A delicious and foolproof apricot tart that’s simple to make, featuring a homemade buttery shortcrust pastry. This gourmet dessert showcases the fragrance of sun-ripened apricots. Slightly tart when raw, they become wonderfully sweet once baked, offering the perfect balance between sweetness and acidity.
As they bake, the apricots take on a beautiful golden hue and develop light caramelization, creating a soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture packed with flavor. The crumbly shortbread crust combined with the smooth almond cream and tangy apricots delivers a delightful contrast of textures and flavors.
For an extra touch of indulgence, you can sprinkle flaked almonds on top before baking. They add not only a lovely almond flavor, but also a pleasant crunch that enhances every bite.
This tart is very easy to make, even for beginners. Just follow a few simple tips to prepare the shortcrust pastry, line the tart tin, and bake it properly. The key to success lies above all in the quality of the fruit and proper baking. In fact, apricot tart is a classic recipe featured in the French CAP Pâtissier program.
This dessert can be enjoyed all year round: with fresh apricots in summer, or with canned or frozen apricots during the rest of the year.
Table of Contents
Tips and Tricks
In general, you can either line the tart tin and fill it directly, or blind bake the crust first before adding the filling.
When I use very juicy fruits, I prefer to blind bake the pastry for about 15 minutes, until it’s lightly golden. I then let it cool before adding the filling.
If you follow the shortcrust pastry recipe carefully, there’s no need to prick the dough or use pie weights: it won’t collapse or puff up during baking.
You can also bake the crust a bit more than shown in the photo to achieve optimal crispiness.
For a twist, you can substitute the shortcrust with puff pastry, sweet pastry (pâte sucrée), or even pie dough (pâte brisée), depending on your preferences. The ground almonds are optional.
When in season, I always go for fresh apricots. Otherwise, canned or frozen ones work perfectly well. For a different flavor, you can replace the almond powder with pistachio meal, and add a bit of pistachio paste for extra indulgence.
Ingredients:
NB: You can print out the recipe card at the end of the article.
For a 28 x 3 cm (11 x 1.2 inch) tart ring
Shortcrust pastry
- 250 g (8.8 oz) all-purpose flour
- 130 g (4.6 oz) cold butter, cubed and slightly softened
- 100 g (3.5 oz) powdered sugar
- 30 g (1 oz) almond flour (optional)
- 1/3 teaspoon salt (approx. 1 g / 0.04 oz)
- 1 large egg (60 g / 2 oz), adjust depending on flour absorption
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean (optional)
Almond cream (frangipane)
- 140 g (4.9 oz) almond flour
- 140 g (4.9 oz) soft butter
- 140 g (4.9 oz) granulated sugar
- 140 g (4.9 oz) beaten eggs (about 2–3 eggs)
Filling
- About 15 fresh apricots, or canned apricot halves (drained) or frozen (thawed)
- Sliced almonds for decoration (optional)
Finishing
Neutral glaze or warmed apricot jam for brushing
For a 22 x 2 cm (8.7 x 0.8 inch) tart ring
Shortcrust pastry:
- 200 g (7 oz) all-purpose flour (preferably T55)
- 100 g (3.5 oz) cold butter, slightly softened
- 80 g (2.8 oz) powdered sugar
- 25 g (0.9 oz) almond flour (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 medium egg (50 g / 1.8 oz), adjust depending on flour absorption
- Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean (optional)
Almond cream (frangipane):
- 70 g (2.5 oz) almond flour
- 70 g (2.5 oz) soft butter
- 70 g (2.5 oz) granulated sugar
- 70 g (2.5 oz) beaten eggs (about 1 egg + a little more)
Filling
- About 12 fresh apricots, or canned apricot halves or frozen (thawed)
- Sliced almonds for decoration (optional)
Finishing
Neutral glaze or warmed apricot jam for brushing
Preparation steps :
Shortcrust Pastry (Pâte sablée)
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a mixing bowl), combine the flour, powdered sugar, almond flour, salt, and, if using, the seeds from a vanilla bean.
Add the cold (but not hard) diced butter. Using the paddle attachment (or your fingertips), rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
Add the beaten egg and mix briefly, just enough for the dough to come together. Do not knead into a ball; stop as soon as you have a cohesive dough.
Transfer the dough to your work surface and use the palm of your hand to fraser (smear the dough) 2 to 3 times to ensure it’s evenly mixed. Gather it into a ball.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, flattening it slightly. This will help it chill faster and make it easier to roll out later.
Let it rest in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, or preferably prepare it the day before.
Note: This resting time will prevent the dough from shrinking during baking and will also make it easier to roll and handle.
After chilling, roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 2 to 3 mm (about 1/8 inch). If the dough is too cold, let it relax for 5 minutes at room temperature. If the dough is too soft or sticky (especially in warm weather), place it back in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until firmer and easier to handle.
Butter the tart pan and place it on a perforated baking tray (preferably) lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
Line the pan with the dough. Remove excess dough by rolling the rolling pin over the edge. Using a piece of parchment paper, smooth the bottom and sides by pressing the dough firmly to form sharp corners.
Finish by trimming the edges neatly with a knife.
Freeze the tart shell for 30 minutes before blind baking.
If you are not using very juicy fruits, you can skip the blind baking and fill the tart directly for a single bake.
Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) with fan-forced heat and bake the tart shell for about 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Remove from the oven and let cool. Meanwhile, prepare the almond cream.
Almond Cream (Frangipane)
In a bowl, cream the soft butter and sugar using a spatula.
Add the almond flour in three additions, alternating with the beaten eggs.
