What Are They?
It's a cheese tart that's been so popular throughout Asia. Originally inspired by Hokkaido's dairy products and originated in a bakery in Sapporo, Hokkaido.
They are really something not to miss out. The tart crust is flaky and the cheesy filling is creamy.
Making These Tarts in Spain
Yes. I've never been to Hokkaido or Japan myself. I would love to, one day. So obviously I'm not using Hokkaido's dairy products nor the original bakery's recipe. This is my take on the ohhh-so-famous-and-yummy Hokkaido cheese tarts.
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I first heard of the tarts like 2 years ago from my sister. She sent me a photo of the Hokkaido cheese tarts that she bought in Malaysia. She was raving on how delicious they were and I thought ok, that cannot be. I simply have to taste it. That means recreating it.
So today I'm sharing my take on it with you.
I'm using local dairy products from Spain. Actually all of the ingredients are from Spain. My point is, you can still enjoy these delicious tarts wherever you are. I'm so passionate about limitless cooking. Cooking should not be bound to certain places and ingredients. It should carry the same freedom as life does, and adaptable to where we are. That's the beauty of cooking.
Tips
This recipe is simple even though you have the crust and the filling components to tackle. I'm adding lemon zest in the crust as it just brings the taste to another level. Just a note though. Where I am now is super hot in the summer.
So that's why I'm chilling the dough for a while so that it's firm enough to handle before pressing it into the tart moulds. If you don't have that problem, by all means skip the chilling process.
I do say to place the unbaked crust in the freezer for a while though. With this type of crust it's always good to have it cold before baking. More when we've been manipulating the dough a lot when pressing into the moulds.
After piping the filling into the baked shells, put them in the freezer until the filling is firm enough to the touch. Why? Because we will be brushing the top with some egg yolk and it's going to be too soft to directly brush on it without putting in the freezer for a while.
The filling is pre cooked as a custard before we grill it. So it won't take long. Just enough to get that beautiful slight charred looks.
So I know what I would be serving my sisters when they come to visit. And if they don't put it in writing that my Hokkaido cheese tarts are the best in the world (muahaha!) then they might be spending the night in the roundabout across the street. Ha!
More Tart Recipes
- Mini salted chocolate tarts
- Hong Kong style coconut tarts
- Coconut and dulce de leche tart
- Peanut butter cheesecake tarts
Recipe Video
📖 Recipe
Hokkaido Cheese Tart
Equipment
- 16" Disposable Decorating Bag Set
Ingredients
The Shells
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter (75 g), soften
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar (25 g)
- 1 egg yolk , room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup all purpose flour (130 g)
The Filling
- 3.5 oz cream cheese (100 g)
- 3.5 oz mascarpone cheese (100 g)
- 1 oz Parmesan cheese (30 g), grated
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (30 g)
- ⅓ cup milk (80 ml)
- ¼ cup icing sugar (30 g), sifted
- 1 tablespoon corn starch , sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 egg , lightly beaten
- 1 egg yolk , to brush to top
Instructions
The Shells
- Add butter and sugar into a bowl and mix them well using a spatula. Then add in egg yolk, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Mix well to combine.
- Finally add in flour and mix just to combine. Don't over mix. Place the dough on a cling film and wrap it. Then place it in the fridge for 1 hour. Meanwhile let's make the filling.
The Filling
- Use a thick base pot and place it on medium heat. Add in the 3 cheeses together with milk and butter. Cook until the cheeses are melted.
- Then add in icing sugar, corn starch and mix until smooth. Finally add in egg, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens. Sift into a bowl to discard any lumps. Cover the bowl with the cling film touching the top surface of the filling and set aside to cool completely.
Assembling
- Remove the dough from the fridge after 1 hour. Take some of the dough and press it evenly inside a 2.5 inch (6.5 cm) tart mould. Cut off the excess dough with a knife and prick the base with a fork. Repeat until the rest of the dough is finished.Tip: Place the unbaked shell in a freezer for 10 minutes to firm up a bit.
- Bake in a preheated oven on the lowest rack at 340ºF (170ºC) for 15 minutes. Cool completely and then remove the shells from the moulds. Tap the bottom a few times to help releasing it.
- Fill the filling in a piping bag and pipe in inside the shells. Then place the unbaked tarts in the freezer for 30 minutes for the filling to firm up. Then brush the top of the filling with some egg yolk wash.
- Grill for a few minutes in the oven until the top is slightly charred. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition facts provided are an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Gurpreet says
Hi,
What is the size of the mini tart shells used? Please advise. Thanks.
