Mini Plum Tarts are so quick to make and utterly delicious. Flaky pastry is topped with a sweet cream cheese mixture and slices of fresh plums. These tarts are perfect for brunch, dessert or with a cup of coffee. This is a simple recipe that looks impressive!
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Why we love this recipe:
Stone fruit season is such a delicious time of year, and these Mini Plum Tarts are a fantastic way to make the most of it. In fact, stone fruit of your choice can certainly be used in this recipe, as well as fruits such as apples or pears.
Taking around just 30 minutes, including preparation and cooking time, these tarts are fantastic to make for the arrival of unexpected guests or when you are after an easy and delicious sweet treat.
Ingredients in this recipe:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
Puff Pastry - my preference is for butter puff pastry, but regular puff pastry is fine also. This is one ingredient I love to keep on hand in the freezer and prefer to buy rather than make from scratch!
Plums - fresh plums work so well in this recipe. You could also use apricots or peaches if you prefer.
Cream Cheese - smooth and creamy and is delicious in desserts.
Icing/Powdered Sugar - sweetens the cream cheese.
Egg - beaten egg adds shine and colour to baked goods, and gives the Demerara Sugar something to adhere to, which adds a delicious crunch to the edges of the pastry.
Vanilla and Lemon Zest - add delicious flavour to the tarts.
Step by Step Instructions:
You will need to start by pre-heating your oven and ensure that your pastry has defrosted.
- Combine the ingredients for the cream cheese mixture in a bowl. Prepare your plums.
- Using a cookie cutter, cut rounds out of the puff pastry sheet.
- Using a smaller cutter, cut a further round in the centre of the circle.
- Prick the centre of the pastry with a fork.
- Add the cream cheese mixture to the centre of the pastry.
- Top the mixture with the slices of plums.
- Brush the edge of the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
- Bake until golden perfection.
Tips for Success and FAQs:
Puff Pastry is a fantastic ingredient to have on hand. Whilst I generally prefer to make things from scratch, I draw the line at puff pastry. I find that the commercial varieties produce an excellent result and they save a great deal of time.
If you buy a roll of pastry, it is generally best to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Check the directions on the packet. Importantly, ensure that it has thawed before you attempt to unroll it or it will crack.
If you are using sheets of pastry, as I have here, you can thaw them quickly at room temperature. However, whether a roll or a sheet, the pastry must remain cold. When working with more than one sheet, keep what you are not using in the refrigerator.
The pastry should feel cold and slightly bendable and for best results, you must work quickly. If the pastry reaches room temperature, it will wilt and become droopy. Therefore, it will be almost impossible to work with.
We never throw out the pastry scraps, as they can make such a delicious snack, both sweet or savoury! For a sweet version, brush with melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. For a savoury version, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and paprika or cayenne pepper. Both are baked on a tray lined with baking paper until they are golden. They may be a random shape, but they still taste fantastic!
Like many pastry dishes, the Plum Tarts are best enjoyed warm from the oven. However, the following day, they can certainly be warmed up in the oven to refresh them.
More delicious recipes for you to try:
Love stone fruit as much as we do? Here are some more of our favourite recipes we recommend giving a try:
- Easy Plum Jam
- Apricot Jam
- Fresh Peach Chutney
- Peach and Plum Crumble
- Spiced Poached Plums
- Peach and Mint Smoothie
- Fresh Peach Salsa
- Peach, Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins
- Apricot and Cream Cheese Pastry
I do hope you will try these delicious Mini Plum Tarts. They are perfect to enjoy with a cup of coffee, or try with a scoop of our No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream! I would love to hear from you in the comments below.
Alex xx
This post was originally published in March 2019. It has been updated with new photos and more information. The recipe remains the same.
Mini Plum Tarts
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 2 sheets butter puff pastry - 22 ½ cm (9” square) See Note 1
- 170 g (6 oz) cream cheese - at room temperature
- 3 tablespoon icing/powdered sugar See Note 2
- ½ teaspoon fine lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 9 fresh plums See Note 3
- 1 egg - beaten
- 4 tablespoon demerara sugar See Note 2
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 Degrees C (400F).Set the frozen pastry aside to thaw. Do not allow it to become too soft. Return it to the fridge to keep cool if necessary.
- In a medium-sized bowl, place the cream cheese, icing/powdered sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Using hand-held electric beaters or a stand mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Halve the plums and remove the stone.Using a sharp knife, cut each plum half in thin slices about ½ cm (⅛”). Set aside.
