A delicious apricot tart, simple and easy to make, with a buttery shortbread crust.
A gourmet dessert that brings out the fragrance of sun-drenched apricots. Slightly tangy, they turn into a true delicacy when cooked, offering a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity. When baked, they gently brown and develop a slight caramelization, creating a melt-in-your-mouth texture and delicious flavor.
Sometimes sprinkled with sliced almonds before baking, this apricot almond tart offers an extra touch of indulgence with a pleasant crunch under the tooth. Perfect as a dessert to finish a meal or as a snack. You can make it all year round, using apricots in syrup or frozen.
Table of Contents
What you’ll love about this apricot tart
Difficulty level: It’s easy and doesn’t require a lot of preparation. It’s ideal for beginners, but requires a little care to prepare the shortcrust pastry and arrange the apricots harmoniously.
Success depends above all on the quality of the fruit and the way the shortcrust pastry is cooked. The apricot tart is part of the French pastry training program.
Can be made all year round: This is a tart that can be made in any season. In summer to enjoy fresh apricots, and the rest of the year with apricot halves in syrup or frozen.
Texture: The crumbly shortcrust pastry, combined with the melting almond cream and the slightly tangy apricot flavor, offers a delightful blend of textures and flavors.
Variation and substitution
Shortcrust pastry: If you prefer, you can replace the shortcrust pastry with puff pastry, store-bought or homemade shortcrust, or sweet pastry, depending on your preferences and the texture you’re looking for.
If you don’t have any, you don’t need to use almond powder in the shortcrust pastry.
Apricots: When in season, use fresh, ripe, firm apricots. For the rest of the year, apricot halves in syrup or frozen will do just fine. You can also use other seasonal fruits. The basis will remain the same.
Almond flour: This tart is delicious with an almond cream made from white almond powder. You can, however, replace it with raw, roasted and ground almond powder for a more intense almond flavor.
You can also add a few drops of bitter almond extract, to taste.
Apricots also go very well with pistachio. You can replace all the almonds with fine pistachio powder, and add a generous spoonful of pistachio paste for even more flavor, but this is optional.
Tips for a successful apricot tart
Generally, you can either line the tart pan, then fill it with cream and apricots before baking, or pre-bake the tart crust before adding the filling.
When using juicy fruits, I prefer to opt for blind baking the crust for about fifteen minutes, or until the tart base is lightly golden. I then let it cool before adding the filling.
If you follow the instructions in the shortcrust pastry recipe correctly, you won’t need to prick the pastry or use baking beads. The shortcrust pastry won’t collapse, the tart base won’t puff up, and the result will be perfect.
You can bake the tart crust a bit longer than shown in the image below.
Preparation steps :
NB: For full details of ingredients, see the recipe card at the end of this article, which you can print out. Below are the instructions, which you can also view in images.
I used a 28 cm by 3 cm perforated tart mold (11 inches by 1.2 inches). I will also provide the quantities for a 22 cm by 2 cm tart ring (8.7 inches by 0.8 inches).
Shortcrust pastry :
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar, almond powder, salt, and optionally the seeds from a vanilla pod.
2. Add the cold, but not hard, butter cubes and mix with the paddle attachment of the stand mixer or using your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
3. Add the beaten egg and mix briefly to bring everything together. Do not work the dough until it forms a ball, just until it becomes a uniform mixture.
4. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and press it forward with the palm of your hand 2 to 3 times to help incorporate the ingredients, then gather it into a ball.
5. Wrap the dough in cling film, flattening it slightly. This will help it cool faster and make it easier to roll out.
6. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for about 2 h or prepare the day before.
Note: This resting time will prevent the dough from collapsing in the tart pan during baking. It will also be easier to roll out and handle.
7. After this resting time, roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 2 to 3 mm (0.08 to 0.12 inches). If the dough is too cold, let it relax for 5 minutes. If it’s warm, return it to the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until it is firmer and easier to handle.
8. Line the buttered tart pan, placed on a perforated baking sheet (preferably), with a Silpain mat or parchment paper.
9. Remove excess dough with a rolling pin. Using a piece of parchment paper, smooth the bottom and sides by pressing the dough firmly to form a right angle.
10. Finish by trimming the edges with a knife.
11. Freeze the tart crust for 30 minutes before baking it for blind baking.
12. If you are not using very juicy fruits, you can fill it immediately and bake in a single step.
13. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) with the fan on and bake the tart crust for about fifteen minutes, or until the dough is lightly golden.
14. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Meanwhile, prepare the almond cream.
Almond cream:
1. In a bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar using a rubber spatula.
2. Add the almond flour in three parts, alternating with the beaten eggs.
3. Mix between each addition to incorporate the egg without whipping, until you achieve a smooth, homogeneous cream.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while the tart shell cools.
Baking and Filling
3. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) on conventional (static) mode.
3. Spread the almond cream over the cooled tart shell up to three-quarters full, to prevent the cream from overflowing.
4. Cut the apricots in half and arrange them in a circle on the cream, cut side up, tilting them slightly backward (see image below).
5. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
6. Place the tart in the oven for around 40 minutes, depending on the oven, until the tart is golden brown and the almond cream is cooked.
