eminence : This recipe was inaugural published in July 2014. We have since extensively re-tested the recipe, re-photographed it with more bit-by-bit photograph, added clear instructions, included metric measurements, and more. enjoy !
What Are Hong Kong Egg Tarts?
Hong Kong egg tarts are small ( normally about 3 inches in diameter ) circular tarts of bizarre pastry, filled with a smooth, lightly sweetened egg custard. They are much served at dim total restaurants, vitamin a well as taiwanese bakeries.
You ’ ll find these chinese egg tarts in Hong Kong, Macau, China, and Chinatowns around the earth .
Fresh Dan Tat Are a Game Changer
I ’ ve grown up eating them all my life, but it wasn ’ thymine until I moved to Beijing that I tasted one fresh out of the oven .
suffice it to say, it was incredible. You might be golden enough to get a fresh one at a bakery or black sum restaurant, but they are thus rarely impertinently made to order .
After that experience, I knew I had to figure out a recipe—just to get that warm from the oven experience again !
Besides, here in the U.S., we don ’ metric ton all have dim total restaurants within reasonable traveling outdistance to get these, so it ’ s time to learn to make them from scrape like the best of ’ em .
Hong Kong vs. Macau Egg Tarts
A quick distinction to make ! The Hong Kong and Macau versions of egg tarts are pretty different .
Macau ’ s interpretation was brought over by portuguese colonizers, and they have more of a scorched, caramelized exterior, and a crispier roughly puff pastry boodle. ( Check out our break recipe for Portuguese Custard Tarts, or pasteis de nata. )
The Hong Kong interpretation was influenced by British custard tarts, which are more glassy and smooth, with a more finely laminated bizarre pastry .
Re-Tested and Perfected!
back in 2014, precisely a year into this blogging undertaking, I nailed down a pretty good recipe. however, as I mentioned in the note at the top of this post, I have been re-testing it over the stopping point couple months and have since made some significant improvements .
The filling has not changed. It has equitable five ingredients—all of which you credibly already have in your pantry—and the resulting custard is as satiny, glassy, and delicious as ever .
however, the erstwhile recipe yielded shuffle results when it came to the pastry. Some readers found that it would crumble and fall apart after baking .
This was an offspring with the butter to flour ratio, but besides lack of specificity in my original instructions .
not to worry, though. I ’ ve learned a matter or two in the 6 years since I first posted this recipe. This new and better version is a lot more foolproof, yielding bizarre, laminated layers of buttery pastry that melt in your mouth .
so gather round, padawans—a wholly lot of amazing is about to come your way .
Important Note On Measurements!
I highly suggest weighing the ingredients for this recipe. Flour measurements can vary wide, depending on whether you scoop your flour or spoon it into the measure cup, whether you tap the cup to get rid of air pockets, and besides the bent of measuring cups you have .
We find that 1 cup of flour is normally somewhere between 135-140g in our kitchen. That said, when you fluff your flour and spoon it into your measuring cup, as we call for in this recipe, you get about 125g per cup. ( You need 2 cups measured this direction here, or 250g ) .
This is all to say that for the most accurate results, use a digital kitchen scale to follow the weight measurements in this recipe ( Use the toggle below the ingredients in the recipe card to switch to “ Metric. ” )
Ok, on to the recipe !
Hong Kong Egg Tarts: Recipe Instructions
In a roll, combine the flour and salt, and leave your butter out at room temperature until good softened .
The butter should be merely soft enough that it gives when you press it, but not so delicate that it collapses .
( Basically, you want it to be soft enough to break up with your fingers, but it shouldn ’ t immediately form a paste with the flour. )
Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes, and add to the flour/salt assortment .
Working promptly, break it up approximately with your fingers…
…Until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized chunks of butter still in the assortment .
Add 2 tablespoons of cold water, and bring the boodle together with your hands. Add a little more water system if necessary ( start with 1/2 teaspoon ), no more than 3 teaspoons .
At this point, the boodle will be scraggly and dry. As you can see in the photograph below, it ’ s not amply holding together :
You need to rest the dough in the refrigerator to allow the flour in the dough to continue to absorb moisture .
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic or a reclaimable base ( we like Stashers ), and refrigerate for 20 minutes .
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a roughly 6×15 inch rectangle. Work promptly to avoid overworking it .
Fold the clear third of the dough devour to the center, then the bottomland third up and over that. Give the dough a quarter turn ( left or correct ) .
peal this rectangle of boodle out again to a 6×15 inch rectangle. Fold the same way as earlier, report, and chill for 1 hour .
Make-Ahead Tip!
notice, if making these ahead, you can refrigerate the dough nightlong and continue with the recipe the adjacent day .
While the dough is resting, make the filling. Dissolve the carbohydrate into 1 cup of hot water, and allow the concoction to cool to room temperature. Whisk evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla together, and then thoroughly whisk in the carbohydrate water .
Ok, sol see those bubbles that inevitably formed from your very full of life, energetic whisk ? not effective .
Strain the custard through a all right engage strainer into a large measuring cup or pitcher ( something with a pour rant ) to get rid of those bubbles .
This pace is significant to getting a politic, glassy egg lemony .
While this measuring cup in the photograph below wasn ’ triiodothyronine big enough to hold all the custard, you should have about 2 to 2 1/4 cups sum .
Preheat the oven to 375° F/190°C, and position a rack in the lower one-third of your oven .
roll out out the boodle 0.2 inch/5mm compact .
Cut into 4-inch circles. I used a flute cutter, so my concluding tarts would have a flute form .
If you don ’ t have a fluted cutter, you can use the tip of a chopstick or fork to make a crimp boundary around the rim of the boodle. Totally optional .
