A simple Piña Colada Tart, with buttery sweet shortcrust pastry, a creamy pineapple curd filling, and a light coconut whipped cream topping! Sweet and tangy is my jam. I made a lemon tart a few months ago that hasn’t made it to the blog yet, but I figured I’d share this creamy pineapple tart first instead. Because it’s just that good! There is no alcohol in this tart, so it’s a family friendly virgin piña colada tart.
This recipe has three components,
How to make creamy coconut pineapple tart (Piña Colada Tart)
Making the tart crust
I make a classic pate suree crust for this tart. It’s a beautifully light, crisp, and buttery tart shell that is also very easy to make. You can find all the details on how to make a pate sucree tart shell in my sweet shortcrust pastry recipe post. You can easily make this piña colada tart in a 9 inch round tart pan, but I make it in a rectangular tart pan (11″ x 4.5″). The most important part of making this tart shell is to make sure you chill the tart for at least 1 hour before blind baking it in the oven. This helps prevent shrinkage (there could be just a little bit of shrinkage anyway though).
Making the pineapple curd
I made a creamy pineapple curd as the filling for this tart. The curd is creamy, tangy and delicious, and provides the perfect flavor balance with the fruity sweetness and tartness. Since this creamy pineapple curd needs to be cooled down to at least room temperature (or colder) when filling the tart, you can make it the day before you bake the tart, and then let it chill in the fridge overnight.
Making the coconut whipped cream
I make a stabilized whipped topping here, so that the topping doesn’t dissolve or weep. The addition of gelatin keeps the coconut whipped cream stable on top of the tart. To make the coconut and whipped cream topping, I refrigerated a can of coconut cream (unsweetened), and then scooped out the fat that hardens on top. This hardened fat is what will be whipped with the cream. Whisk the coconut fat until smooth. Set aside. Bloom and microwave some gelatin that will be added to the whipped cream as well. Mix the whisked coconut fat and an equal amount of heavy cream in a large bowl, along with some vanilla and sugar. Add the gelatin mix, while whisking the cream mixture. Whisk until you have a stiff but smooth mixture (not curdled).
Assembly
Assembling the tart is super easy. Once you’ve got a cooled down pate sucree tart base, you can fill it with the whisked, creamy pineapple curd. This is the base of your piña colada tart. To prevent the filling from making the tart soggy, I like to brush my pate sucree tart with melted cocoa butter or melted chocolate. I used melted white chocolate for that purpose here. Spread the filling inside the tart and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until you’re ready to serve. Make the whipped coconut topping and spread or pipe it on top of the creamy pineapple tart. Then decorate with toasted coconut flakes or lime/lemon zest and serve!
Workflow for making the Pineapple Tart
Day one
Make the pate sucree dough in the morning. Then let it chill in the fridge overnight. Make the pineapple curd, and let it chill in the fridge overnight.
Day two
Roll out the pate sucree dough and line the tart pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Bake the pate sucree tart. Once cooled, brush the inside of the tart with melted chocolate / cocoa butter.
Day three (or later in the day on day two)
Whisk the pineapple curd until smooth. Fill the tart shell with pineapple curd and refrigerate for about 1 hour until the curd has set. Make the coconut whipped topping. Top the pina colada tart with coconut topping, and decorate. Refrigerate and serve if you’re making this on day two, or refrigerate the tart overnight to serve on the following day.
Shortcuts for making the Pina Colada Tart
My recipe for pate sucree is the base for this tart. It’s so buttery, and tastes like a sweet cookie! I LOVE making this tart crust because it’s easy, and always comes out perfect. It’s absolutely worth your while to make this crust for this dessert. However, to make things easier, you can certainly use a store-bought, pre-made tart shell. You could even make your own graham cracker tart, or buy one from the store. I use a combination of coconut and heavy cream to make a stabilized whipped cream. But you can make coconut whipped cream using only coconut too. Check out this recipe on Minimalist Baker to find out how.
Can I make this with alcohol?
Yes, you can. When you’re making the pineapple curd, make it with 1/4 cup less of the pineapple juice. Instead, add 1/4 cup of rum after you’ve added the egg mixture, and cook according to the instructions. Since you will be cooking the curd until it’s boiling, the alcohol may mostly evaporate. Thus leaving behind maybe a hint of booze, and the flavor of rum.
Make ahead and storage tips
This piña colada tart can be made and stored in the fridge for about 24 hours. Especially, if you brushed the tart with melted chocolate, because this will prevent the crust from getting soggy. You can also make the pate sucree tart crust about 3 days in advance, as long as you store it in an air-tight container, at room temperature. The pineapple curd will last about 5 days in the fridge. So as long as you’re filling and serving the tart within that timeframe, you’re good to go.
Why I love this recipe
I freaking love this pineapple curd! So much so that I baked the extra pate sucree crust, broke it into pieces, and dipped the pieces in the pineapple curd and ate ’em like chips! And this tart screams summer. It’s sweet, tangy, and super refreshing with the creamy coconut combo. It’s the perfect summer dessert, and not too hard to make. Plus, I love that vibrant yellow!
