Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (2024)

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.

Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (1)

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

Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (2)
  • 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.

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Next, add in the egg and mix until combined.

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Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes.

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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.

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In the meantime, melt some castor sugar in a non-stick skillet over low heat until it is lightly brown.

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Stir in the butter until completely combined.

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Form the quartered apples around the skillet to form a circular, fanned shape.

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Place on a lid and cook over low to medium heat for 15 minutes or until the apples are softened.

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Roll out the dough until it is slightly smaller than the size of the skillet with the apples.

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Remove the lid from the apples and place the dough right on top.

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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.

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Cool the cake slightly before inverting it onto a serving dish. Serve with ice cream.

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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.

Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (15)

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

  • Torta Caprese
  • Chess Pie
  • Gooey Butter Cake
  • Strawberry Shortcake
  • Funfetti Cake

Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (16)

Video

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Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe

Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (17)

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This easy-to-make tarte Tatin recipe has only 6 ingredients and comes together in under 1 hour for an unbelievably delicious dessert.

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

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.

Notes

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.

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 4gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 158mgPotassium: 146mgFiber: 3gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 873IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 2mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Author: Chef Billy Parisi

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10 comments

    • sue
    • Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (18)

    Fabulous ChefBilly thankyou 😋🤩😁👋

    • Reply
    • sue 😁
    • Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (19)

    Thank you for tasty Christmas apple pie
    for Christmas ChefBilly 😁😋👋

    • Reply
    • Paulina
    • Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (20)

    Fantastic!!!!!

    • Reply
      • Chef Billy Parisi

      Thanks!

      • Reply
    • Karen Carron
    • Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (21)

    It was so good! I’ll definitely make this again!

    • Reply
    • Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (22)

        Thank you!

        • Reply
      • Earlene Kent
      • Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (23)

      Elegant and satisfying. I served this after a large meal and folks still asked for “just another small slice.” It’s teally pretty too!

      • Reply
      • Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (24)

          so good!!

          • Reply
        • Gary
        • Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (25)

        Easy to follow and my family loved it.

        • Reply
        • Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (26)

            excellent

            • Reply
        Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe (2024)

        FAQs

        How do you keep tarte tatin from getting soggy? ›

        Peel and quarter the apples. Use a small sharp knife to trim the hard cores and seeds from the center of each quarter; don't worry about being too neat. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, lightly covered, for at least one day or up to three days. (This key step reduces the amount of liquid in the tart.

        Does a tarte tatin need to be served immediately? ›

        For best results, cook a day or two ahead and keep in its pan or dish in the fridge, then reheat in the oven for 20 mins at 150C/130C fan/gas 2 an hour before serving. Turn out to serve as above.

        What pastry is tarte tatin made of? ›

        The Tarte Tatin should be made with puff or shortcrust pastry.

        What is unusual about tarte tatin? ›

        Named after the woman who invented it, the Tarte Tatin (tart tah-TAN) is a famous French "upside-down" caramelized apple tart or Tarte aux pommes (caramélisé). Basically, the apples are underneath the dough – topsy-turvy indeed.

        How do you keep the bottom of a tart from getting soggy? ›

        Blind-bake your base before adding a filling to help to firm the base and avoid liquid being absorbed into it. Prick the base with a fork to help steam escape, cover with foil or parchment, and weigh it down with ceramic baking beans, uncooked rice or white sugar.

        How do you keep tart crust crispy? ›

        Brush Your Pie in Egg Wash

        Once you've pre-baked your pie, brush the bottom and sides of the crust with egg wash, then reheat at 400° for 4 minutes to set the glaze. This creates a seal between the crust and the filling so that your crust stays crispy and golden once the filling is added.

        What is the best pan for tatin? ›

        Cast iron, enameled cast iron, or a special tarte tatin mold, available at many kitchenware shops, are best. In any case, it should be heavy-bottomed, with a handle that can withstand the heat of the oven.

        Why is my tarte tatin bitter? ›

        Let the mix cook on a medium heat checking the color as it cooks. When the mix becomes brown and thick (not dark brown) remove the pan from the heat. Watch closely because if caramel burns will become bitter.

        When to flip a tarte tatin? ›

        Bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden, then remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then place a plate, slightly larger than the pan, on top and then, very carefully, using oven gloves, invert the tart on to the plate. Best served warm, with crème fraîche.

        What is the difference between a tarte tatin and a galette? ›

        Whereas pies and tarts are baked in a mould or dish, galettes are freeform; laid on a flat sheet, its edges are turned up and folded inward by hand, producing a rustic appeal and a distinct shape—while tarts and pies have crusts that are wither straight or widen at the mouth, the mouths of galettes are smaller than its ...

        What can you use instead of a tarte tatin pan? ›

        Choose a pan: a copper tarte tatin mold will be perfect (here's a link to a good one), but you can also use an iron skillet (as long as it doesn't smell like salmon or something) or even a heavy stainless steel (like All-Clad) or non-stick sauté pan.

        What does tatin mean in English? ›

        adjective. caramelized and baked in the manner of an upside-down cake: an apple tart Tatin.

        What French dish was said to have been created in an accident when the chef left apples cooking for too long? ›

        This French dessert is an upside-down caramelized apple tart that legend has it was created by accident.

        How do you keep tarte tatin from sticking? ›

        Then refrigerate the pastry for up to 12 hours allowing the sugar to cool and the apples to congeal together. Once it is thoroughly chilled, return the pan and it's contents to the stove over medium high heat and gently, with splayed palms, rotate the tart to be sure that it doesn't stick to the pan when you unmold it.

        Why are my butter tarts soggy on the bottom? ›

        If the bottom crust doesn't set before the filling soaks in, it's going to be gummy. A metal pie pan placed on a preheated surface will set the bottom crust quickest; once cooked, the liquids from the filling above won't soak in, and as a result: no soggy bottom.

        How do you keep puff pastry from getting soggy on the bottom? ›

        One way to prevent soggy bottom pastry is to blind bake the pastry – This means partially or completely bake the pastry before adding the filling. Also, avoid over-filling your pastry.

        How do you keep crumble from getting soggy? ›

        Use a shallowish dish if you've got a wet fruit mixture, otherwise the crumble will start to dissolve before it's baked.

        How do you keep tart shells crisp? ›

        It's best to chill the pastry cream before putting it in the tart shells as this helps maintain the crispness of the tart shell and prevent softening and breakage. I prefer to fill the tart shells the day that they're being served.

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