Bea says
Hi! The size is 2.5 inch (6.5 cm). Hope it helps!
inez says
Can it last for 3 days in room temperature?
Bea says
Depending if your place is super hot or not but I'd recommend you to keep them in the fridge if you were to consume them after 3 days. Hope it helps and thank you!
Kevin says
Made these tarts recently and they were amazing, omg so decadent. Just a quick question can I make the shells and leave them in the freezer for future use? If so, do I store them baked or unbaked?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Bea says
Yes, of course. I always freeze them already baked (personally for me it's easier) but either way works great. I do pop them for a few minutes in the oven after thawing to bring them back to life though. Hope it helps and thank you, Kevin!
Rox says
Hi! What's the temperature when grilling the tart?
V says
How many tarts does this make?
Bea says
This recipe makes 9 tarts 🙂
Yana says
What if I dont have mascarpone? Can I use cream cheese + cream cheese instead of mascarpone + cream cheese?
Bea says
Yes, of course. You can use cream cheese instead of mascarpone. Hope it helps.
Yana says
Thank you! ☺️
Violet says
Hello!
Really wan to try the recipe.
Can I make it as a one big tart ? Or does the filling will spill out ?
Anne says
Hi,
Just wondering, can we leave out the parmesan cheese?
Bea says
Hi Anne. Yes, skip it if you don't like it. Hope it helps.
vee says
Hi bea I’m using homemade cream cheese which I blended it prior to storing in a tub. The texture is not as smooth as store bought cream cheese. May I ask if there’s any difference between Baine Marie and blending the tart filling? I done using baine marie but the filling texture is not creamy. I wonder if I could mix all the filling and blend it in a blend to smoothen it? Thank you
Samuel says
Fabulous tarts. I made it just now and the kids love it. I left the lemon juice and zest out as I'm afraid it might be too sour for them. I replaced mascarpone cheese with creme fraiche and turned out good too. Thanks for the recipe.
Bea says
I'm glad to know that, thank you Samuel!
Zivah says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, me and my mum used to live in Japan and she really misses the mini cheesetarts, I’m super happy that I found a recipe so I can make them for her tonight!
Tim Herring says
Look great - how many shells does this make?
Thanks Tim
Bea says
This recipe makes 9 tarts, hope it helps 🙂
aprillia says
What I can use to substitute the mascarpone cheese? Thank you
Bea says
You can put more of cream cheese instead. Hope it helps!
jhkr says
Hi! I will never have enough space to freeze the filled tarts before baking, can I just refrigerate them for longer before baking..?
Bea says
Yes, you can 😊.
Cheryl says
I was too lazy to make my own shell. But used your filling and instead of icing sugar I used granulated sugar. Still tastes great and not too sweet. The only part I butchered was the broiling to char the top. It got a bit too burnt. But still tastes yummy!!
Could I not brush with egg and just broil for a few min?
Bea says
Hi Cheryl! I'm happy to know that you liked it! Yeah when broiling you kind of need to keep an eye on it 😀 . The brushed egg at the end is what gives it that golden charred color, if you don't mind that, yes skip it. Thank you so much Cheryl! XO
Tracy says
Hi , I have all the ingredients except for the mascarpone cheese.. what should I substitue? I was wondering if I can substitute a yougurt?
Bea says
Hi Tracy! I'd say use more cream cheese instead. Hope it helps 🙂
PY says
Hi, I tried to bake this using pre-made shells and in an airfryer but the taste turn out to be a bit sour. Any reason for this?
Chris says
Hi there,
Ate my first tart in Toronto and consider it one of the best cakes I have ever had.
I like to make them now back in Germany and wonder if they are actually taste sweet enough with just 30g sugar?
Bea says
Hi Chris! These tarts are not overly sweet so if you're into sweeter ones you can adjust the sugar amount to your liking. Hope it helps!
Laura says
Hello!
I’m getting into the world of baking and I loved the cheese tarts that I had tried when I visited Japan. I tried to recreate your recipe but the tart came out tasting slightly like egg? What did I do wrong and how can avoid this problem in the future?
Bea says
Hi Laura! Sorry to hear that! I think most probably it was when cooking the filling, don't use high heat or cook until the filling came to a boil. Hope it helps.
Laura says
Turns out I left it in the oven too long at the end. I couldn’t get the right color but now I broil it and it’s fantastic! Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Unbareen says
Hi Bea,
Can you please tell me if it makes a difference if we use whipped vs regular cream cheese? Which one is preferred?
Thank you.
Bea says
Hi Unbareen! Honestly I haven't worked with whipped cream cheese product before so I don't know what are the ingredients included in it. Personally I would use regular cream cheese. Hope it helps.