How to Make French Apple Tart Recipe With Pastry Cream (2024)

  • French Desserts
  • Dessert Tarts
  • Moroccan Desserts
  • Fruit Recipes
  • Apple Recipes

By

Christine Benlafquih

How to Make French Apple Tart Recipe With Pastry Cream (1)

Christine Benlafquih

Christine Benlafquih is a freelance writer and cooking class instructor with a background in Moroccan cuisine.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Updated on 01/6/23

Tested by

Kayla Hoang

How to Make French Apple Tart Recipe With Pastry Cream (2)

Tested byKayla Hoang

Kayla Hoang is a freelance recipe developer, writer, and baker whose Bangladeshi and Vietnamese roots influence all she does. Her life revolves around food and she can almost always be found waiting by the oven for a fresh batch of cookies.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

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How to Make French Apple Tart Recipe With Pastry Cream (3)

Prep: 70 mins

Cook: 60 mins

Chill and Cool: 5 hrs

Total: 7 hrs 10 mins

Servings: 8 servings

A variety of French fruit tarts are popular in Morocco but given a choice, I'll always choose Tarte aux Pommes over other offerings. Thinly sliced apples are tossed with sugar and a little bit of cinnamon, and then attractively layered in a sweet pastry shell lined with pastry cream (creme patisserie). Baking caramelizes the apples, while an apricot glaze adds sheen and a bit of tartness to the finished dessert.

Although the flavors are similar, this is not as quick to throw together as American-style apple pie. Not only will you need to give a little more care to how you slice and arrange the apples, but you'll need to plan ahead to make both the pastry cream and pastry dough well in advance of assembling the tart.

The Best Apple Varieties for Baking and Eating

"While it requires a bit of time and planning, this tart is as delicious as it is beautiful. The pastry cream is easy to make and not overly sweet, the crust bakes up nice and crisp, and the apples cook down perfectly." —Kayla Hoang

How to Make French Apple Tart Recipe With Pastry Cream (5)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Pastry Dough:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cupunsalted butter, cold,cut into bits

  • 1 large egg yolk

  • Ice-cold water

For the Pastry Cream:

  • 3 large egg yolks

  • 3 to 4 tablespoons sugar

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 1vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoonvanilla extract

For the Apple Layer:

  • 3 large or 4 small apples, preferably firm and tart

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the Glaze:

  • 1/4 cup apricot jam

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice or water

Steps to Make It

Make the Pastry Dough

  1. Gather the ingredients.

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  2. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

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  3. Add the cold butter and work it into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.

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  4. Work in the egg yolk until the mixture looks like a fine meal.

  5. Then use a fork to stir in ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough can be gathered together and pressed into a ball.

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  6. Shape and flatten the dough into a smooth disc shape, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

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Make the Pastry Cream

  1. Gather the ingredients.

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  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.

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  3. Whisk in the flour and cornstarch until smooth; set aside.

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  4. In a saucepan, heat the milk with vanilla bean almost to boiling. If using vanilla extract, add it later in step 6.

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  5. Remove the vanilla bean, then slowly and gradually whisk the milk into the egg mixture.

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  6. Strain the mixture back into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking or stirring constantly, until thickened. Continue cooking for another half minute while stirring, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla extract, if using.

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  7. Lay a piece of plastic film on the surface of the pastry cream. Cool down the pastry cream by either chilling it in the fridge or over an ice bath, stirring from time to time.

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Assemble and Bake the Tart

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 F/200 C.

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  2. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples.

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  3. Place the slices in a bowl and toss gently with the sugar and cinnamon.

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  4. If the apples start to brown, you can toss in a tablespoon of lemon juice.

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  5. Roll out the pastry into a circle about 1/8-inch thick and fit into a 9-inchtart pan, trimming the excess dough.

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  6. Give the chilled pastry cream a good whisk to loosen and smooth it out. Spread the pastry cream across the bottom of the pastry shell.

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  7. Arrange the apple slices in a pattern over the pastry cream and dot the apples with tiny bits of butter.

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  8. Wrap strips of aluminum foil around the edges of the tart pan to protect the crust from burning.

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  9. Bake the tart in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes.

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  10. Remove the foil, and continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until the apples and crust are nicely colored.

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  11. Remove the tart to a rack to cool.

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  12. While the tart is still warm, heat the apricot jam with the lemon juice until boiling.

    How to Make French Apple Tart Recipe With Pastry Cream (30)

  13. Strain the mixture.

    How to Make French Apple Tart Recipe With Pastry Cream (31)

  14. Then use a pastry brush to apply the apricot glaze over the apples.

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  15. Refrigerate the tart when it has cooled completely.

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  16. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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Tips

  • For greater ease transferring the tart into and out of the oven, build the tart in the tart pan set on a rimmed baking sheet. Baking the tart on a baking sheet will not change the cook time.
  • The sugar quantity in the pastry recipe below is for a less sweet shortcrust; if you'd prefer a sweeter pastry dough, follow the pate sucree recipe instead.

Recipe Variation

  • Alternate versions of this recipe include theFrench strawberry tartand ​the​​French peach tart.

