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Recipe details are AI-generated from the video and may contain errors — for reference only.
schedulePrepare in advance
Be extremely careful when pouring hot water to prevent splashing and skin scalding.
Pour 300ml hot water into a large glass bowl, add 112g castor sugar, and whisk until fully dissolved into a clear syrup. Set aside to cool completely.
Watch out
The sugar syrup must be completely cooled before mixing with eggs
otherwise hot syrup will cook and scramble the eggs
Crack 4 eggs into a small bowl individually to check freshness before transferring to a glass bowl. Whisk gently until whites and yolks are fully combined with no visible white streaks or excess bubbles.
Watch out
Whisk eggs gently without vigorous whipping, otherwise excess air bubbles will make the baked egg tart surface uneven.
Add 80ml evaporated milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and beaten 4 eggs into the cooled sugar syrup. Gently stir with a whisk until thoroughly combined into a uniform pale yellow custard liquid.
Watch out
Keep stirring gently and do not over-mix to prevent generating foam.
Place a fine strainer over a clean bowl and pour the egg custard through. Repeat sifting 3 times to remove unmixed egg whites and air bubbles. Use a spatula to gently skim off remaining bubbles from the surface.
Watch out
Must sift 3 full times
un-sifted egg bits and bubbles will cause holes and ruin the smooth texture of the baked custard
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight) to rest, settle small air bubbles, and stabilize the custard structure.
Watch out
Ensure plastic wrap seals the bowl completely
otherwise the custard will absorb fridge odors
Place a sieve over a large mixing bowl. Add 333g all-purpose flour, 93g icing sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Sift everything into the bowl and whisk until evenly blended and lump-free.
Watch out
Icing sugar easily clumps and must be sifted
unsifted sugar lumps will melt and leave holes in the baked pastry crust
Use proper grip and knife technique when dicing cold hard butter to prevent slipping and finger cuts.
Cut 233g cold unsalted butter directly from the fridge into small cubes. Add to the flour bowl, toss with a spatula to coat, then use fingertips to quickly rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large butter lumps.
Watch out
Butter must be rock cold! Use only fingertips and avoid palm contact to prevent body heat from melting the butter, which ruins pastry flakiness.
Add 1/2 beaten egg and 1.5 tsp vanilla extract to the center of the crumbly mixture. Gently fold and press using a silicone spatula until crumbs gather into a smooth dough with no dry flour streaks.
Watch out
Do not knead like bread dough! Over-working will develop gluten, causing tart shells to shrink excessively, crack, and lose flakiness.
Place the dough onto baking paper, cover with plastic wrap, and flatten slightly with your palm. Roll out with a rolling pin over the wrap into a sheet about 0.5cm thick.
Watch out
Rolling between paper and wrap prevents sticking without adding extra flour
roll with even pressure to maintain a uniform 0.5cm thickness
Transfer the rolled dough sheet on the parchment paper into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. This relaxes gluten and re-hardens the butter for easy cutting and shaping.
Watch out
Do not skip chilling
shaping unchilled warm dough will stick, tear, and shrink badly during baking
Peel off top wrap. Use an 8cm round cutter to punch out dough discs. Place a disc into an aluminium tart mould (8cm top, 4.5cm base, 2cm height), cover with plastic wrap, then stack a second empty tart mould on top aligned with the grooves. Press down firmly to mold the pastry evenly into shape. Remove top mould and wrap, then neaten the rim. Repeat for 20 tart shells.
Watch out
Ensure top and bottom tart moulds are perfectly aligned with grooves! Press firmly until the pastry squeezes slightly above the rim for even shell thickness.
Arrange the shaped tart shells on a baking tray and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes to re-solidify the butter inside the dough.
Watch out
Second chilling right before filling is critical to prevent dough from melting and shrinking in the hot oven.
Gently stir the chilled egg custard to redistribute settled solids, then pour into a measuring cup with a spout. Fill each chilled tart shell to 80% full (do not overfill). Use a spoon edge to scoop off tiny surface air bubbles.
Watch out
Do NOT fill past 80%! Custard expands during baking
overfilling will cause spillover, sticking, and soggy pastry
Preheat oven to 190°C (top & bottom heat, no fan). Place tray on the middle rack and bake for 20 minutes. Turn off heat completely and leave door closed to stew in residual heat for 5-10 minutes.
local_fire_departmentBake 190°C 20 mins, turn off and stew 5-10 minsWatch out
Do not open oven door immediately after baking! Sudden temperature drop will cause puffed custard to collapse and wrinkle.
Baking tray and metal moulds are extremely hot after baking; wear heavy oven mitts to avoid severe burns.
Wear thick oven mitts to remove the baking tray. Insert a toothpick vertically into the center of a tart: if it stands upright unsupported, the custard is perfectly cooked. Cool for 15 minutes, then gently loosen aluminium moulds to unmould.
Watch out
Must cool for 15 minutes before unmoulding! Fresh hot crusts are soft and will break easily if handled too soon.
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