Homemade shortcrust pastry topped with tangy rhubarb, creamy custard and golden meringue

Shortcrust pastry with rhubarb, custard and meringue

Shortcrust pastry probably doesn’t need any introduction, as it is one of the most classic home-baked goods and enjoys great popularity. It is made from a combination of basic ingredients, such as flour, fat, sugar, and eggs, which create the perfect base for many desserts, such as tarts, cakes, and cookies.

Flour: wheat or cake flour works best, or a mixture of both.

Fat: butter, margarine, lard or a combination can be used to make shortcrust pastry. For example, depending on the type of flavour you’d like to get, you can combine butter with lard, or lard with margarine.

Eggs: shortcrust pastry mainly uses yolks, both raw and cooked. Importantly, the cooked yolks should be grated on a fine grater before adding them to the pastry so that they combine better with the other ingredients, ensuring the right consistency of the baked product.

Powdered sugar: this is the best choice for shortcrust pastry, because its fine structure not only combines easily with other ingredients, but also has a beneficial effect on the delicacy of the baked product.

Shortcrust pastry combines fantastically with many additions – including fruit, custard cream, chocolate, nuts, poppy seeds and cheese. What’s more, one of the tastiest combinations is with rhubarb, custard and meringue. This sweet and sour dessert delights with both taste and appearance. The recipe for shortcrust pastry with custard and rhubarb is a great suggestion for both dessert after dinner and for a home meeting with loved ones or a special event. Although its preparation takes a little time, the final effect is undoubtedly worth it!

Why is it worth baking a shortcrust pastry with rhubarb, custard and meringue?

  • A perfect combination of sweet meringue, custard and sour rhubarb.
  • Beautifully presented, light meringue and crunchy crumble on top.
  • The perfect seasonal cake.
  • It works well both without a special occasion or when you crave something sweet.

Served cold, this homemade rhubarb and custard cake will be a hit every weekend. Be sure to try the tried and tested recipe below and see how easy it is to make this delicious pastry.

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Shortcrust pastry with rhubarb, custard and meringue
Shortcrust pastry with rhubarb, custard and meringue

Ingredients for shortcrust pastry with rhubarb, custard and meringue.

Shortcrust pastry:

  • 200 g cold butter
  • 400 g all-purpose flour + extra
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 60 g sour cream (18 %)
  • 1 and 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 16 g vanilla sugar (1 packet)
  • 80 g powdered sugar

Custard cream:

  • 60 g crystal sugar
  • 80 g vanilla or plain pudding powder (2 packets)
  • 800 ml milk

Meringue:

  • 4 egg whites
  • 100 g crystal sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of potato flour (starch)

Fruits:

  • 350 g rhubarb
  • 20 g crystal sugar

Additionally:

  • powdered sugar for sprinkling the cake
Homemade shortcrust pastry topped with tangy rhubarb, creamy custard and golden meringue
Buttery shortcrust pastry layered with sweet-tart rhubarb, smooth custard and fluffy meringue – a delightful seasonal treat.

How to make shortcrust pastry with rhubarb, custard and meringue.

Shortcrust pastry – how to make.

Pour sifted flour, baking powder, vanilla sugar, powdered sugar and cold butter into the food processor bowl, then chop until the ingredients start to combine. When the ingredients begin forming lumps, add the egg yolks and sour cream, then chop everything together for a few more seconds until you get a uniform pastry dough.

Place the pastry dough on the kitchen counter, knead it, wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge for a little over an hour.

Preparation of pudding, rhubarb and meringue.

Wash, clean and dry with a paper towel, then cut the rhubarb into 1-2 cm wide pieces. Put the chopped rhubarb in a bowl, sprinkle it with crystal sugar and leave it for an hour.

Pour 500 ml of milk into a pot, add granulated sugar and bring it to a boil. In a bowl, combine 300 ml of milk with pudding powder. Pour the liquid from the bowl onto the milk boiling in the pot and, stirring constantly with a kitchen rod, cook on low heat for 2 minutes.

Take the pastry dough out of the fridge, unwrap it from the foil, lightly sprinkle with flour, and divide into two parts. One part should be twice as big as the other. Grate the larger part on a large grater directly onto a baking tray and cover the bottom and sides of the tray with the grated dough. Keep the smaller part of the dough in the fridge at this time. Put the tray with the dough in the oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for 15 minutes.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a kitchen mixer, add a pinch of salt and beat until well-foamed – about 2 minutes. While constantly beating, add the crystal sugar in small batches; beat it for about 6 minutes. At the end of beating, add the potato flour.

Assembling the cake.

Remove the pre-baked cake from the oven and carefully place the rhubarb pieces on it. Do this with as much juice remaining in the bowl as possible. This will prevent the cake from becoming too moist while maintaining the right consistency, which will ensure that the baked product does not lose its structure and flavour.

Then, pour the hot custard over the rhubarb, and after a moment, spread the meringue evenly on it, levelling it all out carefully. The next step is to grate the pastry dough, which has been cooled in the fridge. Grate it on top of the egg meringue, evenly covering the entire surface. Put the cake in the oven previously heated to 175 degrees Celsius, and bake it for about 50 minutes, until the cake takes on a golden colour. After baking, leave the cake to cool, and when it has cooled completely, sprinkle it with powdered sugar to give it a hint of additional sweetness.

Homemade shortcrust pastry topped with tangy rhubarb, creamy custard and golden meringue
Buttery shortcrust pastry layered with sweet-tart rhubarb, smooth custard and fluffy meringue – a delightful seasonal treat.

Good to know when making shortcrust pastry with rhubarb, custard and meringue.

I bake the cake in a metal baking tin measuring 22 x 28 centimetres. I line the pan with baking paper.

The ingredients for the pastry dough can be chopped not only with a food processor, but also by hand. For example, you can do this with a knife on the pastry board, which allows for better control over the consistency of the dough.

Both the whites and yolks should be from ‘L’ size eggs and at room temperature, both when you add them to the batter and later, when you beat the foam. This will help them combine better with the other ingredients, which will provide the right structure for the baked product.

Do you like fruit cakes? If so, then you should try our recipe for Butter cake with rhubarb and dulce de leche cream.

Homemade shortcrust pastry topped with tangy rhubarb, creamy custard and golden meringue
Buttery shortcrust pastry layered with sweet-tart rhubarb, smooth custard and fluffy meringue – a delightful seasonal treat.

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