The Best Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tarts (Easy Recipe) (2024)

by Jolina | Published: April 11, 2022 | Last Updated: July 25, 2022| 78 Comments
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Hokkaido baked cheese tarts are creamy, sweet and savoury, delicious. Buttery tart shells filled with a rich 4-cheese filling and baked until golden. Unlike other cheese tart recipes, this recipe uses frozen tart shells, making it quick, easy and convenient to make. You’ll love it!

(Fan of all things Hokkaido? Try these Hokkaido chiffon cupcakes. They’re a reader favourite and for good reason — soft, fluffy, light as air and filled with the most delicate whippedcream. They’re incredible.)

I’ve been making baked cheese tarts for years.

People used to call them baked lava cheese tarts but now they’re more popularly known as Hokkaido baked cheese tarts.

I used to make my own crust too — kneading the pastry dough, chilling, rolling and all that jazz.

Until one time I decided to use frozen tart shells (the same kind I use for my ube tarts) and lemme tell you, best decision ever!

The tarts were still delicious and my friends and family still loved them.

The only difference? I was done in no time.

Let’s bake.

What is it and what does it taste like

But first, what are Hokkaido baked cheese tarts?

Also called Hokkaido cheese tarts, Hokkaido cheese cake, Japanese cheese tarts, cheese egg tarts, or simply baked cheese tarts, they are pastries made of a shortbread crust and filled with a cheesy custard.

And as the name suggest, they originated from the island of Hokkaido in Japan, known across the country for the excellent quality and delicious flavour of its milk and milk products.

The cheese tart is one of their most popular desserts and its popularity quickly spread across Asia in countries like Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. It’s quite popular in Australia, too.

Soon enough, these little bites of deliciousness made their way to North America and long line ups would form every time a new franchise would open its doors.

Happily, these sweet and savoury tarts are easy to make at home.

Why you’ll love this recipe

These baked cheese tarts are so good you won’t be able to stop at just one. Which is fine because you’ll love making them all the time.

• Uses frozen tart shells. I’m a fan of making things from scratch but love a good shortcut too. Like puff pastry. And now frozen tart shells. They’re so convenient to use and make this recipe so much easier and quicker to come together.

• No need for special tart moulds. Frozen shells already come in their own aluminum moulds so you don’t need to worry about having speciality tart pans to make the crust.

• You can control the texture. If you want lava tarts, underbake a little, if you want firmer tarts, bake a little longer. Either way, they will be delicious.

• The cheese filling makes for delicious bite-sized appetizers too. I use pre-baked phyllo shells (or similar, see the photo above), fill them with cheese custard and bake for about 10 minutes or until set. So simple and always a hit at every party. You can use wonton cups too.

How to make

This is such an easy recipe. It takes just about an hour from start to finish.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Some notes about key ingredients:

• Frozen tart shells — I use 3-inch tarts shells in this recipe. You can also use 2-inch tartlets. My only suggestion would be to buy the best kind that budget allows. I usually go with the Tenderflake brand.

• Cream cheese — you’ll need cream cheese available in blocks and not in tubs. And as much as possible, buy full-fat and not light for the richest texture and the best flavour.

• Brie — you can use either regular or double-cream brie. And although the rind can be eaten, we scrape them off in this recipe. Don’t throw them away though! You can still enjoy them with crackers. If you can’t find brie, camembert is a great alternative.

• Mascarpone — again, I’d suggest buying full-fat mascarpone for the richest, creamiest texture. If you can’t find mascarpone, you can substitute with the same amount of cream cheese.

• Parmesan cheese — parmesan cheese is what brings that wonderfully salty, savoury flavour to these tarts. I sometimes use pecorino romano too. Just note that it’s saltier and sharper than parmesan so your tarts will lean more on the savoury side.

• Milk — I usually use 1% or 2% skim milk.

• Confectioner’s sugar — also sometimes referred to as icing sugar or powdered sugar.

• Cornstarch — this is our main thickening agent.

• Lemon juice — we’ll only need the juice, not the zest. Check out these lemon recipes if you don’t want to waste that delicious lemon zest!

Baking tools

You won’t need special tools to make this recipe. Not even a mixer! Just the following:

• Measuring bowls
• Saucepan (or you can use a double-boiler if you have one)
• Wooden spoon or any spoon to stir the custard with
• Fine mesh sieve
• Baking pan
• Measuring cups and spoons

Step-by-step photos

Preheat oven to 375F. Place tart shells on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until they turn a light golden brown. Carefully remove from their moulds and set aside to cool. Increase oven temperature to 425F.

In a large bowl set atop a saucepan with simmering water (don’t allow the water to touch the bowl), add all your cheese, butter and milk. Stir until the cheese and butter are melted and no big chunks of cheese remain (little lumps are ok).

It helps to cut the cheese into portions. And I usually squish the cheese on the sides of my bowl with my wooden spoon to help things along.

Add confectioner’s sugar and cornstarch and continue to stir until combined.

Then add eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Stir until incorporated.

Strain the mixture into another bowl and allow to cool slightly.

Scoop your tart filling into your pre-baked tart shells and fill to the brim. Spoon egg wash (egg yolk with milk) over each one (using a pastry brush will wreak havoc on the tops of your tarts) and bake for 10 minutes or until set.

Expert baking tips

• For the creamiest cheese custard, portion your cheese so they’re easier to melt, melt them in a double boiler so there’s little chance of scrambling the eggs, and strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve before filling your tarts.

• Pre-bake your tart shells to ensure yourtart crust will be fully baked and browned, and not soggy once they’re filled. Also make sure to follow the thawing instructions printed on the package.

• Bake your tarts according to the consistency you want your cheese filling. It takes me 10 minutes to bake the filling plus 2 minutes in low broil for those nice burnt tops. This results to a slightly firmer filling. If you want a gooier tart, bake for slightly less time. Remember though that every oven is different so watch your tarts carefully. The key is not to over bake them as over-baked tarts will crack and harden unnecessarily.

Recipe FAQs

Other easy tart recipes

Hope you love making and eating these as much as we do!

Happy baking!

Did you make Hokkaido cheese tarts? I’d love to hear all about it!Leave a comment or a star rating below.You can also tag me onInstagramorFacebook. I’d love to see your creations!

You can also find me on Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.

(This post was first published on The Unlikely Baker on 23 January 2017. It was updated on 11 April 2022 with a more comprehensive baking guide.)