This blood orange tart is one of those recipes that looks like it came from a patisserie but is genuinely straightforward to pull together at home. The filling is a luscious blood orange curd — thick, glossy, and perfumed with a whisper of tonka bean that adds a warm vanilla-almond depth you won’t forget.
What I love most about this tart is the balance. Blood oranges bring a gorgeous ruby colour and a flavour that sits somewhere between sweet, tart, and slightly berry-like. Paired with a crisp, buttery short pastry, the whole thing stays elegant without being cloying — the kind of dessert that works just as well after a rich dinner as it does with afternoon tea.
The curd comes together on the stovetop in about 15 minutes, and the pastry is a simple knead-and-chill shortcrust. No blind baking with beans, no tempering eggs — just honest technique with a beautiful result. If you can find blood oranges at your market, this is the recipe to make with them.
Blood Orange Tart
Ingredients
Blood Orange Curd Ingredients
- 1 cup blood orange juice
- 1 ½ cups raw cane sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar (8 g or about 1½ teaspoons)
- ¼ cup corn starch
- 150 grams butter
- ⅔ cup cream
- 1 large blood orange finely grated zest of 1 blood orange
- ¼ teaspoon grated tonka bean (or ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) vanilla extract)
Short Pastry Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons cold butter + butter to grease the pan
- 1⅔ cups flour
- 1 medium egg
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
For the Blood Orange Curd:
- Mix juice, sugar and vanilla sugar and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then add the butter and stir until it melts. Add the cream, stir again and boil for another 5 minutes.
- Mix the corn starch with 10 tablespoons of the orange mixture and whip until all lumps are dissolved. Now add this and the grated tonka bean to your orange mixture and boil again for about 1 minute until it has a thick consistency. Add the orange zest and let it cool completely.
For the Short Pastry:
- Cut the butter into small cubes and put them in a large bowl together with all the other ingredients. Now knead thoroughly until you have a smooth dough (this might take a while until all the flour is incorporated). Form a ball, wrap it into a cling film, and place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Grease a tart pan and line the bottom with baking paper that is cut into a round shape. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C / 355°F fan-forced) with the rack in the centre position.
- When the dough is ready, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm (⅛ inch) thickness and carefully press it into the prepared tart pan, trimming any excess from the edges. Prick the base all over with a fork (dock it), then bake for 18-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and feels dry to the touch.
- When your short pastry comes out of the oven, let it cool down a little and remove it from the pan.
- Spread the blood orange curd onto the pastry and decorate with some orange slices.
Nutrition
What Makes This Blood Orange Tart Special
Most citrus tarts rely on lemons, which are beautiful but predictable. Blood oranges bring something completely different — a jewel-toned ruby colour, a flavour profile that hovers between sweet citrus and ripe berries, and a natural acidity that keeps the filling from ever tasting cloying.
The secret ingredient here is tonka bean. If you’ve never cooked with it, tonka has a complex aroma that recalls vanilla, almonds, caramel, and a hint of cherry blossom. Just a small grating transforms the blood orange curd from lovely to genuinely unforgettable. It’s the kind of flavour that makes people pause mid-bite and ask what that incredible taste is.
The shortcrust pastry is kept deliberately simple — butter, flour, egg, salt — so it doesn’t compete with the curd. It bakes up crisp and crumbly, giving you that satisfying snap when you cut through each slice.
Tips for Best Results
- Use freshly squeezed blood orange juice. Bottled juice lacks the complexity and vibrant colour of fresh. You’ll need about 4-5 medium blood oranges to yield 225 ml of juice.
- Cool the curd completely before filling. This is non-negotiable. Warm curd poured onto baked pastry creates steam that softens the base. Let it reach room temperature, or even chill it in the fridge for faster results.
- Don’t overwork the pastry dough. Knead just until the flour is incorporated and the dough holds together. Overworking develops gluten, which makes the crust tough instead of tender and crumbly.
- Dock the pastry thoroughly. Those fork pricks across the base aren’t decorative — they prevent large air bubbles from forming during blind baking, which would create an uneven surface for your curd.
- Grate the tonka bean on a microplane. Tonka is extremely hard and potent. A microplane gives you the finest grate and the most even distribution. Start with less — you can always add more.
Substitutions and Variations
- No blood oranges? Use a mix of 150 ml navel orange juice and 75 ml ruby red grapefruit juice. You’ll lose the deep colour but keep a similar sweet-tart profile.
- No tonka bean? Replace with ½ teaspoon good-quality vanilla extract and a tiny pinch of ground cinnamon. It won’t be identical but captures the warm, aromatic spirit.
