Home-style recipes from around the world

EN
Finished Hong Kong egg tarts on a plate, with pale, smooth custard and layered pastry and no scorched spots
Serves15 tarts
CuisineHong Kong
East Asia

Hong Kong Egg Tarts (蛋撻) with Flaky Rough-Puff Pastry

How to make Hong Kong egg tarts (蛋撻) with a buttery rough-puff crust and a smooth, pale evaporated-milk custard. This home version makes 15 tarts in 3-inch molds and walks through every fold, the rested custard, the two-temperature bake on a baking steel or stone, and serving warm. It also covers fixes and how this flaky style differs from other Hong Kong crusts and from Portuguese custard tarts.

Cooking flow

Cooking steps

STEP 11 / 34

Mix the flour and salt

All-purpose flour and table salt being whisked together in a large bowl
Mix the flour and salt evenly before the butter goes in

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon table salt.

STEP 22 / 34

Press the butter into flakes

Fingers pressing cold butter cubes into flat flakes coated in flour
Flatten the cold butter into flakes and coat them in flour

Add the 12 tablespoons (170 g) cold butter cubes. Press each cube flat between your fingers into a broad flake, tossing the flakes so they are coated in flour.

STEP 33 / 34

Combine the cream and water

Cold heavy cream and cold water being mixed in a separate bowl
Mix the cold cream and cold water in their own container

In a separate container, stir together 1/4 cup (57 g) cold heavy cream and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (85 g) cold water.

STEP 44 / 34

Add half of the liquid

Half of the cream and water mixture being poured into the flour and butter
Add the first half of the liquid; the mixture stays partly dry

Pour about half of the cream mixture over the flour and butter and toss to combine. The mixture will still be partly dry.

STEP 55 / 34

Add the rest of the liquid

The remaining cream and water mixture being added to a shaggy flour and butter mixture
After the second addition the mixture looks wetter and shaggy

Pour in the remaining cream mixture and toss again. The dough will look shaggy, with some dry flour and butter flakes still showing.

STEP 66 / 34

Knead gently until the dough holds together

Hands gently gathering and pressing a coarse pastry dough on a work surface
Knead only until the dough holds; add water by the 1/2 teaspoon only if dry flour remains

Knead gently, just until the dough comes together. If dry flour remains, add water 1/2 teaspoon at a time until it does. Butter pieces should still be visible.

STEP 77 / 34

Roll into a rectangle

A rough rectangle of pastry being rolled with a wooden pin on a floured board
Roll the dough into a rough rectangle on a floured surface

Lightly flour the work surface. Gather the dough into a rough rectangle and roll it to 8 by 13 inches, about 1/2 inch thick.

STEP 88 / 34

Fold in thirds and turn

Hands folding a flap of rectangular pastry toward the center in a letter fold
The first letter fold: fold the dough in thirds

Fold the dough in thirds like a business letter: one short end toward the middle, then the other end over it.

Turn the folded dough 90 degrees, a quarter turn, on the work surface.

Hands turning a folded block of rough-puff pastry a quarter turn on a floured board
Give the folded dough a quarter turn before rolling again
STEP 99 / 34

Repeat the roll, fold and turn

A finished rectangular block of rough-puff pastry with folded layers at its edge
The dough after all five roll-fold-turn rounds

Roll the dough out again, fold it in thirds, and give it another quarter turn. Keep going until you have rolled, folded and turned it five times in all: the first time in steps 7 and 8, plus four more. Dust with flour as needed so the dough doesn't stick.

STEP 1010 / 34

Divide and wrap

A bench knife dividing a block of rough-puff pastry into two pieces
Divide the folded dough into two pieces

Cut the dough in half.

Wrap each piece in plastic wrap.

Hands wrapping one of two pieces of pastry in plastic wrap
Wrap each piece separately
STEP 1111 / 34

Chill the pastry

Two wrapped pieces of pastry resting on a refrigerator shelf
Chill the wrapped dough for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours

Refrigerate the wrapped dough for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

STEP 1212 / 34

Mix the sugar and salt for the custard

Granulated sugar and salt being whisked in a glass bowl
Mix the custard's sugar and salt first

In a bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup (66 g) granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon table salt.

STEP 1313 / 34

Warm the milk and water

Evaporated milk and water warming in a saucepan with a thermometer in the liquid
Warm the milk mixture to about 90°F; this is warming, not cooking

In a small saucepan, warm 3/4 cup (170 g) evaporated milk and 1/2 cup (113 g) water to about 90°F (about 32°C). This only warms the liquid so it mixes easily; it is not meant to heat it further.

