Pasticciotti Italian Cream Filled Pastries or Tarts. The perfect Italian pie pastry filled with a Creamy Pastry Cream Filling and then baked to perfection. A wonderful new Dessert Recipe.
Pasticciotti Italian Cream Filled Tarts
Pasticciotti Italian Cream Filled TartsWhat are Pasticciotti and where do they come from?
Well this delicious Italian Cream Filled Pastry is made with Italian pastry dough or Pasta Frolla. They were apparently invented by a Chef from the Province of Lecce in the Southern Region of Puglia. He created these “mini cakes” from his leftover scraps and named them Pasticciotti meaning pasticcio or mishap.
The Italian Pastry Dough is lined in individual tart forms or muffin pans then filled with usually a pastry cream or sometimes a ricotta filling. (The tarts are filled 3/4 full with the pastry cream, although if you add more the top will crack, but don’t worry they are just as delicious). They are then covered with another layer of pastry dough and baked.
Let the tarts cool to warm, then add a dusting of powdered sugar.
Needless to say they were and are a big hit, and believe me they are delicious.
I decided to fill them with a Lemon Pastry cream this time, but you could also use a this Simple Pastry Cream.
How to make Italian Pastry Cream:
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In a medium pot, over medium – low heat the milk, cream and lemon rind, until very hot but do not boil. Remove from heat and let cool to warm.
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In an another medium pot whisk together the yolks and sugar until combined then add the flour and vanilla and combine.
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Place the pot over medium / low heat, pour the warm milk/cream through a sieve to remove the lemon rind.
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Whisk continuously until thickened.
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Place the Pastry Cream in a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap (make sure the plastic touches the cream mixture) and refrigerate approximately 1 hour or until thickened.
The Lemon taste is quite delicate, so if you prefer a stronger lemon taste I would use the peel of two lemons instead of one.
Remember to be very careful when peeling the Lemon, you don’t want the white part, which will give the Pastry Cream a Sour taste.
I prefer to make my Pastry Cream first because it needs more time to cool down then the Pastry dough.
I also made them with my muffin tin because there is no need to go out and buy new pastry forms. And they work perfectly well.
How many Tarts does the Recipe make?
I made 12 medium sized tarts, but you could easily mix it up with large or even mini tarts if you prefer. I made them again this morning and there are only three left, so they are quite delicious.
When to serve Pasticciotti Italian Cream Filled Tarts:
Pasticiotti Tarts are usually served for breakfast in Italy, but they are also eaten throughout the day. I think they make the perfect dessert idea too.
How to Store Italian Pastry Cream Tarts:
The Pasticciotti should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving. You could also warm them in a low oven for about 10 minutes.
More Delicious Italian Pastries:
- Sporcamuss Italian Cream Filled Pastries
- Homemade Fresh Strawberry Cannoli
- Cassatelle with Ricotta
- Creamy Homemade Baked Cannoli
So however you decide to fill these yummy tarts, be sure to eat them warm with a little dusting of icing sugar. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Pasticciotti Italian Cream Filled Pastry
Ingredients
CROSTATA DOUGH
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 pinch salt*
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons butter (room temperature) (140 grams total)
*I use salted butter, if you use unsalted then add 1/4 teaspoon salt.
LEMON PASTRY CREAM
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup cream whipping/whole cream
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
- peel from 1 or 2 lemons no white part
Instructions
LEMON PASTRY CREAM
- In a medium pot, heat over low the milk, cream and lemon rind, until very hot but do not boil. Remove from heat and let cool to warm.
- In a medium pot add yolks and sugar, whisk together until combined, then add flour and vanilla and whisk again until smooth, place the pot over medium / low heat, pour the warm milk/cream through a sieve to remove the lemon rind (discard), whisk continuously until thickened. Move to a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap (make sure wrap touches the cream mixture and refrigerate approximately 1 hour or until thickened.
