Strawberry Champagne Tart

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This strawberry tart recipe combines a tender wafer crust with a creamy champagne mascarpone filling. It’s all topped with juicy strawberry slices, plus a light champagne glaze!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Sweet and buttery. A simple vanilla wafer crust provides this strawberry tart with 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!
  • Adjustable. This recipe is incredibly easy to make from scratch, and it produces enough servings for a crowd – you can even double the recipe and use two separate tart pans, if you like.
  • Elegant. Strawberries + champagne, in tart form? You really can’t make a more elegant dessert.

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, creamy filling, and 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!

A strawberry champagne tart on a white platter with a fresh strawberry beside it.

Ingredient Notes

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

For the Vanilla Wafer Crust

  • Vanilla wafer crumbs – I like to use a food processor to crush up my wafers.
  • Sugar – You’ll just need regular granulated sugar for this recipe.
  • Butter – Make sure to melt this before you begin.

For the Champagne Mascarpone Filling

  • Powdered gelatin – To help the filling set.
  • Water – This should be nice and cold.
  • Champagne – Use your favorite variety, but try to stay away from champagnes that are extra dry.
  • Cornstarch – Don’t forget this important thickener.
  • Sugar – We’ll use granulated sugar here as well.
  • Mascarpone cheese – Let this soften before you start on the filling.
  • Heavy whipping cream – Heavy whipping cream and heavy cream are the same thing, so whichever label you see first in the store will work!
  • Powdered sugar – I recommend sifting out any lumps in your powdered sugar before you begin.

For the Berries & Glaze

  • Strawberries – Cut these into thin slices.
  • Champagne
  • Cornstarch – To thicken up the glaze a little bit.
  • Sugar
Slices of strawberry champagne tart lined up on a long dessert platter.

Tips for Success

  • 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.

Substitutions & Recipe Variations

  • 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.
A blue plate holding a slice of champagne tart, a fork, and a fresh strawberry.

How to Store Extras

  • Store in the fridge: 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.
  • Don’t freeze it. 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.

More Tart Recipes

If you loved this strawberry tart recipe, be sure to check out these other easy tart recipes as well:

Print
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A slice of tart on a plate with the remaining slices on a platter behind it
Recipe

Strawberry Champagne Tart

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 4 hours
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
  • Yield: 10
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Stove
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This strawberry tart is made with a tender vanilla wafer crust, a creamy champagne mascarpone filling, and juicy glazed strawberry slices! It’s the perfect no-bake dessert for a New Year’s party. 


Ingredients

For the Vanilla Wafer Crust

  • 1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Champagne Mascarpone Filling

  • 0.25 ounces powdered gelatin
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 3/4 cup champagne
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

For the Berries & Glaze

  • 1 pound strawberries, sliced
  • 1/4 cup champagne
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

Prepare the Crust

  1. Combine vanilla wafer crumbs, sugar and melted butter.
  2. Grease a 9.75 by 4.25 inch rectangular tart pan, then press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Set aside.

Make the Filling

  1. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water. Set aside for about 5 minutes.
  2. Add champagne, cornstarch and sugar to a sauce pan and heat on medium-high until champagne is hot and just starting to simmer around the edges. Do not boil.
  3. Heat gelatin for about 10 seconds, until melted, then whisk gelatin into champagne until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool and begin to thicken. (I put it into another bowl and then in the fridge to speed cooling – about 15-20 minutes)
  4. In another bowl, whip heavy whipping cream until it starts to thicken.
  5. Add powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
  6. Fold the mascarpone cheese into the whipped cream.
  7. Carefully fold cooled champagne mixture (it should be thickened and jiggly, but not firm yet) to mascarpone cheese mixture and mix until combined.
  8. Spread mixture evenly into crust.

Add the Toppings

  1. Layer sliced strawberries onto of tart filling.
  2. Combine champagne, cornstarch and sugar for the glaze in a small bowl. Microwave in 10 second increments until thickened, about 20-30 seconds.
  3. Brush glaze onto strawberries with a pastry brush.
  4. Refrigerate tart until firm, about 3-4 hours.

Notes

  • Makes 8-10 slices.
  • To Store: This strawberry tart is best fresh, but will stay good in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 280
  • Sugar: 17.1 g
  • Sodium: 50 mg
  • Fat: 18.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 24.4 g
  • Protein: 2.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 48.3 mg

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11 Comments
  1. Sally

    I served this for New Year’s Eve dinner. It was easy to prepare and made a beautiful presentation. Though I could have prepared this in my round tart pan, I bought a rectangular tart pan because I love the shape for this dessert. Guests thought it was delicious and appreciated how light it was. It’s a great alternative to a heavy cheesecake. Thanks for the excellent recipe!

  2. Staci

    This was so delicious! My strawberries weren’t very sweet and the glaze helped bring out the sweetness. Next time I’m going to make this with raspberries.

  3. Jen | Baked by an Introvert

    This tart would be perfect for an upcoming New Year party. Nothing goes together better than strawberries and champagne. Gorgeous tart, Lindsey!

  4. Dee

    Lindsay, I don’t have that size of a tart pan. Would this work in a 13 x 9, other than looking less pretty, of course?

    1. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com

      13 x 9 pan is probably about double the size of the rectangular tart pan, so I’d double the recipe for that size pan. You could also use a 9 inch tart or pie pan.

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I'm a wife and a mom to twin boys and a baby girl! And I've got a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the treats!

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29