It's a fruit tart that's as delicious as it is pretty! French Apple Tart has a sweet almond filling with sliced almonds, a buttery pastry crust, and spirals of fresh apple slices.
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French Apple Tart is infamous in our family, because it's the dessert that turned us against our kids!
One day not so long ago, we brought a French Apple Tart to a dinner party at our friends' house. After devouring dinner, the younger two kids ran outside to play. They left their parents and older, teenaged sister in the house with that tart.
That's when we made the quick, devious, and shameful decision—to eat all the dessert ourselves. We literally at the entire tart, and left none for the little children!
When the kids came back in looking for dessert, we kept our secret close. We claimed that we had forgotten to bring dessert! We tried to appease the kids with vague promises of ice cream on the way home, while our teenager just giggled behind her phone.
The moral of the story is that this French Apple Almond Tart is THAT GOOD. So be warned!
Why you'll love this recipe
A French Apple Tart (also known in French as a tart aux pommes Normande) has the double appeal of good looks and great flavor! And that's because apples and almonds are a match made in heaven. Tart apples are sliced thin, then arranged in a buttery pastry crust. They're nestled in a thick layer of sweet almond filling and chopped almonds.
There's a drizzle of salted caramel sauce in the apple tart recipe, too—so many delicious flavors packed in one tart. Because the apples are arranged in a spiral pattern, this apple tart with almond always takes center stage on the dessert table.
The tart shell is made with my Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust Recipe. Its all-butter flavor and flakiness once baked are perfect to hold all that apple-almond magic.
A beautiful dessert to celebrate apple season in New England
You've heard me talk about apple season in the Northeast before, and that's because it's one I look forward to every year! Not only is it an opportunity to bring home brimming bagfuls of apples picked fresh from the trees, it's also our annual family excursion.
We took our kids apple picking every year when they were little, and now we make the trip with our grandson, too. Beautiful fall days at local orchards with sugary cider donuts, hay rides, animals, and cider. (Over the years there have been some rainy apple picking days too, if I'm being honest, but they just make the hot donuts and cider all the more satisfying!)
If it's apple season, don't miss the chance to go get some fresh apples for recipes like this one.
How do you like them apples?
10-Minute Spiced Apple Topping
🔪 How to make a French Apple Tart
Ingredients:
- Apples: I use a blend of two tart apple varieties: Cortland and Granny Smith.
- Lemon Juice: This ingredient prevents browning and also adds bright flavor to the apples.
- Pie Crust Dough: I use my Best-Loved FLaky Pie Crust recipe to make a flaky crust for this tart.
- Almond Paste: Made with sugar and ground almonds, almond paste creates a nutty filling beneath the apples.
- Sugar: You can use regular granulated sugar to sweeten the tart filling.
- Eggs: Eggs hold the filling together, add flavor, and create a puffed texture in the baked tart filling.
- Flour: Use some all-purpose flour in this apple tart filling. My go-to flour brand is King Arthur Baking Company.
- Almonds: Even more nutty flavor! Chopped and toasted almonds in the filling add a little crunch, too.
- Salted caramel Sauce: Use your favorite homemade or store-bought sauce—this salted caramel sauce from Stonewall Kitchen is a favorite of mine.
- Apple Jelly: A little warmed apple jelly brushed over the baked tart gives it a gorgeous shine.
Slice the apples
Peel and core the apples, then cut them into thin slices. Toss the apple slices in lemon juice to prevent browning.
Prepare the dough
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Use a half portion of Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust dough. Fit the rolled dough into a springform pan, pressing it across the bottom and sides. Hold the shell in the fridge.
Make the almond filling
Toast the almonds in a pan, then coarsely chop them.
Blend together the almond paste, eggs, sugar, and flour.
Assemble the tart
Spread the almond filling over the bottom of the chilled dough shell.
Sprinkle the chopped almonds over the filling, followed by a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Place the apple slices cut side down in a ring around the inside edge of the pan, pushing them into the almond filling.
Continue spiraling apple slices in rings until the entire surface is covered.
Bake
Bake the tart until the crust and apples are lightly browned. Let the tart cool for about 15 minutes before removing the outer ring of the springform pan.
Glaze the top
Use a pastry brush to spread warm apple jelly over the apples and crust. Cool completely, and serve.
FAQs
Choose apples that keep their shape once baked. I like tart varieties in this dessert to balance with the sweet filling. I use a mix of Cortland and Granny Smith apples. Braeburn and Jonathan are good choices, too.
I usually make this tart with peeled apples for a more uniform look, but you can choose to leave the skins on if you like. The apples are sliced very thin; the skin left on these slices will likely shrivel somewhat once baked. The skins may add a bit more chew to the texture, too.
Yes, you can assemble and bake this apple tart, then wrap it and hold it in the fridge for up to two days.
A French apple tart has thinly sliced apples in a pastry crust, with a sprinkle of sugar just before baking. (My French apple tart also has an almond filling and salted caramel sauce.) A tarte tatin, though made with apples, is much different. The apples are arranged in a skillet where butter and sugar have been simmered to make a caramel sauce. Pastry dough is placed over the top of the skillet and then the whole thing is baked. Once it's done, the skillet is inverted so that the crust is on the bottom and the caramel apple filling is on top.
