Elegant Apple Rose Tart Recipe: A Showstopping Dessert That’s Easier Than You Think
Prepare to impress with this stunning Apple Rose Tart recipe. More than just a dessert, it’s a culinary work of art that delights both the eyes and the palate. This elegant treat combines the delightful textures of a perfectly crispy shortcrust pastry, a luscious, creamy pastry cream, and beautifully arranged, fresh apple slices that resemble a blooming rose. Despite its sophisticated appearance, this tart is surprisingly straightforward to make, making it an ideal choice for any occasion where you want to add a touch of handmade charm and deliciousness.
The Beauty of the Apple Rose Tart
This exquisite Apple Rose Tart is perfect for celebrating special moments, from romantic occasions like Valentine’s Day to a festive holiday gathering, or simply when you wish to present a truly beautiful homemade dessert. Its visual appeal is undeniable, guaranteed to capture attention and spark conversation at any table.
What makes this tart so irresistibly delicious is the harmonious blend of textures and flavors. You have the sweet, buttery crunch of the shortcrust pastry crust, the velvety smoothness of the rich vanilla pastry cream, and the crisp, juicy freshness of thinly sliced apples. Unlike many apple pies, the apples here are not cooked beforehand, ensuring they retain their vibrant flavor and a delightful, slightly firm bite. Arranging these vibrant apple slices in concentric circles creates the illusion of an opening rose, transforming a simple fruit tart into a breathtaking masterpiece.
Choosing the Perfect Apples for Your Rose Tart
To truly achieve the stunning visual impact of this Apple Rose Tart, the selection of your apples is paramount. Opt for brightly colored red apples – the reddest you can find! Since the apple skin remains visible in the final presentation, a deep, rich red hue will make your tart even more captivating and visually appealing. Beyond color, choose firm, crisp apple varieties that hold their shape well when sliced thinly.
I personally recommend Royal Gala apples for their wonderful fresh-sweet taste and striking red color. However, other varieties such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady also work beautifully. These apples offer the ideal balance of sweetness and tartness, which perfectly complements the creamy filling and buttery crust. Ensure your apples are free from blemishes to keep the ‘rose petals’ looking pristine. You’ll need large apples to create longer slices, which are easier to arrange. If only smaller apples are available, simply adjust the quantity to ensure you have enough ‘petals’ for your tart.
Mastering the Elements of Your Apple Rose Tart
Crafting this showstopping Apple Rose Tart involves three main components: the buttery shortcrust pastry, the rich pastry cream (crème pâtissière), and the delicately arranged apple topping. Each element contributes to the overall exquisite experience, and mastering them is simpler than you might imagine.
The Perfect Shortcrust Pastry
A good tart starts with a great crust. Our shortcrust pastry is designed to be flaky, tender, and just sweet enough to balance the other flavors. Using cold butter and egg yolks is key to achieving that desirable crumbly texture without making the dough tough. The food processor makes quick work of this, ensuring the butter is incorporated just enough to create a “pea-sized” consistency, which is crucial for a tender crust. Blind baking the crust prevents it from becoming soggy once filled with the creamy pastry cream, guaranteeing a satisfying crunch with every bite.
Rich and Velvety Pastry Cream (Buttercream)
The heart of this Apple Rose Tart is its incredibly smooth and flavorful pastry cream. This classic French custard, enriched with vanilla extract and a generous amount of butter, provides a luxurious contrast to the crisp apples and flaky crust. The process involves tempering the egg yolks with warm milk to create a thick, glossy custard that cools beautifully. Once cooled, whipping in room-temperature butter transforms it into a light, yet rich buttercream, perfect for filling the tart shell. The key here is patience and constant stirring to prevent lumps and ensure a silky-smooth finish.
The Art of the Apple Rose Assembly
Arranging the apple slices into a rose shape is undoubtedly the most visually rewarding part of this recipe. Thin, uniform slices are essential for flexibility and aesthetics. Soaking them in lemon water not only prevents browning but also makes them more pliable for shaping. Starting from the outer edge and working your way inwards, overlapping each slice slightly, builds the beautiful rosette pattern. A final glaze of apricot jam, enhanced with gelatin, provides a glossy finish that makes the apples shine, seals in their freshness, and prevents further discoloration, ensuring your tart remains a vibrant centerpiece.
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Andréa
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1 hour
35 minutes
2 hours
3 hours
35 minutes
Sweets and Sweet Baking
Other
8
pieces
603
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Ingredients
Dough
-
2
cups
all-purpose flour,
sieved -
½
cup
sugar -
â…›
teaspoon
salt -
1¼
stick
butter,
cold -
2
egg yolks,
cold
Buttercream
-
1¼
cup
whole milk -
8
egg yolks -
â…“
cup
sugar -
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract -
3
tablespoons
all-purpose flour -
2
tablespoons
cornstarch -
1¼
stick
butter,
grass butter, room temperature, sliced in cubes
Topping
-
2
red apples,
large, like Royal Gala. If you can only find small apples use 3 or 4 -
½
lemon juice -
â…”
teaspoon
gelatin powder -
2
tablespoons
water -
2
tablespoons
apricot jam
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
US Customary
Instructions
Dough
-
Use the food processor with a knife and put the flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl.2 cups all-purpose flour,
½ cup sugar,
â…› teaspoon salt -
Pulse to mix everything. -
Dice the cold butter and put it in the bowl.1¼ stick butter -
Pulse until the butter has the grain size of a pea. -
Then, add the egg yolks one by one.2 egg yolks -
Pulse until everything is mixed. Keep pulse time short, or the dough will become too smooth. -
Remove the dough from the bowl and turn it into a flat disk. -
Wrap it in plastic and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to get cold.