- Vanilla sugar unavailable? Use 8 g (about 1½ teaspoons) regular caster sugar plus ½ teaspoon vanilla extract added with the butter.
- Raw cane sugar: Regular white granulated sugar works perfectly. The cane sugar adds a subtle molasses depth, but the difference is subtle in the finished curd.
- Dairy-free version: Substitute the butter with vegan block butter and the cream with full-fat coconut cream. The flavour will shift slightly but the texture holds well.
- Chocolate variation: Add 50 g melted dark chocolate to the warm curd before cooling for a blood orange chocolate tart — stunning for special occasions.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: Store the assembled tart covered loosely with cling film or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The curd actually firms up and slices more cleanly after a night in the fridge.
Freezer: The baked unfilled pastry shell freezes beautifully for up to 1 month wrapped tightly in cling film and foil. The curd can be frozen separately in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw both overnight in the fridge before assembling.
Reheating: This tart is best served at room temperature or slightly chilled. If it’s been in the fridge, pull it out 20-30 minutes before serving. Do not microwave — it will melt the curd and soften the pastry.
What to Serve With This
- Whipped cream: A simple unsweetened or lightly sweetened whipped cream balances the curd’s richness without adding competing flavours.
- Crème fraîche: Its slight tanginess pairs brilliantly with the sweet-tart blood orange.
- Candied pistachios: The green colour against the ruby curd is striking, and the nutty crunch adds textural contrast.
- Prosecco or Moscato d’Asti: A lightly sparkling wine with residual sweetness complements citrus desserts without overwhelming them.
- Espresso: The bitterness of strong coffee cuts through the buttery pastry and creates a classic European dessert pairing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this tart with regular oranges instead of blood oranges?
Yes, but the result will be different. Regular oranges are sweeter and less complex than blood oranges, so consider reducing the sugar by 30-50 g and adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to compensate for the missing tartness. The colour will be golden rather than ruby.
Where can I buy tonka beans?
Tonka beans are available at specialty spice shops, gourmet food stores, and online retailers. One bean lasts a very long time since you only grate a tiny amount per recipe. Store unused beans in an airtight container in a cool, dark place where they’ll keep for over a year.
Why did my curd turn out lumpy?
Lumps usually form when the corn starch mixture is added too quickly or wasn’t whisked thoroughly before being returned to the pot. To fix this, strain the finished curd through a fine-mesh sieve while it’s still warm — this catches any lumps and gives you a perfectly smooth result.
Do I need to blind bake the pastry with pie weights?
This recipe relies on docking (pricking with a fork) instead of pie weights, which works well for a thin tart shell. If you find your pastry puffs up despite thorough docking, you can line it with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights for the first 12 minutes of baking, then remove them for the remaining time.
Can I use a regular pie dish instead of a tart pan?
You can, but a tart pan with a removable bottom makes unmoulding much easier and gives you those clean, straight sides. If using a pie dish, grease it well and accept that the presentation will be more rustic. A 9-inch (23 cm) pie dish is the right size.
How do I know when the pastry is properly baked?
The pastry should be an even golden brown across the entire base and feel dry and firm to the touch — not damp or soft. Under-baked pastry will turn soggy once the curd is added. If the edges brown faster than the centre, tent the edges loosely with foil for the final few minutes.
When is blood orange season?
Blood oranges are typically in season from December through April in the Northern Hemisphere, and June through October in Australia. Peak flavour and colour tend to arrive in January-February (Northern) or July-August (Southern). Buy extra and freeze the juice when they’re at their best.
The Story Behind Blood Orange Tarts
Blood oranges have been cultivated in the Mediterranean — particularly Sicily and southern Spain — since the 17th century. Their distinctive crimson flesh comes from anthocyanins, pigments that develop when the fruit experiences cool night temperatures followed by warm days, which is why Sicilian blood oranges grown on the slopes of Mount Etna are considered the finest in the world.
Citrus curd tarts have deep roots in both French and British baking traditions. The French tarte au citron is the most famous variation, but curd-based fillings using other citrus fruits have been popular across Europe for centuries. Blood oranges, with their dramatic colour and complex berry-citrus flavour, make a particularly striking and memorable variation.
The addition of tonka bean in this recipe reflects a distinctly German-Austrian baking influence — tonka has been a beloved flavouring in central European pastry kitchens for generations, prized for its ability to add warmth and depth without the obviousness of vanilla alone.
If you try this blood orange tart, I’d love to hear how it turned out — leave a star rating and a comment below to let me know your thoughts!
