Before the hawker centre near my house was demolished, there was a Hong Kong pastry shop located there. Every time I passed by it at around 11am in the morning, I would peak to see if they have egg tarts. If they have, then it was good news. If they do not have, it was even better news because this means that they are still baking them! I would still have to wait for about 5 to 10 minutes for the little gems which are still in the oven. The wait was always worth it as I love freshly prepared egg tarts! They are hot, the pastry is flaky and buttery and the egg filling is smooth and sweet! If you love freshly baked egg tarts like I do, read on to learn how to bake your own at home:
Recipe with Pictures
Makes about 17 egg tarts (my tart shells measure about 4.3 cm in diameter for their base)
Ingredient list:
For the Tart Shells:
- 80g of butter
- 1 tbsp. of icing sugar
- ½ egg white (my egg weighs about 65g)
- 1 egg yolk
- 145g of plain flour
For the Egg Filling:
- 65g of castor sugar
- 70ml of hot water
- 2 eggs (each weighing about 65g)
- 120ml of milk
- ¼ tsp of vanilla bean paste (Recipe calls for vanilla essence)
- Pinch of salt (I omitted this)
My Oven Settings:
160°C; top and bottom heat with fan; about 22 minutes.
(Settings would differ from oven to oven. Please experiment with yours!)
Steps:
For the Tart Shells:
1. Cream butter and icing sugar together till pale and fluffy.
2. Beat in egg white and egg yolk.
3. Add flour and mix well.
4. Knead into dough but do not over knead.
5. Wrap the dough in a cling wrap and refrigerate it for about 15 minutes. (I kept in the the fridge till I was done preparing the egg filling).
6. After removing from fridge, weigh about 20g of dough and press into each tart shell.
7. Refrigerate them for about 15 minutes before baking. (I omitted this).
For the Egg Filling:
1. Dissolve the sugar into the water. Set aside to cool.
2. Beat eggs then gradually add in milk and vanilla.
3. Pour in sugar water and mix well.
4. To achieve smooth egg filling consistency, sift the mixture three times. (I omitted this step).
5. Remove tart shells from fridge (if you placed them in the fridge earlier) and fill them up to the brim with the egg mixture.
6. Bake them in a preheated oven at the settings mentioned above or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the egg tarts comes out clean.
Recipe Only
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Makes about 17 egg tarts (my tart shells measure about 4.3 cm in diameter for base)
Ingredient list:
For the Tart Shells:
- 80g of butter
- 1 tbsp. of icing sugar
- ½ egg white (my egg weighs about 65g)
- 1 egg yolk
- 145g of plain flour
For the Egg Filling:
- 65g of castor sugar
- 70ml of hot water
- 2 eggs (each weighing about 65g)
- 120ml of milk
- ¼ tsp of vanilla bean paste (Recipe calls for vanilla essence)
- Pinch of salt (I omitted this)
My Oven Settings:
160°C; top and bottom heat with fan; about 22 minutes.
(Settings would differ from oven to oven. Please experiment with yours!)
Steps:
For the Tart Shells:
- Cream butter and icing sugar together till pale and fluffy.
- Beat in egg white and egg yolk.
- Add flour and mix well.
- Knead into dough but do not over knead.
- Wrap the dough in a cling wrap and refrigerate it for about 15 minutes. (I kept in the the fridge till I was done preparing the egg filling).
- After removing from fridge, weigh about 20g of dough and press into each tart shell.
- Refrigerate them for about 15 minutes before baking. (I omitted this).
For the Egg Filling:
- Dissolve the sugar into the water. Set aside to cool.
- Beat eggs then gradually add in milk and vanilla.
- Pour in sugar water and mix well.
- To achieve smooth egg filling consistency, sift the mixture three times.
- Remove tart shells from fridge (if you placed them in the fridge earlier) and fill them up to the brim with the egg mixture.
- Bake them in a preheated oven at the settings mentioned above or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the egg tarts comes out clean.
Comments:
All I can say is, my family commented that the egg tarts taste like they were store-bought! Obviously, the ugly tart shells gave the secret away. Though these egg tarts are definitely not the best in terms of presentation and taste, they are good enough to satisfy my cravings for freshly prepared egg tarts.
Recipe Source: A certain Ms Shanice Chng from a Facebook baking group