CROSTATA DOUGH
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, salt, sugar and baking powder, make a well in the centre and add egg, egg yolk and butter (cubed), mix together (you can also use a food processor, pulse until dough just starts to come together), remove dough to a lightly floured flat surface and knead until it becomes a soft dough, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 350° (180° celsius) Grease and flour 12 medium muffin tins.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
- Remove dough from fridge, on a lightly floured surface knead a few times to soften it up. Roll to 1/8" thickness (or a little thicker if you prefer), cut out circles (approximately 3 1/2 inch / 8 1/2 cm) and fit to muffin pan. Prick the bottom of the tart with the end of a fork and then fill almost to the top with Pastry Cream.
- Wet the rim of each tart with a little water top with another cut out circle, cut with a knife to remove excess dough and seal with fingers. (seals better with fingers lightly dipped in water). When complete, in a small bowl mix together 1 egg and 3 teaspoons cream (or milk), brush the top of each muffin tart and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes. Let cool then dust with icing/powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Updated from December 14, 2016.
Ed says
Really looking to try this, but the grams for the flour appear to be wrong. The comment says (228 grams) but when you select the Metric measurement option it says the flour is 262 grams. There are similar problems with the whipping cream and the butter measurements.
Virtually all references I know of indicate that 1 cup of flour = 125g. So 1.75 cups of flour = 219g.
Heavy cream weighs approximately 178g, which your Metric measurement correctly states, but the comment says 165g.
For me the key problem is the flour, as I will weight that when I bake, but will not weigh the cream or butter.
Thanks for posting this recipe.
Rosemary says
Hi Ed, sorry about that, it has been corrected to the correct weight amounts. For me flour is from 125-130 grams and I just weighed a cup of cream and it weighed 230 grams. Let me know how it goes.
Helen S Medler says
Do you use European butter in your baking recipes, (higher fat content) or American does it make a difference?
Rosemary says
Hi Helen, I usually use European butter but my daughter for videos uses American and both work. 🙂
Kathy says
I have made your recipe for pasta clotting several times. It takes me back to when my children were young. They still love them. Thanks for the recipe.
Rosemary says
Hi Kathy, thanks so much, so glad you and your kids like them. Have a great week.
Nikola says
My custard didn’t set and I followed all instructions closely. What could have gone wrong?
Rosemary says
Hi Nikola, I really don’t know why it wouldn’t set, maybe you should have cooked it longer. Let me know.
Rita meilak says
I made the passticciotti and couldn’t get them out of the muffin tin cause they got stuck, why did this happen cause they all crumbled and broke, I was so disappointed , they came out delicious, could you please let me know why this happened, I did grease the muffin tin ?
Rosemary says
Hi Rita, I think maybe you didn’t grease them enough, dust it with flour after greasing or even spray. You could also try using paper cupcake holders. Hope that helps.
Fran Whitman says
I made this recipe using a 9 inch cake pan as you suggested. It turned out Perfectly…..I baked it at 375 for 25 minutes. The family loved it and will definitely make it again and again !!!!!
Rosemary says
Hi Fran, thanks so much, so glad you all enjoyed it. Take care.
geri says
I just made this receipt for Easter and in honor of my father who loved Pasticciotti. It is a great recipe though I did not add enough lemon. But I would make a larger recipe of the crostata. I barely got 10 tarts – in medium sized muffin ti and even at that the tops were very thin. I just did not have enough dough. It would be better to have more rather than not enough.
Fran Whitman says
Thank you so much for your prompt reply….I’m making it for Easter….I will let you know how it works out 🙂
Rosemary says
Hi Fran, your welcome and I hope you enjoy it. Happy Easter.
Fran Whitman says
Can these be made with a 9 inch pie instead of the smaller ones ?
Rosemary says
Hi Fran, yes you can make it in a pan, I would probably use a cake pan, and be sure to bake it about 40-50 minutes, if it starts to brown to much halfway through then cover it with foil and continue baking. It should be nice and gold brown when baked. Let me know how it goes.
Cinzia says
It came out beautifully! The Crostata is very light; not heavy, and the pastry cream is sooo good! I substituted lemon extract for the lemon peel, and cornstarch for the 2.5 Tbls of flour in the cream. For the top of the muffins, I used a 3 inch cut-out that worked perfectly.
Rosemary says
Hi Cinzia, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it.
Donna DeWan says
Excellent recipe, perfect every time!
Rosemary says
Thanks Donna, so glad you enjoyed it.