STEP 1414 / 34

Pour the warm milk over the sugar

Warm milk being poured from a saucepan into a bowl of sugar and salt while whisking
Whisk the warm milk into the sugar and salt

Pour the warm milk mixture into the sugar and salt and whisk to combine.

STEP 1515 / 34

Whisk in the eggs and yolk

Eggs being whisked into a pale milk custard
Whisk in the whole eggs and the extra yolk

Add 3 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk and whisk until blended into the milk mixture.

STEP 1616 / 34

Strain the custard

Yellow custard being poured through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl
Strain the custard for a smooth filling

Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl.

STEP 1717 / 34

Cover and rest the custard

Hands stretching clear film over a bowl of custard
Cover the custard and let it rest for 30 minutes to 2 hours

Cover the bowl and let the custard rest for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

STEP 1818 / 34

Roll the chilled pastry thin

Hands rolling a thin sheet of pastry with a floured rolling pin
Roll the chilled dough thin

Unwrap the chilled dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll it 1/8 to 1/16 inch thick and about 12 by 12 inches.

STEP 1919 / 34

Cut 15 circles

A metal round cutter pressing into thin pastry, with cut circles on a tray
Cut 15 circles with a 3 3/4-inch cutter

Use a 3 3/4-inch round cutter to cut 15 circles in total. If you want to bake the scraps (see the optional section below), set them aside.

STEP 2020 / 34

Spray the molds

A hand spraying nonstick spray into empty fluted tart molds
Spray the empty 3-inch molds before lining them

Coat 3-inch tart molds with nonstick spray.

STEP 2121 / 34

Line the molds

Fingertips pressing a pastry circle into the bottom and fluted sides of a tart mold
Fit the pastry into the mold and press out air pockets

Press a pastry circle into each mold, fitting it into the bottom and up the sides, and push out any air pockets.

STEP 2222 / 34

Dock the bottoms

A fork pricking holes in the base of a raw pastry shell in a tart mold
Prick each base a few times with a fork

Prick the bottom of each shell a few times with a fork.

STEP 2323 / 34

Chill the shells

Unbaked, fork-docked pastry shells in small metal molds on a refrigerator tray
Chill the lined shells for 15 minutes

Refrigerate the lined molds for 15 minutes.

STEP 2424 / 34

Heat the oven with the steel or stone

A baking stone on the lowest rack of an open home oven
Set the steel or stone on the lowest rack and preheat to 400°F

Place a baking steel or baking stone on the lowest oven rack and preheat the oven to 400°F (about 204°C).

STEP 2525 / 34

Trim the edges

A small knife trimming excess pastry from the fluted rim of a tart mold
Trim the overhanging pastry at the rim

Trim off any pastry hanging over the rims of the molds.

STEP 2626 / 34

Freeze the shells

A tray of unfilled pastry shells in fluted molds going into a freezer
Freeze the trimmed shells for 15 minutes

Freeze the trimmed shells for 15 minutes.

STEP 2727 / 34

Check the custard

Yellow custard being poured through a fine strainer, with small set bits caught in the mesh
Strain again only if lumps have formed

Look at the rested custard. If any lumps have formed, strain it again.

STEP 2828 / 34

Fill the shells

Pale custard being ladled into unbaked pastry shells on a baking sheet
Fill each shell with 2 tablespoons of custard

Set the molds on a baking sheet and pour 2 tablespoons of custard into each shell.

STEP 2929 / 34

Bake at 400°F

Custard-filled tarts in metal molds on a tray resting on a baking stone in the oven
The first 10 minutes at 400°F, on the steel or stone

Place the baking sheet on the baking steel or stone and bake at 400°F (about 204°C) for 10 minutes.

STEP 3030 / 34

Lower to 350°F and keep baking

Egg tarts on a tray in the oven, custard edges beginning to set and centers still pale
Lower the heat to 350°F for the next 10 minutes

Reduce the oven to 350°F (about 177°C) and bake for 10 minutes more.

STEP 3131 / 34

Check that the custard has just set

Baked egg tarts in their molds with smooth, set pale custard and lightly golden rims
Done: custard just set, edges beginning to color

The tarts are done when the custard has just set and the pastry edges are beginning to color. Total baking time is 20 to 25 minutes; if the custard has not set at 20 minutes, keep baking at 350°F within that range and check again.

STEP 3232 / 34

Cool in the molds

Freshly baked egg tarts still in their metal molds on a tray
Leave the tarts in their molds for 5 minutes

Let the tarts cool in their molds for 5 minutes.

STEP 3333 / 34

Unmold gently

Hands gently lifting an egg tart out of its fluted mold
Lift the tarts out gently after the 5-minute cool

Gently lift each tart out of its mold. If one sticks, ease it out with a small offset spatula or a chopstick.

