Updated October 30, 2018
Beautiful French apple tart is one of my favorite apple dessert recipes to make during the fall. It is perfect to serve for your family on the weekend or surprise your guests with this marvelous rose apple tart!
This tart has a crunchy pastry crust, apple jam in the middle and finished with beautifully arranged apples to form the rose, dusted with cinnamon. It is so tempting and tasty.
Moreover, this apple tart shaped like a rose will look gorgeous and will be a centerpiece on your table!
This is a simple French Apple Tart with shortcrust pastry. You can use this apple tart recipe with your favorite filling that is in season!
Apple tart filling
The apple jam filling for this apple rose tart is crucial. It makes it more moist and soft in the middle. You can use our Apple sauce recipe for this part of the recipe, too. However, for this apple tart recipe I don’t want to blend the jam, the final dessert is great with little pieces of apples inside.
Apples that are cooked in oven and on the stove and sliced in different shapes – all in one apple dessert look so appetizing!
Apple tart topping
It’s quite easy to arrange the apples. Just put thin apple slices around the apple tart, starting from the edges, moving towards the middle. Overlap apple slices a little, and arrange them in snail pattern, moving in circle until you leave a little spot in center.
I used small red apples with skin on – for the rose, and one green apple for the center of the rose.
Classic french apple tart recipe calls for brushing the top with apricot jam, but I like it to be with full apple flavor. I just brushed top of the apples with melted butter and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, that’s good for me! However, you should check our French Apple Tartlets, smaller versions of this desserts, glazed with apricot jam.
Bake until apples are soft and tart shell browned and your lovely french apple tart with cinnamon is ready for serving!
How to serve French apple tart
French apple tart can be served with ice cream, whipped cream or thick yogurt on the side. You can drizzle some caramel sauce on top, if you wish so! You can serve it war or cold.
Moreover, it is great to pair with your morning coffee or tea. There are 354 calories in this French apple tart, which is less than in an average cake. You can cut down the amount of calories by adding less sugar or using sugar alternatives.
I love that it both looks gorgeous on your celebration or every day table!
Can you freeze French Apple Tart
Yes you can! It’s a good option if you have unexpected guests. After baking this French apple tart, cool it completely, then wrap in freezer safe cling film and freeze up to 3 months. I would not recommend sprinkling with cinnamon and sugar before baking, if you decide to freeze it.
Defrost apple cake in a fridge for couple hours, then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, pop it in the hot oven and bake 30 minutes until warm. Your oven should be 350 F / 180 C hot.
I already mentioned in my posts about Baked apples and Apple cranberry crisp which apples are best for baking. These two recipes also are healthy and delicious, so I recommend checking them too!
I’m so happy that I can cook with apples from my aunt’s garden. We have some boxes and more boxes of apples from the garden all over our place. It smells amazing and there are a lot of thing to do with apples, we love experimenting and juicing apples with some carrots, too. Hope you can find organic apples too to make this fall dessert!
For more apple recipes to pair with your morning cup of coffee or tea, check our Apple bundt cake or Apple Cinnamon bread!
French Apple Tart
- spring form or tart pan 8 inch / 20 cm
- food processor or grater
- mandolin or sharp knife and a board
- A pan
- baking weight uncooked beans or rice
- Baking paper
- 220 g flour
- 110 g butter
- 40 g sugar
- 2 drops vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 egg yolks
- 5 apples
- 40 g sugar
- 3 red apples
- 2 slices green apple
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 75 g melted butter
- 1/2 cup water
- To make the crust combine cold butter with flour and sugar in food processor. Or grate butter in the flour and combine with hands.220 g flour, 110 g butter, 40 g sugar
- Add egg yolks, water and vanilla. Combine well and form the disc. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.2 tbsp water, 2 egg yolks, 2 drops vanilla extract
- Meanwhile prepare the apple sauce. Remove the core and skins from apples. Cut apples in small pieces.5 apples
- Combine apples with sugar in a pan and place on the low heat. Cook, stirring, for about 5-10 minutes, until apples are soft but not mushy. Leave to cool.5 apples, 40 g sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C.
- Evenly roll the pastry and carefully put it in tart pan, trimming the ends. Prick the bottom of the tart with fork.
- Put baking paper on top of the tart shell with weight (raw beans or rice). Bake for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile prepare the apples for topping. Remove the core, but leave the skin on. Thinly slice apples.3 red apples
- Remove paper and weights from the tart shell. Place the apple jam at the bottom of the tart shell.
- Arrange thin slices of the apple around the apple tart, starting from the edges towards the middle. Overlap apple a little, and arrange them in snail pattern, moving in circle until you leave a little spot in center.
- Brush the apples with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.1/8 tsp cinnamon, 75 g melted butter, 1 tsp brown sugar
- Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes.
- In the same pan, where was your apple jam, put the water and bring it to the boil. Add green apple slices, cook 2 minutes until soft.
P.S. Don’t discard the liquid, it is really tasty syrup for adding to your drinks!1/2 cup water, 2 slices green apple - Remove the tart from oven. Fold and place soft apple slices in the middle to finish the rose tart middle. Serve and enjoy!
This tart is simply stunning! What a gorgeous treat! This needs to be on our holiday dessert table for sure!
Thank you, Shashi! You need to try this recipe, your family will love it! 😉
What a showstopping tart! It’s so stunning. I love the sound of the quick apple jam in the centre.
Thank you, Kate! It is truly delicious!
That looks so very beautiful, such great autumnal flavours too, I can’t wait to try this!
Thank you, Brian! One of the best desserts to make with apples, that’s for sure 🙂
I can tell this is a dessert I will absolutely love the taste of, but I really want to try it to see if I can make it just as pretty – your’s is gorgeous!!
Thank you Lauren! Give it a try, it is really easy to make and it will look good on any festive table!
Oh my goodness, it’s almost too pretty to eat! I would love that with a scoop of ice cream!
Thank you, Pam! Yes, it is great to pair with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.