Most lemon tarts are set with curd, which is why most lemon tarts are dense. The Lemon Tart Mini at $12 is built on a lemon mousse instead, so the citrus arrives light and quick rather than sitting heavily, and the sharpness clears before the next mouthful. It is a different reading of the same classic, and it is the one we would put in front of someone we wanted to make a fuss of.
What is actually in it
A shortcrust base, handcrafted with no added gluten, baked until it is crisp and properly buttery rather than merely edible. Over that goes the lemon mousse, aerated enough to hold its shape without any weight to it. On top, a crown of toasted meringue, torched so the sugar at the surface caramelises and gives a faint bitter edge that stops the whole thing reading as sweet. The contrast between the crisp base and the two soft layers above it is the entire idea. Our kitchen is small and without exclusive production areas for all of our different recipes, so traces may occur, and nothing is guaranteed safe for severe coeliac disease; the No Added Gluten Cakes & Desserts collection lists what else is made this way.
One serving each, and why that suits a gift
Every item in the mini desserts range is one serving. Nobody has to cut anything, nobody gets the smaller half, and the person you are giving it to is handed something complete rather than a portion of something. For a milestone that is not a party, an anniversary, a promotion, the end of a hard year, that matters more than size does. Two tarts, a plate and half an hour is a real gesture.
The same flavour at celebration scale
When the occasion needs a centrepiece, the lemon idea scales up into the Lemonade Cake: a light vanilla cake soaked in lemon syrup, layered with a tangy lemon custard and finished in a white chocolate ganache that rounds off the acidity. It comes at 15cm, serving twelve to fifteen; 20cm, serving twenty to twenty-five; and 25cm, serving thirty to thirty-five, the same ladder as every cake in the specialty layer cakes range. Between the two sits the Lemon Daisy Mini Cake, a sharp lemon sponge under white chocolate ganache, sold singly or in trays of six or twelve. For something to carry further, the Lemon Blueberry travel cake comes as a 20cm loaf serving eight or a 25cm bundt serving sixteen.
Making it feel like a gift
The tart is finished the way it leaves the kitchen, because we do not do fondant, custom colouring or bespoke decoration on anything; what you choose from is what Dhi has designed. What does change the handover is the wrapping around it. Our gift boxes are pre-configured in three sizes, and the premium gift boxes page shows what goes into each. A gift card works when you would rather they chose for themselves, and a beeswax birthday candle turns a single tart into a birthday.
Hand it over in person
The strongest version of this gift is not a box left on a desk. Order two, meet them here, and eat them at the same table. The cabinet gives you a second opinion on the spot, and if you are working towards a larger order later, the cake slices are the sensible way to taste several flavours between two people before committing to a 25cm cake for thirty. That hour together is usually the part the recipient remembers, more than whatever was in the box.
Ordering and collection
The Lemon Tart Mini needs two days' notice to order, and the checkout date picker only offers dates the kitchen can meet for what is in your cart; it is also a regular in the cabinet, so it is often there for anyone walking in. Larger desserts need three days and petit fours need seven. Collection is from our patisserie inside The Welder on Welles Street in the central city, and we do not deliver or courier anything. We are open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 3pm Saturday, and the frequently asked questions page covers storage, changes and cancellations.
