Strawberry Champagne Tart

A meltingly tender wafer crust surrounds a creamy champagne mascarpone filling topped with juicy strawberry slices in this festive Fruit Tart! Finished off with a light champagne glaze, you’ll want to whip up this no-bake treat for every celebratory occasion.

This Fruity Dessert is Perfect for New Year’s Eve

I don’t know about you, but I do a ton of baking throughout the Christmas season. By the time New Year’s Eve rolls around, I want nothing to do with my oven. But I still want to close out the year with a celebration-worthy treat.

Enter this boozy berry tart. It checks off all the boxes and then some! It’s incredibly easy to make from scratch, and it produces enough servings for a crowd – especially since you can double the recipe and use two separate tart pans.

The simple vanilla wafer crust provides a buttery base that’s good enough to munch on by itself. Once you factor in the smooth champagne mascarpone filling, the fresh strawberry slices and the sweet champagne glaze, it’s impossible to empty your plate without filling it up again! Everyone’s sure to enjoy the party when this tempting tart is in attendance.

What Is a Tart?

A tart is a classic pastry that comes in various flavors, often involving fruit. It’s characterized by its shallow crust, its creamy filling and its lack of a second crust on top. Though tarts can be sweet or savory, they’re most commonly topped with fresh berries and a shiny glaze – just like this gorgeous strawberry version!

Ingredients You’ll Need

This light and dainty dessert uses conveniently few ingredients. Check out the printable recipe card near the end of this post for specific amounts.

For the Vanilla Wafer Crust

• Vanilla Wafer Crumbs: I like to use a food processor to crush up my wafers.
• Sugar
• Butter: Melted.

For the Champagne Mascarpone Filling

• Powdered Gelatin: To help the filling set.
• Water: This should be nice and cold.
• Champagne: Use your favorite variety.
• Cornstarch: Don’t forget this important thickener.
• Sugar
• Mascarpone Cheese: Softened.
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Powdered Sugar

For the Berries & Glaze

• Strawberries: Cut into thin slices.
• Champagne
• Cornstarch
• Sugar

How to Make a Strawberry Champagne Tart

Calling this tart easy is an understatement. You do have to plan ahead, however, as it takes at least 3 hours to fully set.

Prepare the Crust

1. Combine Ingredients: Combine the vanilla wafer crumbs, sugar and melted butter.
2. Grease Pan: Grease a 9.75×4.25-inch rectangular tart pan.
3. Add Crust: Press the wafer mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Set the prepared crust aside.

Make the Filling

1. Combine Gelatin & Water: Add the cold water to a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set it aside and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
2. Heat Champagne, Cornstarch & Sugar: Add the champagne, cornstarch and sugar to a saucepan and heat the mixture on medium-high until the champagne is hot and just starting to simmer around the edges. Do not let it boil.
3. Add Gelatin Mixture: Microwave the gelatin mixture for 5-10 seconds, until it’s melted, then whisk it into the champagne mixture until smooth.
4. Remove From Heat & Let Cool: Remove the saucepan from the heat and set the mixture aside to cool and start thickening. I transferred it to another bowl and refrigerated it to speed up the process.
5. Whip Heavy Cream: Whip the heavy whipping cream in a separate bowl until it starts to thicken.
6. Add Powdered Sugar: Add the powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
7. Fold in Mascarpone: Gently fold the softened mascarpone cheese into the whipped cream.
8. Fold in Champagne Mixture: Carefully fold in the cooled champagne mixture (it should be thickened and jiggly, but not firm yet) and mix until combined.
9. Add Filling to Crust: Spread the filling evenly into the crust.

Add the Toppings

1. Top Filling With Strawberry Slices: Layer the sliced strawberries on top of the tart filling.
2. Make Glaze: Combine the champagne, cornstarch and sugar for the glaze in a small bowl. Microwave the mixture in 10-second increments until it’s thickened, about 20-30 seconds.
3. Brush Over Berries: Brush the glaze onto the strawberry slices with a pastry brush.
4. Set in Fridge: Refrigerate the tart until it’s firm, about 3-4 hours.

Tips for Success

Take a minute to go over these tips for surefire tart perfection.

• Wet the Gelatin: It’s important that all of the gelatin is touching the water – if it doesn’t naturally incorporate when you sprinkle it on top, give the mixture a gentle stir. Otherwise, it’ll be harder to incorporate into the champagne mixture.
• Don’t Boil the Champagne Mixture: Allowing the champagne mixture to come to a boil will mess with the thickening power of the cornstarch. Once it just starts to simmer around the edges, whisk in the melted gelatin mixture.
• Speed Up the Cooling Process: You want the champagne and gelatin mixture to cool until it’s not yet firm, but jiggly and easy to stir. I like to pour it into a bowl and chill it in the fridge. In this case, it should be sufficiently thickened in about 20 minutes.

Variation Ideas

Don’t be afraid to take this strawberry champagne tart and make it your own. Here are a few fun ways to switch it up:

• Change the Shape: Feel free to use a round 9-inch tart pan instead of a long rectangular one if you’d like. If you do this, I recommend using a pizza cutter to slice the tart into servings.
• Use Different Fruit: You can make this tart with any kind of fruit you like! Try adding blueberries to make it festive for memorial day or the 4th of July.
• Make a Graham Cracker Crust: I personally love how this tart tastes with a vanilla wafer crust, but you can totally make it with a graham cracker one if preferred. Just substitute the wafer crumbs for equal parts crushed graham crackers!
• Omit the Glaze: This tart is still delicious without the glaze, but I do recommend adding it if you expect to have leftovers. It actually helps preserve the sliced strawberries, making your tart hold up better in the fridge.

How to Store Extras

This strawberry tart is best fresh, but it will stay good in the fridge for up to 2 days. Be sure to keep it in an airtight container.

Can I Freeze This?

Due to the nature of the filling and the sliced berries, I don’t recommend freezing this tart. The freezing process would break down the gelatin in the filling and diminish the quality of the strawberries.

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More Sweet Treats With Champagne

• No-Bake Champagne Cookie Pops
• Fluffy Champagne Cupcakes
• Champagne Mousse With Chambord
• Strawberry Champagne Layer Cake

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