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I saw the contestants make this tart on episode 2 (I think!) of the Great British Bake-Off and decided it would be perfect to make for my mum, who loves everything zestily lemony. I rarely make pastry (I’m just not keen on it in most forms). The recipe calls for 6 lemons (I made it up to 7 for increased lemony-ness) and TEN EGGS.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it! I’ve revised the original recipe since it makes too much pastry and way too much lemon filling for one tart. Between this and her awful baking mixes, I’m beginning to think Mary Berry is just pretending to be a domestic goddess!

For the pastry
  • 225g/8oz plain flour
  • 150g/5oz cold butter, cut into small cubes
  • 25g/1oz icing sugar
  • 1 free-range egg, beaten
  • 1 tbsp water
For the lemon filling
  • 7 free-range eggs
  • 250ml/½ pint double cream
  • 300g/12oz caster sugar
  • 6 large lemons, finely grated zest and juice

First, lets make the pastry! Combine the flour, icing sugar and cold butter into a bowl and rub together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively, if you have one, use a food processor. Once the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, bind it together with the egg and cold water.

It should come together fairly easily – now turn it out onto a floured work surface and give it a little knead (you’re more just patting it all together).

At this point, the original recipe has you go straight ahead and line the tart tin with the pastry but having made it that way, I’d recommend you chill the pastry first. Wrap it in clingilm and put it into the fridge for about 20 minutes.Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees (gas 6).

Once its chilled, roll it out with a rolling pin until its just bigger than the size of your tart tin. Make sure your work surface and rolling pin are floured and keep moving the pastry around so that it doesn’t get stuck. Once you’re ready to line your tin, use your rolling pin to life the pastry up gently and onto the tin.

Trim off the excess pastry around the edge of the tin (as you can see my tart-lining skills are not exactly amazing!).

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and set aside to cool (oops a little too brown – Mary’s original recipe called for the oven to be at 200 degrees- I’ve suggested 180 for you if you make this tart!).

Time to get started on the filling! Crack the many many eggs into a bowl! If you keep chickens, that would come in handy!

Whisk in the douuble cream and the sugar and start zesting the lemons! Zesty zesty zesty! Zesting seven lemons is quite boring! Once you’ve zested, cut them in half and squeeze out the juice. Pour the resulting lemony goo into the tart tin and put it into the oven.

Bake for around 40 minutes at 180 degrees as before, or until the filling is set with a slight wobble.

Yum! The tart was delicious and very lemony indeed! I was pleased that mine didn’t crack across the middle like some of the bake-off contestants versions did.

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