A delicious low carb recipe, Sugar Free Lemon Cream Tart is a slight take on a lemon meringue tart without the meringue. It features a light creamy topping that goes perfectly with the slightly tart but sweet lemon filling.
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until blended. Alternatively zap the butter and cream cheese in the microwave until just soft but not melted. Roughly chop up further with a knife. Add remaining tart base ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until just combined. Shape into a ball and refrigerate covered until dough firms up.
Line a 20-25 cm pie dish with the dough. Either roll out the dough with a rolling pin between 2 sheets of baking paper or use your fingers to press the dough into the sides and base of the dish. If the dough tears use your fingers to patch it. Create a nice line along the edges by using your fingers to shape it. Trim with a knife if need be. If dough is too soft to use, refrigerate till it firms.
Use a fork to prick the base all over. Bake at 165 C/ 330 F fan forced for 10 minutes. Then bake covered with aluminium foil for another 5 minutes to prevent browning. Allow to cool while you prepare the filling.
To Make the Filling
Using a hand beater, beat the eggs, lemon juice, sweetener, sour cream and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. until well blended
Pour the filling into the pastry base.
Bake at 165 C / 330 F fan forced for 30 minutes or the filling has set around the edges. The centre can still be slightly jiggly as it will firm up once the lemon tart cools. Cover the edges of the pastry with aluminium foil to prevent further browning of the base if necessary.
Allow to cool in the fridge for a couple of hours prior to adding the topping
To Make the Topping
Bloom the gelatin powder in the cold water. Microwave or heat on the stove top until the gelatin dissolves (about 45 seconds in the microwave). Allow it to cool.
Beat the cream with the sweetener until peaks form. Add the vanilla, lemon zest and cooled gelatin mixture. Continue to whip until the mixture thickens slightly. Spoon onto the cooled lemon filling and level with a spatula. Return to the fridge for 60 minutes prior to serving.
Notes
Taste the filling mixture before you pour it into the base and adjust the sweetness of the filling to suit your taste if required. You can do the same with the lemon juice.If you use a wider dish to bake in, the filling will not take as long to cook. If it is set on the edges and ever so slightly jiggly in the middle, remove it from the oven.If you don't use the psyllium husk powder, add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to help the pastry bind more.Use blanched almond flour if you want a pastry more like a traditional short crust pastry. The recipe works fine with almond meal as well but it will look a bit more like a whole meal pastry. You will find if you use almond meal that it absorbs more moisture so the base will be slightly drier. If too dry you can add additional butter. Do it sparingly though if needed.If you make the pastry thinner, any left over pastry can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for use at a later date.