Tarte Tatin (French Apple Tart) Recipe

Tarte Tatin (French Apple Tart) is an easy recipe for a classic dessert with buttery puff pastry and caramelized apples. Only 4 ingredients!

This French-style Apple Tart is the perfect alternative to a traditional Apple Pie. You get all the amazing baked apple flavor, but in a more delicate Dessert Recipe with sweet caramel sauce.

Sabrina’s Tarte Tatin

If you’re new to baking, the idea of a French tart might sound intimidating. Add in a French name like Tarte Tatin, and this recipe looks quite fancy, but the baking process is actually incredibly easy with a few simple steps and just four ingredients. You can impress friends and family with this French upside-down apple tart whether you’ve been baking for years or are a complete novice.

Recipe Card

Save

Ingredients

▢ 3/4 cup sugar
▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
▢ 3 pounds Granny Smith apples , cored, peeled and quartered
▢ 1 sheet puff pastry , thawed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add the sugar to a clean saucepan on medium heat.
Whisk well, constantly, until the sugar has melted and turned an amber color, about 4-6 minutes.
Add in the butter whisking well until the color is a light brown.
Add the apples and stir to combine, then cook the apples for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Note: Do not burn the caramel, so keep a close eye on the color.
Add the apples in a circle pattern to the bottom of your cake pan and pour the caramel over the top of the apples.
Roll pie crust onto a piece of parchment paper and cut into a 9″ circle (using an upside down 9″ cake pan).
Add the pie crust over the apples and poke holes in the crust with a fork.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until the pie crust is a golden brown color.
Cool for 30 minutes, then place a plate upside down over the pan and carefully flip over to remove.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Video

Nutrition

Sabrina’s Tarte Tatin
Recipe Card
About This Recipe
Chef’s Note
Can This be Made Ahead of Time?
How to Store
FAQ’s
Variations
Related Recipes

Back to Table of Contents

About This Recipe

Tarte Tatin is a classic French dessert made with caramelized apples baked under a layer of buttery puff pastry. The dessert is typically made by cooking sliced apples with sugar and butter until caramelized, and then topping them with a layer of pastry before baking in the oven. Once baked, the tarte is inverted onto a plate, so the apples are on top, and the pastry forms a golden crust on the bottom.

Chef’s Note

For a more beautiful presentation, you can sprinkle ground cinnamon, or sanding sugar over the top of the apple mixture. Flaky sea salt will balance out the sweetness and is a simple way to elevate this French tart. Make it more decadent and caramel-y by drizzling with Salted Caramel Sauce before slicing and serving with a dollop of Whipped Cream or scoop of Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream.

Can This be Made Ahead of Time?

Yes, Tarte Tatin can be made in advance. You can prepare the recipe up until the baking stage, and then cover it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store it in the fridge for up to a day or two. If you are baking it straight from the fridge, you may need to add a few minutes to the baking time, otherwise you can bring it room temperature first and bake for the normal time on the recipe card.

How to Store

Serve: As long as you wrap the tarte in plastic wrap or keep it covered, this apple tart will stay good at room temperature for about 3 days.
Store: Transfer leftover apple tart to an airtight container or cover plate with wrap. Store in the fridge for up to a week, but keep in mind the crust and filling will have the best texture within the first few days.
Freeze: Let your tarte cool completely before freezing for an hour on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen solid, wrap tarte tightly with a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil then freeze for up to 2 months.

FAQ’s

What type of apple is best for a tart?

Granny Smith apples are the best choice for tarte tatin because they hold their shape and don’t turn mushy when cooked. They also have a tart flavor that pairs well with the sweet caramel. However, other tart apple varieties like Braeburn, Honeycrisp, or Jonathan apples can also work well in this recipe.

What is the best pan for tarte tatin?

The best pan for tarte tatin is a heavy-bottomed, oven-safe skillet or cake pan. The pan should be at least 9 inches in diameter and have tall sides to accommodate the apples and caramel. A cast-iron skillet is an excellent choice for making tarte tatin, as it distributes heat evenly and can withstand high temperatures.

Why is my Tarte Tatin soggy?

There are a few reasons why your Tarte Tatin might be soggy, such as not cooking the apples long enough before baking, using too much butter or sugar in the caramel, or not preheating the oven to the correct temperature before baking.

What is the difference between a Tarte and Tate Tatin?

The main difference between a tart and Tarte Tatin is the way the pastry is arranged. In a traditional tart, the pastry is placed on the bottom of the dish, and the filling is added on top. In contrast, tarte tatin is an upside-down tart where the fruit is caramelized in a pan first, then topped with pastry and baked. When the tart is done, it is flipped over onto a serving plate so that the fruit is on top.

Variations

Brown sugar caramel sauce: To make a richer brown sugar caramel sauce, melt ¼ cup butter in a saucepan. Then add ½ cup light brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Then boil the mixture for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, and pour it over the sliced apples before adding the puff pastry, and baking the tarte.
Toppings: To add a bit of sparkle to the top of your French Apple Tart, try sprinkling on large salt flakes, or sanding sugar after the tart has baked. You can also add a oat crumble (like on an Apple Crisp) to the bottom of the pan then after it has been flipped, return the tart to the oven and broil on high for a couple minutes until crispy.
Fruit: You can experiment with adding different kinds of fruit into the tart. Try adding berries, like raspberries, blueberries, or cranberries to the sliced apples. Or, add other kinds of sliced fruit like peaches or pears to replace the apples.