The French are responsible for creating many decadent desserts, but Tarte aux Pommes (French Apple Tart) is one of their most beloved creations. It features a buttery crust, nutty frangipane filling, and beautifully arranged apple slices. Apple frangipane tart is as aesthetically charming as it is delicious!
(This recipe was originally published in January 2013, but was updated with new photos and content in 2021).
Tarte aux Pommes, or French apple tart, uses simple ingredients to yield a truly stunning dessert. This recipe begins with a base of pâte sucrée or sweet pastry dough. It's a bit reminiscent of shortbread or crisp sugar cookies in flavor and texture.
Next the blind-baked crust is filled with a delicately sweet, buttery and nutty filling of almond frangipane. This is basically almond custard.
Finally, thin wisps of apple are arranged decoratively over the top providing a bit of tartness to balance out the sweet. It truly is a picture-perfect showstopper dessert fit for company.
Buttery. Mildly sweet. Nutty. Slightly tart finish. That's really the best way to describe this gorgeous tarte aux pommes.
Ingredient notes
- Almond Meal (Almond Flour): You will need ground almonds, almond meal, or almond flour to make the frangipane filling for this classic French apple tart. You can easily grind your own almonds in a food processor or purchase almond meal at many grocery stores and online. I like to get my almond meal at Trader Joe’s, although Aldi, Whole Foods, and Bob’s Red Mill brands also are great choices. Store leftover almond flour in a freezer bag in the freezer for longevity.
- Apples: I recommend Granny Smith apples for tarte aux pommes. They are great baking apples with a tart flavor. They're great at balancing out the sweetness and richness of this French apple tart. Cortland, Braeburn, and Honeycrisp would be good substitutions if needed.
- Apricot Jam: Apricot jam serves as a glaze to brush over this gorgeous tart. Since it's a light color (as opposed to berry jams), it doesn't actually change the color of the tart, but rather provides a glistening finish.
How to make it
Make the dough first. Add the flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse again until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg yolks and pulse again until combined. While the food processor is running, slowly add the water, until the mixture just comes together.
Remove the dough to a work surface and knead gently to bring it together into a smooth ball. Shape the pastry into a flat disc and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is about ⅛-inch thick. Gently fit the pastry into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and trim away excess dough. Prick the bottom with a fork, then place the crust in the fridge for at least 1 ½ hours to stop shrinkage when baking.
Remove chilled crust from the fridge, line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or uncooked beans or rice. Blind bake the crust for 10 minutes.
Remove the parchment and weights and continue to bake for another 10 to 12 minutes, or until pale golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack until room temperature.
Meanwhile, make the frangipane filling for your tarte aux pommes. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar until light and creamy, a couple minutes.
Then add the ground almonds and mix until smooth. Finally add the eggs and combine well, scraping down the sides periodically to ensure the mixture is smooth. Spoon the frangipane filling into the tart shell, smoothing it out evenly.
Starting from the outside, arrange the apple slices in a spiral pattern, overlapping one another until the entire surface is covered.
Place the French apple tart onto the preparing baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then brush the top with melted butter.
Continue to bake for about 40 minutes longer until the filling begins to brown. Then lightly brush the top with beaten egg and return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes.
To make the glaze, heat apricot jam and water in a small pan and strain into a bowl. Remove from the oven and, while still warm, use a pastry brush to coat the apples with the warm glaze.
Serve tarte aux pommes either warm or at room temperature plain, with crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
When brushing melted butter over the tart, use a blotting motion to prevent the apple slices from moving around. The frangipane filling will not have set at that point.
You will have some excess dough after trimming the edges of the crust. Gather the scraps into a ball and either roll it out to make a few mini tartlets or cut it out into cookies using cookie cutters. You may also freeze this dough if you don't plan to use it immediately, but it won't be quite enough for another full size tart.
Some recipes for tarte aux pommes omit the steps to brush with butter and egg during the baking process, which is perfectly fine, but I think it adds more flavor and color and is worth it.
Other recipes you may like
- Gâteau Invisible aux Pommes (Invisible Apple Cake)
- Viennoise au Chocolat (Vienna Bread with Chocolate Chips)
- Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel)
- Chocolat Chaud (French Hot Chocolate)
- Parisian French Onion Soup
- Steak Tartare
- Bouillabaisse (Provençal Fish Stew)
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Tarte Aux Pommes (French Apple Tart)
Ingredients
Pâte Sucrée:
- 200 grams (1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 75 grams (¼ cup + 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- Pinch Salt
- 90 grams (6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) cold unsalted butter, diced
- 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cold water
Frangipane Filling:
- 100 grams (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 100 grams (1 cup + 4 teaspoons) ground almonds or almond meal
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
Apple Filling:
- 2 large Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, quartered, and thinly sliced about ⅛-inch thick
- 15 grams (1 tablespoon) melted butter
- 1 egg, beaten (you won't use the entire thing)
Glaze:
- 2 tablespoons apricot jam
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- To make the pâte sucrée: Add the flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse again until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg yolks and pulse again until combined. While the food processor is running, slowly add the water starting with 2 tablespoons and adding a 3rd if needed, until the mixture just comes together.
- Remove the dough to a work surface and knead gently to bring it together into a smooth ball. Shape the pastry into a flat disc and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes (alternatively, it can be frozen and then thawed in the refrigerator when needed).
- Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is about ⅛-inch thick. Carefully wrap the pastry around the rolling pin and then gently unfold it over a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently fit the pastry into the pan against the sides (without stretching it) and trim away excess dough. Prick the bottom with a fork. Place the crust in the fridge for at least 1 ½ hours to stop shrinkage when baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper in case of leaks.
- Remove chilled crust from the fridge, line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or uncooked beans or rice. Blind bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and continue to bake for another 10 to 12 minutes, or until pale golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for about 15 minutes until room temperature.
- For the frangipane filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar until light and creamy, a couple minutes. Then add the ground almonds and mix until smooth. Finally add the eggs and combine well, scraping down the sides periodically to ensure the mixture is smooth. Spoon the frangipane filling into the tart shell, smoothing it out evenly.
- Starting from the outside, arrange the apple slices in a spiral pattern, overlapping one another until the entire surface is covered.
- Place the tart onto the preparing baking sheet and transfer to the 350°F (180°C) oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then brush the top with the melted butter (use a blotting motion so you don't displace the apple slices from how they are arranged).
- Continue to bake for about 40 minutes longer until the filling begins to brown at the edges. Then lightly brush the top with some of the beaten egg and return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes (giving you a total of about 50 to 55 minutes baking time).
- To make the glaze, heat the apricot jam and water in a small pan and strain into a bowl. Remove the tart from the oven and, while still warm, use a pastry brush to coat the apples with the warm glaze. Serve either warm or at room temperature plain, with crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- You will have some excess dough after trimming the edges of the crust. Gather the scraps into a ball and either roll it out to make a few mini tartlets or cut it out into cookies using cookie cutters. You may also freeze this dough if you don't plan to use it immediately, but it won't be quite enough for another full size tart.
- Some recipes for tarte aux pommes omit the steps to brush with butter and egg during the baking process, which is perfectly fine, but I think it adds more flavor and color and is worth it.
- Adapted from Sweet Paris
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
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