On a Time Crunch? Try This Cheese Tart with Ready-Made Tart Shell

Rarely use ready-made tart shell but it sure comes in handy, especially the easier cleaning part. All the work left was blend the ingredients and spread them over the already made shell. Bake for a moment then store in the fridge. Just a shortcut that ease up the busy daily schedule.

Cheese tart with ready-made tart shell (recipe adapted from the Food Network) - 

Ingredients (for 6 slices)?

• 1 8-inch diameter ready-made tart shell (a few smaller shells will do)
• 1 lime

Cream cheese filling:

• 12 oz.  cream cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sour cream topping:

• 7 oz. sour cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

How?

It might not be the most delicious option, but a good quality ready-made tart shell still holds up the flavors pretty well.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a baking dish and put the ready-made tart shell in the center.

To make the cream cheese filling, leave the cream cheese at room temperature for 10 minutes or so before mixing. Add the cream cheese, eggs, 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to a big bowl. Use a hand-held mixer and beat till smooth. Pour the mixture into the tart shell and smooth out the surface with a spatula. 

Into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Once ready, cool under room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes.

Sour cream topping is optional, what it does is adding a lighter and fresher touch to this recipe. If skipping the sour cream topping, simply zest one lime and sprinkle it over the cream cheese filling before serving. 

So to make the sour cream topping, beat the sour cream, 1 1/2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract till smooth. Spread on top of the cream cheese filling and smooth out the surface. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Once ready, cool under room temperature then add the zest of one lime throughout. Transfer to the fridge and let it rest for at least 4 hours. You can also add the lime zest right before serving for maximum zesty aroma.

If using several smaller tart shells, pour the cream cheese filling about 2/3 to the edge of the shell. The height of the cream cheese filling pretty much stays at where it is after baking. 

This recipe yields a lighter flavored cheese tart that tastes almost like a Japanese style cheesecake, but with a denser texture.

Take it seriously, the lighter flavored cheese tart means that you might finish half of the treat without noticing it. 


Other sweet treats recipes:

• Sweet tooth recipe - Nutella and black currant jam layer cake
• Something sweet for yourself - single serving hot cocoa recipe using chocolate chips
• Quick snack in 15 minutes - French toast with Nutella sauce
• Bittersweet chocolate chip brownies - chewy kind, no oil needed
• Make ahead dessert recipe - creme brulee 2.0
• Sweet tooth weekend - Danish toast with melted dark chocolate and Gouda
• It's afternoon tea time! Coconut madeleines, recipe courtesy of Ina Garten from the Food Network
• Chocolate truffle torte infused with a little bit of coffee and cognac - recipe from the "Chocolate Box"
• Chocolate and banana bundt cakes (recipe using two 3 cups bundt cake molds)