- Use a 7cm (2 ½“) round cookie cutter to cut 9 circles out of each sheet of pastry.
- Using a smaller cookie cutter, mark a circle about 1cm (¼“) in from the edges of the pastry circles.
- Use a fork to prick the pastry inside the smaller circle.
- Dab about a teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture in the centre. Spread the filling inside the smaller circle of each pastry.
- Arrange the slices of plum on top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Brush the edges of the pastries with the beaten egg. Sprinkle the edges of each pastry with about a half teaspoon of demerara sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the edges of the pastry are a lovely golden brown.
- Gently lift the pastries onto a cooling rack.Allow the pastry to cool a few minutes before serving. The plum will be very hot.The pastries are lovely served warm with our Vanilla Ice Cream.
Notes
- Our preference is for butter puff pastry - it will produce a superior result. If you are unable to find it, however, regular puff pastry is fine. Always work with cold pastry. If it becomes too warm it will be difficult to work with and you will not achieve the best result. Place the pastry in the refrigerator to re-chill if necessary. See tips for pastry in the main text of the blog post.
- The Australian tablespoon is 20ml or 4 teaspoons. In many other countries, the tablespoon is 15ml or 3 teaspoons. Please adjust your measurement if necessary.
- You may find the number of plums required will vary, depending on their size. I have used between 5-9 plums each time I have made this recipe.
- Please note, the nutritional information is based on one plum tart. It does not include what the tart is served with. The nutritional information is an estimate only.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
MC says
Super yummy and fairly easy! It did take me a wee bit longer but I enjoyed making it.
Alexandra Cook says
Thank you for making our recipe, MC 🙂
I am so happy you enjoyed it! Alex xo
Beverley says
Can these tarts be frozen when cooked
Alexandra Cook says
Hi Beverley,
This is not something I have tried, as I have found that freezing cream cheese can alter it's texture, causing it to become gritty or grainy.
If you do give it a try, I'd be curious to know how you get on! Thanks, Alex
lis says
I had quite a fail with these. I think my problems were two-fold - my plums were bigger so they overlapped the edges of my puff pastry circles a bit and so when the pastry started rising the plums just slid off. I also subbed a dairy free cream cheese and my friend who I was making them for has an allergy, and it basically melted entirely. I think I'll have to try them again because they look so beautiful but mine were a complete disaster. Mine rose so much in the middle I'm not sure even smaller plums would've stayed on. Does that mean I didn't prick the dough enough or something?
Alexandra says
Hi Lis,
Thanks for your comment, and I am sorry to hear you had this issue!
I think you've definitely identified what went wrong.
Next time, I would also make sure your plums don't overlap the edges - the edges will rise a little bit to create a border around the tart, so the filling and plums won't slide off.
I haven't used dairy-free cream cheese before, but I suspect this played a part, as the regular cream cheese doesn't melt entirely. You may also have needed to prick the dough some more - but the weight of the plums and cream cheese should stop them from rising.
You can refer to the Step by Step Instructions in the blog post for our process photos, so you can see exactly how ours looked.
Definitely give them a try again - they're a favourite of ours to make every Summer!
Thanks, Alex
Sabrina says
Just like you said, easy and impressive. And really tasty too!
Alexandra says
Thank you, Sabrina - I am so pleased to hear this!
Robyn says
These are so delicious - they look so impressive but are really easy to make, and perfect with a cup of coffee or scoop of ice cream!
Alexandra says
Thank you so much, Robyn!
Denise says
Can these be made the day before and heated just before serving?
Alexandra says
Hi Denise - that should be fine!
Pastry does tend to soften a little the next day, but I would imagine the reheating should freshen the tarts up nicely.
Enjoy! 🙂
cyndy says
I was searching for an easy dessert for friends tonight and this was perfect. I love how easy they are and the puff pastry makes them look elegant! Great find!
Alexandra says
Hi Cyndy, I am delighted that you like the Mini Plum Tartlets, thank you for letting me know. 🙂
Billie Daugherty says
Would this work with frozen plum?
Alexandra says
Hi Billie!
I don't see why not - I would just make sure that once they are defrosted, you sit them on some paper towel to absorb any excess moisture 🙂
Kuntala says
Delicious and yummy.
Alexandra says
Thank you 🙂
Corina says
very simple but delicious recipe. C
Alexandra says
Thank you so much, Corina 🙂
Miljana says
Such a lovely recipe. Thank you.
Alexandra says
Thank you so much 🙂