4 Italian Recipes With Fruit Jam

In Italy, the jam tart is the dessert everyone grows up with: a golden, crumbly crust, a glossy layer of apricot or cherry, a slice wrapped in a napkin for the walk to school. It’s the cake that sits under a glass dome on the kitchen counter and somehow never lasts the week.

These four recipes start from that familiar idea and take it in different directions, from bite-size shortcrust tarts to nutty almond frangipane and a soft, brioche-style tropezienne filled with mousseline cream.

Mini tart tropezienne with mousseline cream and apricot jam are soft, brioche-like pastries split and filled with a silky mousseline cream and a layer of apricot jam. Every bite balances rich and fruity, tender and smooth. They take a little more time and care than the other recipes here, which makes them a lovely choice for a celebration or a special Sunday brunch.

Pro tip: swap in another jam you love, or flavor the mousseline cream with orange or lemon zest instead of vanilla.

Jam Tarts are small, shortcrust pastries with a tender, buttery base and a generous jam center. Filled with strawberry, apricot, or blueberry jam, they’re sweet, fragrant, and easy to pull together when you want a no-fuss dessert. They’re a natural fit for snacks, lunch boxes, or a casual coffee spread when you need something simple yet pretty on the table.

Pro tip: you can create two-flavor tarts by pairing jams with contrasting colors, like apricot with strawberry or cherry, for a brighter look.

Peach Jam Tartlets combine a crumbly shortcrust base with peach jam, frangipane cream, and almonds. The mix of buttery pastry, soft almond filling, and sweet jam creates a layered, comforting dessert with a bit of texture from the nuts. These tartlets are especially nice for breakfast or an afternoon snack when you want something a little more special than plain toast or cookies.

Pro tip: if you don’t have a stand mixer, you can make the dough by hand, working quickly so the butter stays cool and the pastry stays crisp.

Tarts with frangipane cream and cherry jam layer a buttery shortcrust with almond-based frangipane and cherry jam. The taste of almonds blends with the cherries for a flavorful, slightly rustic dessert that still feels refined. These mini tarts are great for entertaining when you want individual portions that look polished on a platter.

Pro tip: you can flavor the shortcrust with vanilla bean seeds or grated orange zest, or use whole cane sugar instead of powdered for a deeper flavor and crunchier finish.

Jam tarts never really go out of style in Italy, because they taste like Sunday mornings, after-school snacks, and the grandmother who always had one waiting under a tea towel. Whichever of these ends up on your table, it brings a little of that same warmth with it.