STEP 3434 / 34

Serve warm

A warm egg tart, out of its mold, being placed on a plain plate
Serve the tarts warm, out of their molds

Serve the tarts warm.

0 / 0
Ingredients

Ingredients

1 / 1

Ingredients

Ingredient Amount Role
All-purpose flour 2 cups (240 g) Pastry: the base of the rough-puff dough
Table salt (for the pastry) 1/2 teaspoon Pastry: seasons the dough
Unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 12 tablespoons (170 g) Pastry: pressed into flakes that become the layers
Heavy cream, cold 1/4 cup (57 g) Pastry: part of the cold liquid that binds the dough
Water, cold (for the pastry) 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (85 g) Pastry: the rest of the cold liquid
Granulated sugar 1/3 cup (66 g) Custard: sweetness
Table salt (for the custard) 1/4 teaspoon Custard: seasons the filling
Evaporated milk 3/4 cup (170 g) Custard: the milky base
Water (for the custard) 1/2 cup (113 g) Custard: thins the evaporated milk
Large eggs 3 Custard: sets the filling
Large egg yolk 1 Custard: adds richness and color

Keep the butter, cream and pastry water cold until you use them. A little extra water may be needed while kneading, and a little flour is needed for dusting the work surface.

0 / 0

Hong Kong Egg Tarts: A Flaky Shell Around a Pale, Just-Set Custard

What this tart should keep

Layered, flaky pastry, and a custard that is smooth, pale yellow and only just set. No dark, caramelized spots on top.

Hong Kong egg tarts are a local favourite in the city's bakeries and in its cha chaan tengs, the city's casual cafés. The Hong Kong Tourism Board lists the egg tart among the traditional desserts to try in Hong Kong, describing a pastry shell filled with egg custard.

There is more than one kind of Hong Kong egg tart. Some have a crumbly, cookie-like crust; others have a flaky crust built from many thin layers. This article follows one specific flaky version: a rough-puff recipe by Genevieve Yam, published by King Arthur Baking, that makes 15 tarts in 3-inch molds. Its butter pastry is folded five times to build layers, and its custard is made with evaporated milk, whole eggs and an extra yolk, then rested before baking.

Sekai Gohan has not kitchen-tested this recipe as a whole. The recipe is kept as written: the same 15-tart quantities, the US cup and spoon measures with their gram weights, inch sizes, Fahrenheit temperatures, and a baking steel or stone on the lowest oven rack. Celsius figures in parentheses are approximate. This is one reproducible home version, not the single standard Hong Kong egg tart.

About the photos

Each photo shows the stage being described. The photos illustrate the method; they are not a record of a test bake, and they do not confirm amounts, fold counts, times or temperatures. Use the written amounts and cues.

Which Hong Kong Egg Tart This Is

This is a flaky-crust Hong Kong egg tart made with butter rough puff. The Hong Kong Science Museum explains that the flaky crust of puff-pastry egg tarts comes from layering two doughs, a water dough and an oil dough, and discusses lard in that context. The version here reaches flaky layers by a different, home-friendly route: cold butter is pressed into flakes, the dough is rolled and folded in thirds, and the fold is repeated.

The museum also distinguishes Hong Kong flaky egg tarts from the Portuguese pastel de nata. The Portuguese-style tart, also familiar from Macau, is known for a custard top with dark caramelized spots. The Hong Kong tart in this recipe aims for the opposite: a pale, smooth custard that is taken out of the oven when it has just set.

Ingredients: 15 Tarts, Pastry and Custard

Ingredients for Hong Kong egg tarts: all-purpose flour, table salt, cold unsalted butter, heavy cream, water, granulated sugar, evaporated milk, three whole eggs and one egg yolk
Pastry and custard each have their own salt and water, so keep them apart

Makes 15 tarts in 3-inch molds.

Choosing the Flour, Milk and Butter

Use all-purpose flour and evaporated milk. Replacing evaporated milk with regular milk or sweetened condensed milk, or using a different flour, changes the formula. Use unsalted butter and measure the pastry salt separately.

The pastry relies on cold fat and cold liquid. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes before you start and keep it cold until it goes into the bowl.

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl and a whisk
  • Separate small container for the cream and water
  • Rolling pin
  • Knife or bench scraper for dividing the dough
  • Plastic wrap
  • Small saucepan and a thermometer for warming the milk
  • Fine-mesh strainer
  • Bowl and a cover for resting the custard
  • 3 3/4-inch round cutter
  • 3-inch tart molds, enough for 15 tarts
  • Fork
  • Small knife for trimming
  • Baking sheet
  • Baking steel or baking stone
  • Small offset spatula or a chopstick, if needed, for releasing tarts
  • For the optional reheat: a wire rack and a rimmed baking sheet

Method: Fold the Pastry, Rest the Custard, Bake in Two Stages

Raw flour and raw egg

Don't taste the raw pastry dough or the raw custard. Warming the evaporated milk to about 90°F only takes the chill off before the eggs go in; it does not cook the custard or make raw egg safe. The tarts are done when the custard has just set in the oven.

