Cherry Vanilla Tart | Mixed by Mark

This Cherry Vanilla Tart is absolutely delicious, with a tart sweetness and a crumbly shortbread crust.
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I made this tart the other night, because we had a friend coming over to watch the Atlanta United game. And of course, when we have people over, I make sure to have plenty (or too much) food for everyone! And, having people over is the perfect time to try out some new recipes. I'm always in need of a guinea pig 😊

This tart was so yummy! I’m definitely going to make it again! We all loved it, even Tommy, who is not much of a sweets person! I think all of us even decided to get a second piece!

This tart was actually very easy to make. But it looked impressive, and was a fun alternative to the typical cookies or brownies. I think it's the perfect treat to bring if you're going to someone's house and want to provide dessert.

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Grease a tart pan with cooking spray. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. The reason for this is because tart pans have a removable bottom. So having the tart pan on a baking sheet makes is easier to lift the pan without risking pressing the bottom up and messing up your pretty tart.

Start by making the shortbread base. Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature. Using a stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until it's light and fluffy. In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing between each addition. Continue to mix until the ingedients are all incorporated. Your dough will be a little crumbly.

Using floured hands, take ¾ of the dough and press it into the tart pan. Make sure to cover the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Save the remaining ¼ of dough for the topping.

Next, work on the filling. Make sure the cherries are fully thawed. Drain the excess juice from the cherries. This will keep the tart from being too liquidy. If there is too much liquid, the bottom of your crust won't get crisp. For any fans of The Great British Baking Show, you'll know they refer to this as the dreaded "soggy bottom".

Spread the cherry preserves over the bottom of the crust. Then scatter the thawed, drained cherries on top of the preserves.

Now you'll use the remaining ¼ of shortbread dough. Pinch off pieces of the dough and place them over the top of the tart, trying to cover as much of the tart as possible. I like to flatten the dough between my fingers a little before placing it on the tart. This way, I get more coverage. But even still, it doesn't need to look perfect.

Bake the tart for 38-40 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Allow the tart to cool completely in the pan.

When the tart is fully cooled, make the icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, melted butter, and milk. Mix until the icing is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. If the icing is too thick, add a little more milk, until the desired consistency is reached.
Drizzle the icing over the tart, making sure to cover the entire tart. Depending on the size of the tart and the level of sweetness you want, you may not use all the icing. I used a lot of mine, but not all. Allow the tart to sit until the icing has set. Depending on the amount of icing used, this will probably take 20-30 minutes.

When ready to serve, remove the tart from the pan and serve it on the removable base. I wouldn’t recommmend trying to remove the base before serving. Most likely, this will end up with your tart falling apart. I just placed the removable base on a pretty platter to make it look nice.
I would recommend eating this tart with a fork, instead of trying to pick it up with your hands to eat. It is a little messy. But hey, making a mess while you’re eating dessert is part of the fun, right? 😄

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a tart pan w/ cooking spray; place pan on a baking sheet.

Using a stand mixer, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, & vanilla til light & fluffy.

In a separate medium bowl, combine flour & salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing well between each addition.

Using floured hands, press ¾ of the dough into the prepared tart pan, covering the bottom & sides.

Spread the cherry preserves over the bottom of the dough.

Scatter the cherries over the preserves.

Pinch off pieces of the remaining dough & place over the top of the tart, trying to cover as much of the tart as possible.

Bake 38-40 minutes, until golden brown.

Allow the tart to cool completely in the pan.

Once the tart is cooled, make the icing: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, melted butter, & milk til smooth. If icing is too thick, add more milk until it reaches the desired consistency.

Drizzle the icing over the cooled tart. Allow the icing to set, about 20-30 minutes.

Remove from the pan & serve on the base of the tart pan.