Gluten Free Cherry Custard Tart with Crunchy Cookie Crust & No-Bake Fillings

Our overnight weekend guests, (gluten-eaters) who both love cheesecake, absolutely loved this tart! They even asked for a piece with their breakfasts, both mornings. While this tart doesn’t quite contain a cheesecake filling, the small amount of cream cheese lends a slight cheesecake flavor. 

The main star of the evening was supposed to be my Make Ahead Gluten Free Tiramisu Cake. However, I didn’t realize that one of the guests didn’t like coffee. Luckily, I had just tested out a new recipe, Sweet & Crunchy Gluten Free Tart Crust, which turned out amazing.

With the leftover 1-1/2 cups of Pastry Cream mixed with cream cheese, from the tiramisu cake, and a can of cherry pie filling, it turned into an additional dessert. I had filled the crust on Friday and had it ready as a backup dessert in case the cake didn’t turn out well. (I don’t usually use new recipes for guests, but I knew it would taste good. I just didn’t know how well it would look after tearing off the outside parchment paper.) Meanwhile, the star of the evening turned out to be this gluten free cherry custard tart instead. I hope you enjoy it just as much as we did.

While I used only 1-1/2 cups of filling, you can make 1 recipe of the pastry cream, which makes about 3 cups when combined with 4 ounces of cream cheese. The tart can easily fit more filling. Whatever you don’t use, add to a ramekin or cup and sprinkle the top with cookie crumbs. Yum!

Because the crust is basically a cookie, it was difficult to slice the first evening, only one day after being filled. So, the crust was still extremely crunchy. However, by the second day, it was perfect. The filling had penetrated the crust just enough. By the third morning, it was almost the texture of a sturdy pie crust, but sweet.