Coconut Tart with Jam (2024)

Coconut tart with jam is an old-school classic in the world of British puddings. Shortcrust pastry, jam and a scrumptious coconut topping create a noteworthy dessert that is easy to make and sure to please regardless of the season.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Hands up if you love baking with desiccated coconut? Me too. It’s such an under-rated product, but I’ve always got a bag of it on the go in my kitchen. This recipe for jam and coconut tart is my latest venture making use of it. And I’m delighted to be bringing it to you today.

Coconut tart is a bit of an old-fashioned classic, comprising:

• A crisp and crunchy shortrust pastry shell.
• A layer of sweet and tangy raspberry jam.
• And a light and tropical tasting coconut macaroon style topping.

It’s a magnificent combination that makes for a crowd-pleasing dessert.

Why you’ll love this jam and coconut tart

This recipe for coconut tart with jam just begs to be baked because:

• It uses basic, relatively cheap ingredients, so making it won’t break the bank.
• And it’s a straightforward recipe.
• This tart includes plenty of variation in texture. Think crisp pastry, sticky, gooey jam and a soft coconut topping with an enviably crunchy crust.
• The marriage of coconut with raspberry jam is divine.
• Shortcuts can be taken – want to use store-bought pastry? Go for it.

For more sweet tarts take a look at my recipes for Buxton pudding, cornflake tart and my blackberry frangipane tart. All three are worth getting up close and personal with.

Ingredients

Desiccated coconut: well, would you believe it, this is the star ingredient in this coconut tart. If desiccated coconut is new to you, here are the basics:

• It is dried coconut.
• And it is ground to a fine texture.
• It’s similar to shredded coconut but has a less coarse texture.
• Desiccated coconut is cheap and easy to find in the baking aisle in most UK supermarkets.
• If you can’t get hold of any, use shredded coconut but break it down slightly in a food processor (3 short pulses should do the trick). This will help it bind with the egg whites better.

Raspberry jam: this is the classic flavour to incorporate in this easy coconut tart recipe. However, there are plenty of alternatives that could be used. Get creative and see what you think pairs deliciously with the coconut – perhaps strawberry, cherry, blackberry, blueberry or damson plum jam could feature?

Flour: this should be plain (all-purpose) flour rather than self-raising flour. The latter contains baking powder (a raising agent) that is not welcome in this recipe.

Sugar: white caster sugar is the best option here. Don’t be tempted to substitute brown sugar of any kind in this recipe. Brown sugar has too much inherent flavour that does not pair well with the star flavours in this coconut tart with jam.

Butter: real butter delivers the best flavour and texture in the pastry, so don’t use an alternative unless dietary requirements demand that you do so. If you need to make this coconut tart dairy free, then use an appropriate block butter substitute, but add ¼ teaspoon salt to boost the flavour of the pastry.

Egg yolk: note the use of egg yolk in the pastry. It adds a certain richness to it that is quite special.

Eggs are an integral part of the filling too, so sadly, I don’t recommend leaving eggs out of this recipe for coconut tart in order to make it vegan (sorry).

Step-by-step instructions

1. Mix the flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl then rub in 75g butter.
2. Add the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of ice cold water. Use a knife to mix everything together, adding a little more water as necessary until a dough forms.
3. Tip onto a lightly floured worktop and knead briefly and gently until smooth (30 seconds).
4. Shape into a disk, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
5. Roll out to 2-3mm thickness then line an 8-inch tart tin and prick the base with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes.

6. Line the pastry with parchment, fill to the top with dried pulses e.g lentils and small beans) and bake for 15 minutes at 180C/ 350F/ GM4.
7. Remove the beans and parchment and bake for a further 7 minutes.
8. Melt the rest of the butter in a medium saucepan.
9. Thoroughly mix in the sugar, eggs and coconut.
10. Spread the jam over the base of the pastry case.
11. Top with the coconut mixture, using a fork to push it to the edge of the pastry, covering the jam entirely.
12. Bake for 15 minutes, then loosely cover the top with foil or parchment and continue to bake for a further 15 minutes.
13. Let cool for at least 45 minutes before serving.

Expert tips

There are quite a few tips to share with you when making this recipe for coconut tart. So many, in fact, that I’ve broken them into 2 sections:

General tips

• Use digital scales and gram measurements for accuracy when baking. I cannot stress enough how imprecise the cup measuring system is. For that reason, I don’t recommend it.
• Not into making your own pastry? That’s fine. Life is short (and not everybody is a certified pastry-making freak like me) so feel free to use readymade shortcrust pastry if you want to. You’ll need around 300g to line an 8-inch tart tin.
• Pick the best quality jam that you can afford. The aim is to pack a punch with the flavour. On that note, look at the fruit content of the jam and select the one with the highest amount of fruit per 100g of jam.
• Don’t forget to cover the tart halfway through the baking time to avoid the coconut browning a little too much.

Tips to avoid a soggy bottom

A soggy bottom can potentially ruin this jam and coconut tart. Follow my tips to ensure that your shortcrust pastry base is light, crisp and not remotely soggy:

• When making the pastry always use cold butter. This helps ensure that the pastry does not get too warm. Pastry that is allowed to get too warm is harder to handle and does not bake as well as cold pastry.
• Use adark metal heavy baking tin as these are better at absorbing heat than light coloured tins.
• Do chill the dough – it helps achieve crisp pastry and stops it shrinking from the sides of the tin as it cooks.
• And do blind bake the pastry case. It’s the best way to avoid a soggy bottomed tart.
• When blind baking, line the pastry case with parchment or foil then fill it to the top with a mixture of dried pulses such as small beans and lentils. Don’t bother with dedicated baking beans. I often find these leave indentations in the pastry case anyway.
• Put a baking sheet into the oven whilst it is heating up then sit the tart tin directly onto it whilst the pastry is blind baking and again when the filling has been added. This applies direct heat to the base of the tart, really helping to reduce the risk of a soggy bottom.

Frequently asked questions

This recipe for coconut tart with jam is easy, but there are a questions to address.

Variations

• Replace the raspberry jam with cherry jam (or any other jam you think pairs well with coconut).
• Or go down the curd route. Make yourself some lemon curd or passionfruit curd, or if time is short pick up a jar of passionfruit curd from The Carved Angel (it’s exquisite).
• Top with halves of glace cherries for a burst of vibrant colour.
• Fold 150g fresh raspberries into the jam before spreading it into the pastry case. This provides a blast of fresh berry flavour.
• Make jam and coconut tartlets instead of a large tart.

Serving suggestions

This jam and coconut tart is lovely served with a generous glug of cold single cream, but for a change try the following ideas instead:

• Clotted cream – total indulgence.
• Evaporated milk – old school indulgence.
• Custard – always a hit, especially in cooler weather.
• Pink custard – childish but so much fun.

More recipes using desiccated coconut

Have you made this recipe for coconut tart with jam?I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know how you got along by leaving a comment or rating below – it would mean so much to me if you do as it helps other readers know that they can trust my recipes.

(Visited 5,550 times, 18 visits today)