The pastry needs at least an hour in the refrigerator, so start with it and make the custard while it chills. The custard then rests while you roll, line and chill the shells.

When Something Goes Wrong

What you see What to do
Dry flour remains after kneading Add water 1/2 teaspoon at a time, just until the dough holds together
Lumps in the custard after resting Strain it again before filling the shells
Air pockets under the pastry in the molds Press them out when lining the molds, and dock the bases with a fork
Custard still liquid after 20 minutes Keep baking at 350°F and check again; total baking time is 20 to 25 minutes
A tart sticks in its mold After the 5-minute cool, ease it out with a small offset spatula or a chopstick
Custard with dark, caramelized spots That is the look of a Portuguese-style tart, not this one. Here the target is a pale custard that has just set, with edges only beginning to color

Optional: Next-Day Reheat and Pastry Scraps

These two extras sit outside the main recipe. The tarts are meant to be served warm, soon after unmolding.

Reheating leftover tarts the next day. Set unmolded tarts on a wire rack placed on a rimmed baking sheet, and reheat at 300°F for 8 to 10 minutes. No storage period is given for these tarts; being able to reheat them the next day is not a guarantee of how long they keep.

Unmolded egg tarts on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet inside an oven
Optional next-day reheat: tarts out of their molds, on a rack over a rimmed sheet

Baking the pastry scraps. Brush leftover pastry scraps with beaten egg or evaporated milk, sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar, and bake until golden and crisp.

Golden, crisp pastry scraps with cinnamon sugar on parchment
Optional: leftover pastry scraps baked with cinnamon sugar

Egg Tarts in Hong Kong: Bakeries, Cha Chaan Tengs and More Than One Crust

The Hong Kong Tourism Board presents the egg tart as a local favourite found in bakeries and cha chaan tengs, a sweet that belongs to everyday eating in Hong Kong rather than to special occasions alone.

Within Hong Kong, the crust varies. The Hong Kong Science Museum's explanation of flaky egg tarts focuses on how a water dough and an oil dough are layered to make the crust flake, and it discusses lard in that context. The rough-puff version in this article gets its layers from butter instead, through repeated rolling and folding, which suits a home kitchen. The museum's explanation is background for the style; it does not change the amounts or steps of this recipe.

The museum also separates the Hong Kong flaky egg tart from the Portuguese pastel de nata. Keeping that distinction in mind helps when judging your bake: a Hong Kong tart is finished while the custard is still pale and smooth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the same as a Portuguese or Macau-style egg tart?

No. The Hong Kong Science Museum distinguishes Hong Kong flaky egg tarts from the Portuguese pastel de nata. This recipe aims for a pale, smooth custard that has just set, without dark caramelized spots.

Can I use regular milk instead of evaporated milk?

This recipe is built on evaporated milk and does not offer a swap, so this article doesn't give one. Using regular milk or sweetened condensed milk would make a different custard from the one described here.

Does warming the milk to 90°F make the custard safe to taste?

No. The milk and water are warmed to about 90°F (about 32°C) only to take the chill off before the eggs go in. Don't taste the raw custard or the raw dough. The custard is cooked in the oven, and the tarts are done when it has just set.

Can I make parts ahead?

Yes, within the recipe's own windows. The wrapped pastry chills for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours, and the covered custard rests for 30 minutes to 2 hours. King Arthur Baking's recipe page also includes make-ahead notes, including an option for freezing; this article does not give a freezer time.

How long do the finished tarts keep?

No storage period is given. The tarts are meant to be served warm. King Arthur Baking's recipe offers an optional next-day reheat at 300°F for 8 to 10 minutes on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet, but that is a reheating method, not a promise about how long tarts last.

Why do the folds matter so much?

Each round of rolling, folding in thirds and turning stacks more thin layers of butter and dough. This version does it five times in all, counting the first. The photos show one fold and the finished dough, but the count of five comes from the method, not from the pictures.

Is this the only way to make Hong Kong egg tarts?

No. Hong Kong egg tarts are made with more than one kind of crust, and the Hong Kong Science Museum describes a flaky crust made from layered water and oil doughs. This article follows Genevieve Yam's rough-puff recipe for King Arthur Baking as one Hong Kong style for home kitchens.

Sources