Mix gently after each addition to incorporate the eggs without whisking, until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while the tart shell cools.
Baking and Assembly
Preheat the oven to 175°C (347°F), conventional heat (no fan).
Spread the almond cream over the cooled tart shell, filling it up to about three-quarters full, any more and the cream may overflow during baking.
Cut the apricots in half and arrange them in a circular pattern on top of the cream, cut side up, tilting them slightly backward (see image below, if applicable).
You can sprinkle sliced almonds on top for decoration, if desired.
Bake the tart for about 40 minutes, more or less depending on your oven, until the top is nicely golden and the almond cream is fully cooked.
Note: If the top starts to brown too quickly before the tart is fully baked, cover it loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil.
To check for doneness, insert a skewer or cake tester into the center of the tart, it should come out clean.
Place the tart on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely before removing the ring or pan.
Finishing
Gently warm the neutral glaze or apricot jam to liquefy it.
Using a pastry brush, glaze the apricots to give them a beautiful shine.
Dust the tart with powdered sugar either over the entire surface or just around the edges before serving.
To dust only the edges, hold a plate or a gold presentation board just above the tart (without touching it) to shield the center while sprinkling.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
You can refrigerate the tart until ready to serve.
Other tart recipes
Apricot Tart Recipe
INGREDIENTS
For a 28 x 3 cm (11 x 1.2 inch) tart ring
Shortcrust pastry
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 130 g cold butter cubed and slightly softened
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 30 g almond flour optional
- 1 g salt approx. 1/3 teaspoon
- 1 large egg 60 g / 2 oz , adjust depending on flour absorption
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean optional
Almond cream (frangipane)
- 140 g almond flour
- 140 g soft butter
- 140 g granulated sugar
- 140 g beaten eggs about 2–3 eggs
Filling
- About 15 fresh apricots or canned apricot halves (drained) or frozen (thawed)
- Sliced almonds for decoration optional
Finishing
- Neutral glaze or warmed apricot jam for brushing
For a 22 x 2 cm (8.7 x 0.8 inch) tart ring
Shortcrust pastry:
- 200 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g cold butter slightly softened
- 80 g powdered sugar
- 25 g almond flour optional
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 medium egg 50 g / 1.8 oz, adjust depending on flour absorption
- Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean optional
Almond cream (frangipane):
- 70 g almond flour
- 70 g soft butter
- 70 g granulated sugar
- 70 g beaten eggs about 1 egg + a little more
Filling
- About 12 fresh apricots or canned apricot halves or frozen (thawed)
- Sliced almonds for decoration optional
Finishing
- Neutral glaze or warmed apricot jam for brushing
PREPARATION
Shortcrust Pastry (Pâte sablée)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a mixing bowl), combine the flour, powdered sugar, almond flour, salt, and, if using, the seeds from a vanilla bean.
- Add the cold (but not hard) diced butter. Using the paddle attachment (or your fingertips), rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Add the beaten egg and mix briefly, just enough for the dough to come together. Do not knead into a ball; stop as soon as you have a cohesive dough.
- Transfer the dough to your work surface and use the palm of your hand to fraser (smear the dough) 2 to 3 times to ensure it's evenly mixed. Gather it into a ball.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, flattening it slightly. This will help it chill faster and make it easier to roll out later.
- Let it rest in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, or preferably prepare it the day before.
- Note: This resting time will prevent the dough from shrinking during baking and will also make it easier to roll and handle.
- After chilling, roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 2 to 3 mm (about 1/8 inch). If the dough is too cold, let it relax for 5 minutes at room temperature. If the dough is too soft or sticky (especially in warm weather), place it back in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until firmer and easier to handle.
- Butter the tart pan and place it on a perforated baking tray (preferably) lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
- Line the pan with the dough. Remove excess dough by rolling the rolling pin over the edge. Using a piece of parchment paper, smooth the bottom and sides by pressing the dough firmly to form sharp corners.
- Finish by trimming the edges neatly with a knife.
- Freeze the tart shell for 30 minutes before blind baking.
- If you are not using very juicy fruits, you can skip the blind baking and fill the tart directly for a single bake.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) with fan-forced heat and bake the tart shell for about 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool. Meanwhile, prepare the almond cream.
Almond Cream (Frangipane)
- In a bowl, cream the soft butter and sugar using a spatula.
- Add the almond flour in three additions, alternating with the beaten eggs.
- Mix gently after each addition to incorporate the eggs without whisking, until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while the tart shell cools.
Baking and Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (347°F), conventional heat (no fan).
- Spread the almond cream over the cooled tart shell, filling it up to about three-quarters full, any more and the cream may overflow during baking.
- Cut the apricots in half and arrange them in a circular pattern on top of the cream, cut side up, tilting them slightly backward (see image below, if applicable).
- You can sprinkle sliced almonds on top for decoration, if desired.
- Bake the tart for about 40 minutes, more or less depending on your oven, until the top is nicely golden and the almond cream is fully cooked.
- Note: If the top starts to brown too quickly before the tart is fully baked, cover it loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil.
- To check for doneness, insert a skewer or cake tester into the center of the tart, it should come out clean.
- Place the tart on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely before removing the ring or pan.
Finishing :
- Gently warm the neutral glaze or apricot jam to liquefy it.
- Using a pastry brush, glaze the apricots to give them a beautiful shine.
- Dust the tart with powdered sugar either over the entire surface or just around the edges before serving.
- To dust only the edges, hold a plate or a gold presentation board just above the tart (without touching it) to shield the center while sprinkling.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- You can refrigerate the tart until ready to serve.
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