From the roundup: 24 Apple Dessert Recipes for Fall You Will Want to Bake All Season
This apple cardamom tart is one of those desserts that looks like it came from a bakery case but is actually built from a short ingredient list and a press-in crust that requires zero rolling. The filling is a classic French almond cream, which bakes into something between a soft custard and a frangipane, and the cardamom runs through it just enough to make people ask what that flavor is.
The active time is genuinely about 30 minutes. You mix the crust, press it in, freeze it while you make the almond cream and slice the apples, then assemble and bake. The oven does the rest. Total time runs around 70 minutes, and most of that is hands-off.
A removable-bottom tart pan is the one piece of equipment that really matters here. It lets you pull the sides off cleanly before slicing, which is what gives you those neat, bakery-style wedges without any digging or crumbling.
Where this tart came from
I made this for the first time on a Thursday night before a Friday potluck, which was probably not the smartest call with five kids underfoot. I rushed the crust, skipped the 15-minute freezer step, and the sides slumped a little during baking. The tart still tasted great, but the edges looked sloppy in the pan. Now I set a timer for that freezer rest and I do not skip it, no matter how behind I am.
The cardamom was my husband’s suggestion, actually. He had a cardamom apple pastry at a coffee shop and described it badly enough that I just started experimenting. This version is what stuck.
Why you will love this
- The press-in crust skips the rolling pin entirely, which makes it much less fussy than a traditional tart shell.
- Almond cream bakes into a soft, slightly nutty filling that holds the apple slices in place and keeps every slice cohesive.
- Cardamom is easy to find in the spice aisle and adds a warm floral note that makes this taste different from a standard apple dessert.
- The apricot glaze takes about two minutes and keeps the apple slices from looking dry or dull after baking.
- It slices cleanly from a removable-bottom pan, so it presents well even if you made it the night before.
Tips for success
- Do not skip the freezer step. Fifteen minutes in the freezer firms the butter in the crust and keeps the sides from shrinking down during baking. This is the step I regret skipping every single time I do it.
- Slice the apples to 1/8-inch. Thicker slices stay stiff and do not fan properly. A mandoline makes this fast, but a sharp knife and patience work fine.
- Layer the apples more generously than feels necessary. They shrink and pull back during baking, so what looks like too many raw apples usually looks just right once baked.
- Check the almond cream at 35 minutes by pressing gently between the apple slices. It should feel set and spring back slightly, not jiggly. If the crust edges are browning too fast before that point, lay strips of foil loosely over them.
Common questions about this tart
- Can I use a pie pan instead of a tart pan? You can, but you will lose the clean removable sides. The tart will still taste the same, just harder to serve neatly.
- My almond cream looks lumpy before baking. Is that okay? Make sure your butter is fully softened before you start. Cold butter will not cream properly and the filling will look curdled. Let it sit out for 30 minutes if needed.
- The apricot glaze seized up and got sticky. It cools fast once off the heat. If it thickens before you can brush it on, put it back over low heat for 30 seconds.
- How thin does the crust need to be? About 1/8-inch all the way around. If it is too thick on the bottom, the almond cream will not bake through evenly and the base will be dense.
Substitutions
Granny Smith apples are the best choice here because their tartness balances the sweet almond cream, but Honeycrisp or Braeburn work if that is what you have. For the almond flour, hazelnut flour is a straight swap and gives the filling a slightly deeper, nuttier flavor. If cardamom is not in your spice drawer, a mix of 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg gets you somewhere close.
For a dairy-free version, a good vegan butter like Miyoko’s works in both the crust and the almond cream without changing the texture much. The apricot jam glaze can be swapped for peach jam or a thin orange marmalade if that is what is open in the fridge.
Make-ahead and storage
The crust dough can be pressed into the pan, covered tightly, and refrigerated up to two days ahead. The almond cream can be mixed a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge. Just give it a quick stir before spreading, since it firms up when cold. The fully baked and glazed tart keeps well covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. Bring slices to room temperature before serving, or warm them in a 300-degree oven for about 8 minutes.
Freezing the finished tart is not recommended. The apricot glaze and almond cream do not hold up well through a freeze-thaw cycle and the texture gets watery. The unbaked pressed crust, however, freezes fine for up to one month if wrapped well in the pan.
Apple Cardamom Tart with Almond Cream
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Make the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and use your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, stirring with a fork after each addition, just until the dough holds together when you press a bit between your fingers. Do not over-mix.
- Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan. The layer should be about 1/8-inch thick all the way around. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Place the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes while you prepare the almond cream and apples. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Make the almond cream: Beat the softened butter and 1/2 cup sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the almond flour, eggs, vanilla extract, cardamom, and cinnamon. Beat on low speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy. It should look like a thick, pale paste.
- Remove the tart pan from the freezer. Spread the almond cream evenly over the chilled crust using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Go all the way to the edges.
- Fan the apple slices over the almond cream in overlapping concentric circles, starting at the outer edge and working toward the center. Press them gently into the cream so they sit flat. The apples will shrink a little during baking, so layer them slightly more than you think you need.
- Bake on the center rack for 35 to 40 minutes. The almond cream should be puffed, set, and golden brown around the edges and through the center. A toothpick inserted between the apple slices into the cream should come out clean. If the edges of the crust start to brown too fast after 25 minutes, cover them loosely with strips of foil.
- While the tart bakes, warm the apricot jam and 1 teaspoon of water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth and runny. Remove from heat. As soon as the tart comes out of the oven, brush the warm glaze over the apple slices and almond cream using a pastry brush. Let the tart cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before removing the sides and slicing.
Notes
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