Note: If the top browns before the tart is fully baked, cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil.
7. Check the almond cream’s doneness with a skewer; it should come out clean when inserted into the center of the tart.
8. Place the tart on a wire rack and let it cool before removing it from the ring.
Finishing touch :
1. Lightly heat the neutral glaze or apricot jelly to liquefy it.
2. Brush over apricots.
3. Dust the entire tart with powdered sugar or just the edges before serving. To dust only around the edge, hold a plate or golden presentation board over the tart, without touching it, to protect the center.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature.
5. You can keep it in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve.
Other pie recipes
Cherry and pistachio tarts
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Apricot Tart Recipe
EQUIPEMENTS
INGREDIENTS
For a 28 cm x 3 cm tart pan (11 in x 1.2 in):
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 250 g all-purpose flour (8.8 oz)
- 130 g cold but not hard butter cut into cubes (4.6 oz) – remove from the fridge about 10 minutes beforehand
- 100 g icing sugar (3.5 oz)
- 30 g almond powder optional (1 oz)
- 1/3 teaspoon salt (1 g)
- 1 large egg (60 g / 2 oz) – adjust according to flour absorption
- 1 vanilla bean optional
For the almond cream:
- 140 g almond powder (4.9 oz)
- 140 g softened butter (4.9 oz)
- 140 g sugar (4.9 oz)
- 140 g beaten eggs (4.9 oz)
For the filling:
- About 15 fresh apricots or canned/frozen apricot halves
- Sliced almonds for decoration optional
For the finishing:
- Neutral glaze or heated apricot jelly
For a 22 cm x 2 cm tart ring (8.7 in x 0.8 in):
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 200 g all-purpose flour (7 oz)
- 100 g cold but not hard butter cut into cubes (3.5 oz) – remove from the fridge about 10 minutes beforehand
- 80 g icing sugar (2.8 oz)
- 25 g almond powder optional (0.9 oz)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg (50 g / 1.8 oz )– adjust according to flour absorption
- 1/2 vanilla bean optional
For the almond cream:
- 70 g almond powder (2.5 oz)
- 70 g softened butter (2.5 oz)
- 70 g sugar (2.5 oz)
- 70 g beaten eggs (2.5 oz)
For the filling:
- About 12 fresh apricots or canned/frozen apricot halves
- Sliced almonds for decoration optional
For the finishing:
- Neutral glaze or heated apricot jelly
PREPARATION
- I used a 28 cm perforated tart mold with a height of 3 cm (11 inches by 1.2 inches).
Shortcrust pastry :
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar, almond powder, salt, and optionally the seeds from a vanilla pod.
- Add the cold, but not hard, butter cubes and mix with the paddle attachment of the stand mixer or using your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Add the beaten egg and mix briefly to bring everything together. Do not work the dough until it forms a ball, just until it becomes a uniform mixture.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and press it forward with the palm of your hand 2 to 3 times to help incorporate the ingredients, then gather it into a ball.
- Wrap the dough in cling film, flattening it slightly. This will help it cool faster and make it easier to roll out.
- Leave to rest in the refrigerator for about 2 h or prepare the day before.
- Note: This resting time will prevent the dough from collapsing in the tart pan during baking. It will also be easier to roll out and handle.
- After this resting time, roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 2 to 3 mm (0.08 to 0.12 inches). If the dough is too cold, let it relax for 5 minutes. If it's warm, return it to the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until it is firmer and easier to handle.
- Line the buttered tart pan, placed on a perforated baking sheet (preferably), with a Silpain mat or parchment paper.
- Remove excess dough with a rolling pin. Using a piece of parchment paper, smooth the bottom and sides by pressing the dough firmly to form a right angle.
- Finish by trimming the edges with a knife.
- Freeze the tart crust for 30 minutes before baking it for blind baking.
- If you are not using very juicy fruits, you can fill it immediately and bake in a single step.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) with the fan on and bake the tart crust for about fifteen minutes, or until the dough is lightly golden.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool. Meanwhile, prepare the almond cream.
Almond cream:
- In a bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar using a rubber spatula.
- Add the almond flour in three parts, alternating with the beaten eggs.
- Mix between each addition to incorporate the egg without whipping, until you achieve a smooth, homogeneous cream.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while the tart shell cools.
Baking and Filling
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) on conventional (static) mode.
- Spread the almond cream over the cooled tart shell up to three-quarters full, to prevent the cream from overflowing.
- Cut the apricots in half and arrange them in a circle on the cream, cut side up, tilting them slightly backward (see image below).
- Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
- Place the tart in the oven for around 40 minutes, depending on the oven, until the tart is golden brown and the almond cream is cooked.
- Note: If the top browns before the tart is fully baked, cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil.
- Check the almond cream's doneness with a skewer; it should come out clean when inserted into the center of the tart.
- Place the tart on a wire rack and let it cool before removing it from the ring.
Finishing touch :
- Lightly heat the neutral glaze or apricot jelly to liquefy it.
- Brush over apricots.
- Dust the entire tart with powdered sugar or just the edges before serving. To dust only around the edge, hold a plate or golden presentation board over the tart, without touching it, to protect the center.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- You can keep it in the refrigerator until it's time to serve.
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