Magda Autumn, Cakes

Apple tart

apple tart

apple tartThere are times when I feel like I need to bake something immediately. I start hastily flicking through my cookbooks and bookmarked recipes to find something I could make from ingredients available at home. Usually I spend too much time doing it. Usually I find tons of recipes I can’t use for a reason like a missing ingredients. Usually I’m so tired from this. I try to fight it. My motto says the more you bake/cook, the better you get, I hope it also works when it comes to picking a recipe.

This recipe is not fancy, I would call it rather rustic, especially if you don’t roll out the dough too nicely. I picked this tart or actually a mix of tart and pie because I like boiling sugar and because making traditional apple pie seemed too exhausting.

apple tart

Apple tart

Recipe comes from Addio pomidory blog and I only replaced the almond croquant with toasted almond flakes.

For 26-28-cm tart pan (I used smaller pie pan, but it was still too small, so just follow instructions)

For crust:

  • 250g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 125g butter, chilled and cubed
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 Tbsp cold alcohol (Calvados, cider, white wine, or Bison Grass Vodka)

For filling:

  • 600-800g apples, peeled and grated or cut into small chunks (I recommend the second solution as it will add more texture)
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 30g salted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract / grated half of Tonka seed
  • handful of almond flakes, toasted

The crust

  1. Sift the flour and baking powder.
    With your hands, rub together the flour mixture with the butter cubes until the mixture forms small breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can blitz it in a food processor for 10-12 second.
  2. Add the sugar, egg yolk and alcohol and knead it quickly.
  3. Wrap the dough into cling film and put into the fridge for 30 minutes.
  4. Grease a tart pan with a butter. Dust it with flour. Set aside.
  5. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface until it covers the tart pan.
    Transfer it gently into the form. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the form.
    Prick the dough with a fork. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
  7. Bake around 25 minutes or until golden.
  8. Let it cool.

The filling

  1. Add the apples into a small saucepan and put them on a small heat for 10 minutes.
  2. Place the sugar and water into a non-stick pan over a medium-low heat. Leave to melt (avoid stirring the sugar until it melts totally).
  3. The sugar will start caramelizing and turn golden brown.
  4. Add butter and stir.
  5. Cook it for 1-2 minutes.
  6. Add the apples and grated tonka or vanilla extract and stir until combined.
  7. Transfer apples into the tart base.
  8. Smooth the surface.
  9. Sprinkle with toasted almond flakes.