Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe
Published November 11, 2022. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This easy-to-make tarte Tatin recipe has only 6 ingredients and comes together in under 1 hour for an unbelievably delicious dessert. You will love the simplicity and flavors in this class tart recipe.
We’ve got a sweet tooth like no other in our family and always crave dessert after any main entrée. If you’re in a similar boat, you must try my Carrot Cake or Sopapilla.
Tarte Tatin
Tarte Tatin is a famous French upside-down apple tart. It’s made by covering the bottom of a skillet or cake pan with butter and sugar until it caramelizes, and then apples are layered on top. It is then covered in a simple dough like a pie crust called shortcrust pastry dough and then baked until finished.
The tart is said to be created by two French sisters who lived in the Loire Valley and made a living serving this tart. The classic name for this dish is tarte des demoiselles Tatin, which translates as the tarte of two unmarried women named Tatin. Fun story.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flour – All-purpose flour is perfect to use in this.
- Butter – Always use cold unsalted butter.
- Sugar – I like castor sugar in this recipe, but granulated will also work.
- Eggs – 1 large egg is used for the shortcrust pastry dough.
- Apples – The common apples to use for this would be Braeburn or Golden Delicious. However, you can use your favorite apples in this.
- Salt – Sea salt will help to season up or dough.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Start making the short-crust pastry dough by processing some butter, flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until the butter is the size of rice.
Next, add in the egg and mix until combined.
Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes.
Form it into a thick disk, wrap it in parchment paper and keep it in the refrigerator until we are ready to pull it out and use it.
In the meantime, melt some castor sugar in a non-stick skillet over low heat until it is lightly brown.
Stir in the butter until completely combined.
Form the quartered apples around the skillet to form a circular, fanned shape.
Place on a lid and cook over low to medium heat for 15 minutes or until the apples are softened.
Roll out the dough until it is slightly smaller than the size of the skillet with the apples.
Remove the lid from the apples and place the dough right on top.
Tuck in the sides of the dough with a spoon and then poke several holes in the dough to let the heat escape. Bake at 400° for 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust is browned and cooked.
Cool the cake slightly before inverting it onto a serving dish. Serve with ice cream.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 1 day ahead of time.
How to Store: Cover the tarte Tatin and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can freeze this covered for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before slicing and serving.
Chef Notes + Tip
- Suppose the dough is too dry while processing. Add a tablespoon or two of water. If it’s too wet, add a few tablespoons of flour.
- After adding the butter to the sugar caramel in the pan, you can enhance the flavor by adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 sliced vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- The dough can stay in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before use.
- Process regular granulated sugar in a fast food processor to make castor sugar until it becomes fine.
- Feel free to make this in a 9” deep cake pan or an 8”-9” cast-iron skillet.
More Dessert Recipes
Video
Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe
Ingredients
For the Short Crust Pastry Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon castor sugar
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut up
- 1 large egg
- Cold water
For the Filling
- ½ cup castor sugar
- ¾ stick cold unsalted butter, cut up.
- 4 large peeled, cored, and quartered Braeburn apples
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Start by making the short-crust pastry dough by processing some flour, salt, a tablespoon of castor sugar, and butter in a food processor on high speed until the butter is the size of rice.
- Next, add the egg and mix until combined and the dough starts to come together. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water.
- Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Form it into a thick disk, wrap it in parchment paper and keep it in the refrigerator until we are ready to pull it out and use it.
- In the meantime, the ½ cup of castor sugar in a non-stick skillet over low heat until it is melted and lightly brown. You will need to stir this frequently with a high-temperature rubber spatula.
- Stir in the butter until completely combined.
- Form the quartered apples around the skillet to form a circular, fanned shape. See the video.
- Place on a lid and cook over low to medium heat for 15 minutes or until the apples are softened.
- Roll out the dough until it is slightly smaller than the size of the skillet with the apples.
- Remove the lid from the apples and place the dough right on top.
- Tuck in the sides of the dough with a spoon and then poke several holes in the dough to let the heat escape.
- Bake at 400° for 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust is browned and cooked.
Fabulous ChefBilly thankyou 😋🤩😁👋
Thank you for tasty Christmas apple pie
for Christmas ChefBilly 😁😋👋
Fantastic!!!!!
Thanks!
It was so good! I’ll definitely make this again!
Thank you!
Elegant and satisfying. I served this after a large meal and folks still asked for “just another small slice.” It’s teally pretty too!
so good!!
Easy to follow and my family loved it.
excellent