I’ve got a soft spot for apples, especially when they’re wrapped in a layer of pastry (as any normal human being would agree, pastry makes anything and everything better). Apple tart—or Tarte aux Pommes if you’re feeling fancy—is simple, it’s delicious, and it’s earned its place as a classic for a reason.

There are three distinct components here: an easy-to-handle sweet tart dough, a velvety almond frangipane, and a tangy, spiced apple filling. Oh, and if you’re counting, there’s a fourth element: an almost excessive (but pretty) arrangement of apples on top, layered just so, because looks count when you’ve got extra baking time.

The spices come through in the apple filling, which takes on a warm cinnamon note, balanced with a hint of rich brown butter in the glaze that finishes the tart. So, if you’re the kind of baker who’s obsessed with arranging fruit like a pretty mosaic, this tart is for you.

TIP: Cooking apples can be incredibly sour, so if the apple filling is too tart for your liking, you can always up the content of golden caster sugar when softening it all together.

SWAP OUT: If apples aren’t in season or you fancy switching it up, try swapping out the apples for pears. Pears also work beautifully with warming spices and an almond frangipane base.

SERVE WITH: This tart matches great with an abundance of things; crème fraîche, Greek yogurt, warm gooey custard, and even vanilla ice-cream.

SERVES: 8

I N G R E D I E N T S

For the tart pastry:

(Mixture makes approximately 500g pastry)

90g cold unsalted butter, cubed
90g icing sugar, sifted (essential here!)
2 eggs (one for the mixture and one for the egg wash)
260g plain flour
1/4 tsp flaky salt

For the frangipane:

165g unsalted butter, softened
165g golden caster sugar
2 eggs
150g ground almonds
55g plain flour
1 tsp flaky salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the spiced apple filling:

3 large cooking apples (approx.), cored, peeled, and cubed
60ml lemon juice
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

For the decoration:

4-5 red apples, gala or braeburn, cut into 1-2 mm slices
Juice of 1 lemon
2-3 tbsp brown butter

M E T H O D

Begin by preheating the oven to 190°C/170°C fan, placing a tart tin to the side and some baking beans.

T A R T P A S T R Y:

In your mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, place you cubed butter (in 2-3cm chunks) and sifted icing sugar. Mix on a low speed until all combined.
Ensuring to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go, proceed by adding your egg.
- Side Note: It will appear split and curdled at this stage, but hang on as it will start to come together (around 30 seconds).
Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Mix together the dry ingredients, then add them to the wet ingredients. Mix on a low speed until everything is incorporated evenly.
Dust some plain flour on a cold surface and pour out the dough. Shape it into a ball, being careful not to play around with it too much as this may risk its ability to shrink when baking later.
Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Once chilled and rested, prepare two large pieces of baking paper and sandwich your dough between them. With a rolling pin, roll out your pastry to a size larger than your pastry case and around a 3 mm thickness. Trim the pastry so it is larger than the tart tin you are lining.
- Side Note(s): The best thing about this pastry dough is that if there are any small tears, simply patch them up with any excess dough. However, as mentioned before, try not to overwork your pastry too much.
Using a rolling pin, carefully remove the paper and lift your pastry into its case, pressing it down to really ensure that it fills every area. Check that it has gone all the way into the corners, keeping it as even as possible. Chill in the fridge until firm, 1 hour ideally.
Place some baking parchment inside and fill with your baking beans. Blind bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until dry (this process helps to ensure no soggy bottoms!). Remove the weights and bake for another 5-10 minutes until golden.
If you want, you can ‘seal’ the pastry at this point: make an egg wash, brushing over the cooked pastry case and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.
Set aside.

S P I C E D A P P L E F I L L I N G:

Peel and core your cooking apples. Proceed by roughly chopping into chunks.
Place a saucepan over a medium heat, adding to it your apple and lemon juice. Cook for around 7-10 minutes, allowing the apples to soften.
Once soften, mix in the sugar and cinnamon. These levels can be adjusted to taste.
After a further 3-5 minutes, remove the apple sauce from the heat and allow to cool.

F R A N G I P A N E:

Simply beat together the butter and sugar until well combined, ensuring there are no lumps of butter.
Add in your eggs and mix until evenly incorporated, scraping your bowl as you go.
Stir through your dry ingredients and the vanilla extract.
The frangipane is ready to use immediately, so pop it straight into a fresh piping bag and set aside.

A S S E M B L Y:

Cut your apples into quarters, around the core. Proceed to evenly cut apple slices, around 1-2 mm in thickness. If you have a mandoline to hand - this is the time to use it!
As you set your apple aside, be mindful to brush the slices with a little lemon juice. This helps to avoid the flesh go brown.
Now, for assembly:
- Pipe an even layer of almond frangipane on the base of the tart. I went quite heavy on the frangipane here, aiming for about 3-4 mm of depth.
- Return the pastry to the oven and bake the tart with the frangipane for around 8-10 minutes, depending on how firm or runny you want your frangipane.
- Allow to cool slightly and firm up a little. While this is happening, brown your butter in a saucepan over a medium-high heat - set aside.
- Once set, carefully spoon on your apple sauce. You want your apple sauce to reach the same height as the top of the pastry case - I found using a spatula helped achieved this even layer.
- Time to arrange the apples. The method I adopted was layering each slice around 50% over the other. Work in a clockwise motion until you reach the middle.
- To create a rose, simply roll up apple slices and place into the centre of the tart.
- Brush the tart with the browned butter and return to the oven for about 10 minutes (a little longer if you prefer your apples brown).
- Allow to cool and serve.

Spiced Apple Tart

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