French Dessert Recipes

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
432Calories
18g Fat
63g Carbs
8g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories432
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g23%
Saturated Fat 10g49%
Cholesterol 176mg59%
Sodium 191mg8%
Total Carbohydrate 63g23%
Dietary Fiber 3g11%
Total Sugars 37g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 5mg27%
Calcium 71mg5%
Iron 2mg10%
Potassium 218mg5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • apple
  • dessert
  • french
  • fall

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How to Make French Apple Tart Recipe With Pastry Cream (2024)

FAQs

What is French apple tart made of? ›

This French apple tart recipe is simplicity at its best: buttery pastry dough + unpeeled, thinly sliced apples + a sprinkling of sugar + a few pads of butter. That's it! It's so easy, so pretty, and so delicious.

What apples are best for an apple tart? ›

The results are way more delicate and not as sweet as a shortbread shell, but provides the perfect base for our apples. The best apples for an apple tart: We're partial to Granny Smith, Honeycrip, and Gala, but you can really use any baking apple that you prefer in this recipe!

How do you serve Trader Joe's French apple tart? ›

She makes it her own by warming it up in the oven before serving and adding a little dollop of vanilla ice cream on top, with a swirl of caramel sauce she “warmed up from a jar” for good measure.

How much is the apple tart at Trader Joe's? ›

Ina Garten swears by 'delicious' Trader Joe's $7.99 apple tart for entertaining. Store-bought *really is* fine, according to the Barefoot Contessa. Real legends practice what they preach, so when a culinary icon says “store-bought is fine,” she really means it.

What is a French puff pastry tart called? ›

In France, Galette des Rois is traditionally baked for the Epiphany (the day the three kings visited the baby Jesus).

What is a substitute for Calvados in apple tart? ›

Calvados is apple brandy from Normandy. You can substitute another apple brandy. If they're not available, you can use brandy, Cognac, or dark rum. If avoiding alcohol, omit the brandy and double the vanilla extract, although the tart gets its name, and flavor, from the brandy, so the taste will be different.

What apples to avoid when making applesauce? ›

For applesauce, you essentially want the opposite—apples that will cook down and mash well to create a flavorful sauce. At the same time, avoid apples that are mealy in texture and turn to mush when cooked down. Many cooks avoid Red Delicious for that reason.

What is the most crisp tart apple? ›

What Are The Crunchiest Apples?
  • Crisp Apples Ranked: Crunchiest to Least Crunchy.
  • SweeTango. ...
  • Honeycrisp. ...
  • Cosmic Crisp® ...
  • Pink Lady® ...
  • Rave® ...
  • Pinata® ...
  • Granny Smith.

What makes an apple taste tart? ›

The organic compound malate has a large impact on the taste of many of our most popular fruits, for example grapes (Vitis vinifera), tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), and in particular apples (Malus domestica). The amount of malate in apples determines how tart (sour) or how sweet we perceive their taste.

What's the difference between apple pie and apple tart? ›

The main difference is that tarts only have a bottom crust, and the crust is much thicker than a pie crust. Galettes – This is basically a pie made without using a pie dish, but because that would be too simple galettes can be made with any type of pastry dough.

What are the best tart apples to bake with? ›

Granny Smith (Tart)

Granny Smiths are typically my go-to apple for baking, so I'll always have them on hand during the fall months.

Should apple tart be refrigerated? ›

A basic apple pie made with sugar will last up to two days at room temperature in an airtight container. Afterward, it needs to go in the refrigerator and will last for up to two days. Apple pie made with a sugar substitute or without sugar will last up to two days in the fridge.

Is Apple tart sativa or indica? ›

If you're a cannabis lover looking for a stimulating new THCa flower strain, you'll want to try Apple Tart. This sativa-dominant hybrid combines the mouth-watering flavors of Sour Apple and Runtz while packing a potent punch.

How long does apple tart last? ›

Cover and chill for at least 30 mins. Will keep chilled for two days. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to roughly the thickness of a £1 coin, and use to line a 23cm fluted tart tin, leaving some overhanging.

Is Trader Joe's apple pie good? ›

And it makes sense— fall is peak apple season, with fresh crops coming off the trees by the bushel, their sweet-tart flesh and delicious crunch ready to elevate the ever-so-humble pie crust to another level entirely. Trader Joe's Apple Crumble Pie is a prime example of such pie perfection.

What are the facts about French tarts? ›

Tarts have a long history, and their origins can be traced back to ancient Rome. The word “tart” is thought to derive from the Old French word tarte, which itself is derived from the Latin word torta, meaning “twisted bread”. Tarts were initially made with a variety of fillings, including meats, fish, and vegetables.

What is the French drink made of apples? ›

Calvados shares many similarities with apple brandy (often referred to as cider brandy), but there are some key differences. While both Calvados and apple brandy are made from apples, Calvados is exclusively made in the Normandy region of France and can be made from apples as well as pears.

What is the difference between apple pie and apple tart? ›

PiesTarts – If you've ever thought a tart was pie, you're forgiven because they're incredibly similar. The main difference is that tarts only have a bottom crust, and the crust is much thicker than a pie crust.

What is a tart in French? ›

Translation of tarte – French–English dictionary

a steak/apple pie. tart [noun] a pie containing eg fruit or jam.

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