Cranberry Curd Tart

This luscious Cranberry Curd Tart is made with fresh cranberries, warm cinnamon, and fresh orange juice. Baked over a delicious olive oil crust, this simple but stunning tart is perfect for the holidays!

This cranberry curd tart is as delicious as it is festive! This cranberry curd tart recipe is made with a homemade olive oil crust, fresh cranberries and orange, and creamy whipped cream! It’s made with pantry friendly ingredients and will be a fantastic addition to your holiday table!

WHAT CAN I DO WITH A BAG OF CRANBERRIES?

There’s nothing like homemade cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving but did you know cranberries make excellent desserts?! Cranberries can be tart, but with a little sugar, they make an incredible dessert flavor!

One of my favorite things to do with a bag of cranberries is to make my incredible Orange Cranberry Pound Cake which features swirls of from scratch cranberry sauce! My Cranberry White Chocolate Scones are also unbelievably good! If you’re looking for a cranberry cookie recipe, add these yummy Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies to your baking list!

BAKING WITH OLIVE OIL

The cranberry curd is baked over a delicious olive oil crust. If you haven’t baked with olive oil yet, you’re in for a treat! This fruity, delicious Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake was my first recipe with olive oil. These Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies are as good if not better than chocolate chip cookies made with butter! Olive oil also makes this Mini Chocolate Cake so rich and delicious!

THIS CRANBERRY CURD TART IS:

• DELICIOUS: The olive oil gives the crust a rich and fruity flavor while the cranberry curd is perfectly tart and sweet!
• FRESH TASTING: The filling is made with fresh orange zest and the tart is topped with lots of fresh fruit.
• PANTRY FRIENDLY: You’ll likely have everything you need to make this tart!
• FESTIVE: The cranberries give this tart the most vibrant, festive color and flavor!
• ELEVATED YET SIMPLE: Cranberry curd looks and sounds fancy, but it’s quite simple to make.

PARTS OF THIS CRANBERRY CURD TART

• Olive oil crust: Using olive oil in place of butter in the crust means you don’t need to roll it out. The olive oil crust is simple to make and is so delicious! If you love this olive oil crust, try my flavorful Blueberry Mascarpone Tart!
• Cranberry curd: Cranberry Curd is the star of this tart! The cranberries are cooked with orange juice and zest, cinnamon and sugar and turns into the most luscious, perfectly tart-sweet curd!
• Vanilla whipped cream: Homemade whipped cream takes less than five minutes to make and makes the perfect topping! Zest a little orange on top for extra flavor!

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS CRANBERRY CURD TART

FOR THE CRUST

• All purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Whole milk or water

FOR THE CRANBERRY CURD

• Cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• One orange
• Granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Salt 
• Unsalted butter

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

• Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, cold
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract

FOR DECORATION

• Orange zest, if desired

ABOUT THIS OLIVE OIL CRUST

• It’s simple: All butter crusts are delicious, but definitely take some patience. Olive oil isn’t solid like butter, so it’s much easier to mix into flour.
• It’s fast: It goes from getting mixed together to being pressed into the tart pan. No need to chill it or roll it out.
• It’s rich: The fat in the olive oil makes for a very rich crust!
• It’s delicious: The olive oil adds a slight fruity flavor. It tastes so good with the cranberry curd!

HOW TO MAKE THE CRUST

1. Whisk to combine the flour, sugar and salt. Stir the olive oil into the dry ingredients.
2. Use your hands to spread the dough into the bottom and sides of the tart pan.
3. Bake 22-24 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
4. Cool before filling.  

CRANBERRY CURD TART INSPIRATION

My recipe is adapted from this amazing cranberry curd tart from the New York Times. I’ve made this tart several times and made a few changes every time I made their recipe, so decided to share my own version.

One big difference is that my tart is made with an olive oil crust. I also simmer my cranberries with a cinnamon stick. Cinnamon goes so well with cranberries and I always simmer my cranberry sauce with a cinnamon stick!

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY CURD

1. Lightly beat the eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat the cranberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, salt and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the cranberries have split. Remove the cinnamon stick and use an immersion blender, blender or food processor to puree the mixture. Press the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any solids. Whisk about a cup of the cranberry mixture into the eggs to temper them.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the pot with the remainder of the cranberry mixture, butter, and stir to combine. Stir constantly with the mixture on low heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature then pour into the prepared crust. Bake at 350 F until the curd is set.
4. Allow to cool at room temperature on a rack for at least an hour then chill in the refrigerator. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream and orange zest, if desired!

HOW TO MAKE WHIPPED CREAM

1. For best results, place the bowl of your electric mixer and your beaters or whisk attachment in the fridge or freezer to chill for fifteen minutes.
2. When ready to make the whipped cream, pour the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl and whip on medium high until it reaches medium peaks.

WHAT DO PEAKS MEAN IN BAKING?

I love whipping my heavy cream to soft, billowy medium peaks. Unsure how to recognize medium peaks? Check out this useful post called Whipping to Soft, Medium, and Firm Peaks from Fine Cooking!

This vibrant cranberry curd is tart, sweet, and so unique! It sounds and looks fancy but is quite simple to make! Perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert table or for anytime you want a pretty and delicious tart!

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