-
Sprinkle flour on the work surface and roll the dough into a piece of 12 x 12 inches (30 x 30 cm). -
Cover the baking tin (with a diameter of 9 inches (ca. 23 cm)) with the dough. Let the dough stick out slightly above the edge; it will shrink slightly. -
Make holes in the bottom with a fork. -
Cover with baking paper and put baking beans on top.
-
Put everything in the fridge for 30 minutes, and in the meantime preheat the oven to 375 °F or 340 °F. -
Bake the dough for 20 minutes, remove the baking beans and the baking paper, and let it bake for another 10 minutes until the bottom is golden brown. -
Allow to cool to room temperature.
Buttercream
-
Heat the milk in a pan until it’s almost boiling. Steam is seen, but no bubbles yet.1¼ cup whole milk -
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks with the sugar and beat with a whisk until it is pale yellow and fluffy.8 egg yolks,
â…“ cup sugar -
Then add the vanilla extract, flour, and cornflour and mix everything well.1 teaspoon vanilla extract,
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour,
2 tablespoons cornstarch -
Take the warm milk from the heat and drop it with the egg yolk mixture while stirring. -
When you have added about half, pour everything back into the pan and put it on a low heat (keep stirring). -
Warm on low heat until it thickens (after about 5 minutes), while keep stirring. -
Pour the custard onto a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. -
Allow to cool to room temperature. -
Put the custard in a bowl and turn on the mixer. -
Add the butter cube by cube until all the butter is absorbed.1¼ stick butter -
Spoon the buttercream into the baked pie shell and flatten the top as smooth as possible.
-
Allow to set in the fridge.
Topping
-
Wash the apple, quarter them, and remove the core2 red apples -
Slice further into thin slices. -
Place the slices in a bowl of water to which you have added the juice of half a lemon and let them soak for a minimum of 5 minutes.½ lemon juice -
Pat the apple slices dry. -
Place each apple slice with the side up in the cream and form a circle on the outside of the pie. You work from the outside to the middle. -
Fill the circle further and further with apples until you can no longer continue. -
Soak the gelatin in the water for at least ten minutes.â…” teaspoon gelatin powder,
2 tablespoons water -
Heat the jam over low heat, remove from heat, and dissolve the gelatin into the hot jam while stirring.2 tablespoons apricot jam -
Brush the apple pieces with the jam mixture. Let everything set for at least an hour.
Notes
- Placing the thinly sliced apples in a bowl with water and lemon juice is a crucial step. This prevents them from discoloring due to oxidation, keeping them fresh and vibrant for your rose arrangement.
- After arranging, the apple slices are brushed with a warm apricot jam and gelatin mixture. This creates a beautiful, glossy protective layer that further prevents browning, ensuring your tart looks stunning for longer, and adds an extra layer of sweetness and shine.
- Always pat the apple slices thoroughly dry before placing them on the pastry cream. Excess water can dilute the cream and affect the tart’s texture.
2. Tips
- When blind baking the pie crust, make sure the dough extends slightly above the edge of the baking tin. Shortcrust pastry tends to shrink a bit in the oven, and this precaution ensures you have a perfectly sized crust after baking.
- For the buttercream, consider using grass-fed butter. This type of butter tends to be softer at room temperature, making it easier to incorporate into the custard without forming lumps, resulting in a silkier, more uniform cream. Butter from cows fed stable feed can be harder and more challenging to work with.
3. Storage
The Apple Rose Tart is truly at its best when enjoyed on the day it’s made, ensuring the freshest taste and optimal texture.
- Refrigerator: If you have leftovers, wrap the cake tightly in two layers of plastic wrap to prevent any moisture from affecting the crust or apples. Store in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezer: Due to the fresh apple slices and delicate pastry cream, this particular tart is not suitable for freezing once assembled. The textures would significantly degrade upon thawing.
- Pie Crust (Unfilled): You can bake the pie crust without filling and freeze it for later use. Ensure it’s wrapped very well, at least twice, in plastic wrap, and it can be stored in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw and fill as desired.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 62g
Protein: 9g
Fat: 36g
Saturated Fat: 21g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g
Monounsaturated Fat: 10g
Trans Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 324mg
Sodium: 294mg
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 30g
Vitamin A: 1305IU
Vitamin C: 3mg
Iron: 2mg
a recipe for apple pie
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Serving and Enjoying Your Apple Rose Tart
This beautiful Apple Rose Tart is a feast for the senses, perfect for serving as the grand finale to a dinner party or as a delightful afternoon treat. For the best experience, allow the tart to set fully in the refrigerator, ideally for at least an hour, so the pastry cream firms up and the flavors meld beautifully. You can serve it chilled, or for a more comforting dessert, let it come to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before slicing.
Enhance the indulgence by serving each slice with a dollop of freshly whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, or a light dusting of powdered sugar. The combination of the crisp apple, creamy custard, and flaky crust creates an unforgettable dessert that will leave a lasting impression on your guests. Remember, presentation is key, so take a moment to admire your culinary creation before diving in!
More Pie Inspiration from My Kitchen
If you’ve enjoyed baking and tasting this elegant Apple Rose Tart, you’re in for a treat with more of my favorite pie recipes. Explore a variety of flavors and styles, perfect for every season and celebration. From rich caramel notes to spiced traditional fillings, there’s always a new pie to discover and master in your kitchen.
- Toffee Apple Pie
- Gevulde Speculaas Dutch Filled Speculaas Cake
- Apple Custard Pie
Thank you for joining me on this baking adventure! I hope this Apple Rose Tart brings joy and deliciousness to your table. Happy baking!
Did you make this delicious recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram! I love to see what your creation looks like and regularly share the most beautiful photos of you! Did you like this recipe? Then leave a rating on the recipe card! Your feedback helps other home cooks and me enormously.
Need more inspiration?
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