Why thousands of Australians are going mad for this delicious (and guilt-free) baked custard tart – and all you need is five ingredients
- Australian dessert lovers are raving about a ‘healthy’ baked fruit and custard tart
- The recipe was shared on The Healthy Mummy, a female weight loss website
- All you need is honey, eggs, low-fat cream, flour, cinnamon and apples or pears
- The tart can be prepared in just 10 minutes and takes 20 minutes in the oven
- At 261 calories a slice, the same as a large glass of milk, it won’t derail your diet
Australian dessert lovers are raving about a ‘healthy’ baked custard tart which can be prepared with five simple ingredients in 10 minutes.
The recipe was shared by Rhian Allen, the founder of women’s only weight loss empire The Healthy Mummy, an online fitness program that helps mothers to shed unwanted weight with easy exercises and affordable recipes.
The businesswoman from Sydney showed fans how to make a low-calorie version of the infamously indulgent dessert by substituting honey for castor sugar and wholemeal flour for white.
The ingredients take just 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake in the oven, and at just 261 calories per slice – roughly the same as a large glass of milk – dieters can enjoy this treat night after night without a shred of guilt.
The recipe is inspired by iconic Portuguese tarts which originated in the monasteries of Lisbon over 300 years ago, but with a single one of those containing a whopping 363 calories, The Healthy Mummy’s version goes a lot easier on the waistline.
A pear and custard tart made with The Healthy Mummy recipe which contains a remarkably low 261 calories per slice
One baker used a rectangular baking dish to make this luscious custard tray bake
Amateur bakers have been sharing photos of their homemade tarts in cookery groups on Facebook over the past week, with one woman dubbing it her new favourite ‘showstopping’ dessert.
To make your own, preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius and grease a round pie dish with a few sprays of cooking oil.
Mix four eggs, three tablespoons of honey, 300ml of low-fat cream and a teaspoon of vanilla extract in a bowl, beating well until the liquid has formed into a thick custard.
Whisk in the flour, then pour two thirds of the batter into the pie dish and baked for about five minutes to set. While the batter bakes, chop pears or apples into thin slices.
The tart (pictured) is made with low-calorie substitutes for traditional ingredients, with honey substituted for castor sugar and wholemeal flour for white flour
The recipe describes the tart, which can be made with pears or apples, as a ‘special treat the family will love’ best served with cream or vanilla ice cream
After five minutes, remove the dish from the oven and scatter fruit evenly, pouring the leftover custard mixture on top with half a teaspoon of cinnamon for flavour.
Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes, until the custard has fully set.
The recipe describes the tart as ‘a special treat the family will love’, best served warm with cream or vanilla ice cream.
A Facebook photo shows a pear and custard tart topped with cinnamon to enhance the flavour
Egg-based custard tarts originated over 300 years ago in monasteries in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, where egg whites were used to starch clothes.
This generated an enormous supply of leftover egg yolks at a time when sugar was becoming increasingly available, delivered straight to Lisbon from the Caribbean colonies.
Monks with time on their hands realised they could bake sweets by combining sugar and egg yolks, according to research from podcast Food Fun Travel, kick-starting the world’s obsession with custard tarts.
In Portugal, baked custard tarts are called Pastéis de Nata.