HK Custard Tarts

Recipe for an iconic sweet treat 🇭🇰

One of the most iconic street foods in hong is the egg custard tart.

Growing up in the UK, egg custard tarts were part of my childhood so when I visited HK for the first time in 2018 I was delighted to see the cult status of the humble egg tart.

Given the long history of Britain in HK it’s easy to see why these tasty tarts became a mainstay in the culture. If you hop over the pond on the ferry for the island of Macao you’ll also find a cult following for the Portuguese egg custard tarts stemming from the days when Portugal inhabited Macao as a strategic maritime outpost.

There are differences in all 3 varieties and even within the custard tarts you find in HK now.

There’s a new wave of chic bakeries churning out their own spin on this HK classic.

Bakehouse would be the most popular example. You will find lines out the door at their multiple locations with eager IG’ers waiting to get a box of their signature sourdough egg custard tarts.

These are not the classic style but are craveworthy and delicious.

Here’s a side by side comparison of a Bakehouse egg tart vs. a traditional HK egg tart.

Notice the “new” style from Bakehouse has a markedly caramelized custard vs the traditional tart which is slow baked until set. The sourdough base is also non traditional whereas puff pastry or a standard pate sucree dough would be used.

Both styles are delicious and below I’m sharing a top notch recipe so you can make these HK treats at home without the plane fare.