If you use the chopstick method acting, it will look something like this :
The boodle should be very thin—it will expand as it bakes .
Press the dough circles into either miniskirt tart tins, leaving a lip going over the top of the tin. ( The prostitute shells will shrink as they bake, so you want ample clearance ) .
If you don ’ t have mini sharp tins, you can besides use a non-stick standard muffin pan, but be certain to leave enough clearance for the sharp shell to shrink .
Take the excess boodle, re-roll it, and cut more circles until you have around 16 of them .
evenly fill the tart shells about three quarters full. If you have an ample lip of boodle at the top, you can fill it equitable until you reach the share where the boodle curves outbound .
once filled, immediately ( but very lento and cautiously ) transfer the pan to the oven. immediately reduce the estrus to 350°F/180°C, and bake for 26-29 minutes, until filling is precisely set ( if a toothpick can stand up in it, it ’ s done ) .
Allow the tarts to cool for at least 10 minutes before enjoying .
And that ’ s it ! You are now an testis lemony Jedi .
For the best results and mind blow texture and taste, eat these Hong Kong egg tarts while they are still quick ! We like them with a cup of Hong Kong milk tea .
***
here ’ s the broad printable Hong Kong Egg Tarts Recipe ! For more treats, besides check out our collection of Dim Sum recipes and chinese Bakery recipes .
Looking for more authentic recipes ? Subscribe to our electronic mail list and be surely to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube !
from
votes
Hong Kong Egg Tarts
Hong Kong style egg tarts are one of our favorite pastries. This recipe yields a smooth, glassy, lightly sweet custard, in a melt-in-your-mouth, flaky pastry shell.
serves:
16
Prep:
1
hour
15
minutes
Cook:
25
minutes
Total:
1
hour
40
minutes
Ingredients
-
▢
2 cups all purpose flour ( botch and spooned into measuring cup )
-
▢
1/8 teaspoon salt
-
▢
12 tablespoons unsalted butter ( slightly softened )
-
▢
2 tablespoons cold water
-
▢
½ cup granulated sugar
-
▢
1 cup hot body of water
-
▢
1/2 cup evaporated milk ( at room temperature )
Read more: Kung Pao Chicken
-
▢
3 large eggs ( at room temperature )
-
▢
1 teaspoon vanilla press out
Instructions
-
In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. The butter should be just soft enough that it gives when you press it, but not so soft that it collapses. Basically, you want it to be soft enough to break up with your fingers, but it shouldn’t immediately form a paste with the flour.
-
Cut the butter into small cubes, and add it to the flour and salt. Working quickly, break it up roughly with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized chunks of butter still in the mixture.
-
Add 2 tablespoons of cold water, and bring the dough together with your hands. Add a little more water if necessary (start with 1/2 teaspoon), no more than 3 teaspoons. At this point, the dough will be scraggly and dry. You need to rest the dough in the refrigerator to allow the flour in the dough to continue to absorb moisture. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic or a reusable bag, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
-
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a roughly 6×15 inch rectangle. Work quickly to avoid overworking it.
-
Fold the top third of the dough down to the center, then the bottom third up and over that. Give the dough a quarter turn (left or right) and roll out again to a 6×15 inch rectangle. Fold the same way as before, cover, and chill for 1 hour.
-
While the dough is resting, make the filling. Dissolve the sugar into 1 cup of hot water, and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Whisk evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla together, and then thoroughly whisk in the sugar water. Strain through a fine meshed strainer into a large measuring cup or pitcher (something with a pour spout). You should have about 2 to 2 1/4 cups of custard.
-
Preheat the oven to 375° F/190°C, and position a rack in the lower third of your oven.
-
Roll out the dough 0.2 inch/5mm thick, and cut into 4-inch circles to fit either mini tart tins or a shallow non-stick standard muffin pan, leaving a lip going over the top of the cup (the tart shells will shrink as they bake, so you want ample clearance). Take the excess dough, re-roll it, and cut more circles until you have around 16 of them.
-
Evenly fill the tart shells about three quarters full. If you have an ample lip of dough at the top, you can fill it just until you reach the part where the dough curves outward.
-
Once filled, immediately (but very slowly and carefully) transfer the pan to the oven. Immediately reduce the heat to 350°F/180°C, and bake for 26-29 minutes, until filling is just set (if a toothpick can stand up in it, it’s done).
-
Allow the tarts to cool for at least 10 minutes before enjoying.
Tips & Notes:
Recipe makes about 16 tarts .
note, if you ’ d like to prepare these in progress, you can prepare the boodle the day before, and after the roll out and folding summons in Step 5, refrigerate it overnight. then proceed with the recipe the following sidereal day. You can besides press the dough into tins in advance, and freeze or refrigerate for the following day .
nutrition facts
Calories:
180
kcal
(9%)
Carbohydrates:
19
g
(6%)
Protein:
3
g
(6%)
Fat:
10
g
(15%)
Saturated Fat:
6
g
(30%)
Trans Fat:
1
g
Cholesterol:
56
mg
(19%)
Sodium:
41
mg
(2%)
Potassium:
55
mg
(2%)
Fiber:
1
g
(4%)
Sugar:
7
g
(8%)
Vitamin A:
326
IU
(7%)
Vitamin C:
1
mg
(1%)
Calcium:
31
mg
(3%)
Iron:
1
mg
(6%)
nutritional info disclaimer
TheWoksofLife.com is written and produced for informational purposes only. While we do our best to provide nutritional data as a general road map to our readers, we are not certify nutritionists, and the values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. respective on-line calculators besides provide different results, depending on their sources. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your prefer nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used .