Tips:
- I bake my French apple tart in a springform pan, but you can also make it in a tart pan with a removable bottom.
- Six to seven apples should give you plenty of slices to cover this tart—maybe even a few extra. It's better to have too many slices in case some break. How tightly you spiral the apples on the tart will affect the number you need, as will the size of the apples.
- Leftover apple slices can be eaten right away or tossed with lemon juice to save for later.
So, how do you like them apples? Hopefully in a spiral, in a buttery crust, and with sweet almond filling! The French Apple Tart recipe with Almond Filling is below! Here are a few more ways to like them apples:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
French Apple Tart (With Almond Filling)
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Ingredients
- 3 medium Cortland apples
- 3 medium Granny Smith apples* (see note at bottom)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 12 ounces Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust Recipe, chilled (½ of the amount the recipe makes)
- 8 ounces almond paste, grated
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, unbleached
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup sea salt caramel sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple jelly
Instructions
Prepare the apples:
- Wash and peel the apples. Slice the apples into quarters, then cut away the seeds and core from each quarter.
- Cut the quarters into thin slices.
- Place the slices in a bowl, and then carefully toss them with the lemon juice. (Don't break them.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside.
Prepare the dough:
- Take the chilled Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust dough and roll it out on a floured surface. Roll the dough into a circle approximately 13 inches in diameter.
- Pick up the dough by loosely draping it over the rolling pin. Place it inside a 10-inch nonstick spring-form pan (or a regular spring-form pan that has been greased.)
- Gently center the dough in the pan and press into the bottom. With floured fingers press the dough around the sides creating a lip that is about 1½ inches high. Use a fork to prick a few holes over the bottom. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place the pan in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Prepare the almonds and almond paste:
- Use a grater to grate the almond paste into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in the sugar and eggs, and beat them together well. Slowly mix in the flour. Set this almond mixture aside.
- Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the slivered almonds in the pan, and toast them: shake and stir the almonds often and watch carefully to prevent burning. When done they should be very lightly browned and fragrant - approximately 5 minutes.
- Pour the almonds out onto a cutting board and use a sharp knife to coarsely chop them.
Assemble the tart:
- Take the pan with dough from the fridge. Pour the almond-sugar mixture into the dough shell.
- Use a rubber spatula or spoon to gently spread the filling evenly over the bottom. Sprinkle the chopped, toasted almonds over the filling.
- Drizzle the sea salt caramel sauce over the chopped almonds. (Warm it in a microwave if necessary.)
- Place the apple slices edge-down around the outside edge of the filling, against the inside of the pan, overlapping each slice by about half.
- Continue to add in rings of apple slices, spiraling the slices toward the center.
- For the very center, use very thin slices of apple: these will be flexible enough to gently roll so you can fit them into the center.
Bake it:
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes, checking occasionally to be sure apples and dough are not over-browning. (You can drape a piece of foil over the top if it's browning too quickly.)
- When done, the apples and crust will be lightly browned, and the almond filling will look puffed.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack, and run a thin knife between the pan wall and the crust to be sure it isn't sticking. Let the tart cool for 15 minutes.
- Release the latch on the spring-form and carefully remove the ring.
Glaze the top:
- Microwave the apple jelly in a small dish for about 25 seconds until it has melted. Use a pastry brush to spread the melted jelly gently over the top of the apples and crust.
- Allow the tart to cool completely.
Serve:
- Use a sharp knife to cut the tart into slices and serve.
- Makes about 12 slices — more for you if you hide the tart from your kids. 🙂
Notes
- Six or seven apples should give you plenty of slices to cover this tart - maybe even a few extra. It's better to have too many slices, in case some slice break. How tightly you spiral the apples will also affect the number that you need.
- Leftover apple slices can be eaten right away or tossed with lemon juice to save for later.
- The recipe for the almond paste filling came from Odense.com (makers of almond paste.)
Nutrition
Jamie @ anderson + grant says
That is so funny that you all left no dessert for the kids 🙂 This looks so delicious and layering the apples makes a beautiful presentation. I'm always on the lookout for things that look fancy. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Canary Street Crafts says
This sounds amazing, and it looks even more amazing! Apple desserts are a fall favorite for me. Btw, thank you so much for linking up to our Your Turn To Shine link party. I've never been to your blog and I'm so happy to connect with you and have a chance to check out some of your recipes!! -Amy
Nancy Mock says
I look forward to joining your party in upcoming weeks as well! Thanks for checking out my posts!
Suze says
Logan has to stay sharp!
Lovely post, Nan.
Nancy Mock says
Yes, Defense of Desserts is a life-skill that he needs to hone.
lorilmaclaughlin.com says
Wow, that tart was a work of art! It seems a shame to eat it, but I bet it was delicious! And I bet Logan probably wasn't too happy to have missed it.
Nancy Mock says
Thanks Lori 🙂 fortunately for him he had a sleepover that night and plenty of snacks to make up for his dessert deprivation!
Jo says
Looked wonderful. Arranging apples like this takes work but the end result is beautiful isn't it? Mean lot, no dessert for the kids!!!!
Nancy Mock says
Thanks Jo! You're right, it was not one of our most mature moments 🙂