprinkle them with one teaspoon of sweetener, toss, and set them aside.
- Once the crust is frozen, place the tart pan on the baking sheet and blind bake it for 12 minutes, or until it looks set and just begins to turn golden. Remove it from the oven and let it cool.
Make the filling
- Increase the oven temperature to 180°C (355°F). Leave the sheet pan in the oven.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the whipping cream, eggs, fine sweetener, tapioca starch, vanilla, almond extract, and optional rum until smooth. You can use an electric mixer on low speed, but avoid overmixing. The custard will be quite thin and runny; this is how it should be.
Assemble and bake
- If the plums are not very sweet, sprinkle them with 1 teaspoon of granulated monk fruit and allulose sweetener and toss them.
- Arrange the plum halves evenly, cut-side down, over the cooled crust.
- Pour the custard filling evenly over the plums. Using a small knife and fork, gently lift the plum halves to help the custard flow underneath and fill any gaps. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the custard is bubbling lightly but set around the edges.
- Let the tart cool at room temperature, then refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before serving. Carefully remove it from the pan, transfer it to a serving platter, dust with allulose, slice, and enjoy.
Notes
Tart pan: This recipe requires an 8-inch (20-centimeter) nonstick tart pan with a removable bottom. Double the quantities for a larger 10- to 12-inch (25- to 30-centimeter) tart.
Almond extract: Almond extract gives the tart its distinctive marzipan-like flavor. If you don’t enjoy that flavor, simply omit it. Use no more than 2–3 drops, as it can easily overpower the tart.
Rum: A dash of rum adds another layer of flavor but is entirely optional.
Sweetener: I use allulose and monk fruit non-caloric sweeteners in my desserts, but you can replace them with sugar if you prefer.
Leftover custard filling: If you have any custard left over, warm it gently while whisking continuously until it thickens. Transfer it to a ramekin, cover, and refrigerate for a simple pudding. For a chocolate version, stir in a little chopped dark chocolate while the custard is still warm.
No Comments