Cardamom & Apple Rose Tart
This cardamom and apple rose tart recipe tastes just like a classic apple pie with a buttery crust, but with a hint of warm spices.
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 132kcal
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 11" round shallow tart pan ideally with removable bottom
- 1 pie weights or dry beans/rice/lentils
- 1 mandolin slicer or a sharp kitchen knife
Ingredients
For Pâte Brisée (Tart Dough)
- 225 g all-purpose flour [1½ cups + 2 tbsp]
- 180 g very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes [1½ sticks]
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp ice water
For Tart Filling
- 66 g unsalted butter, melted [½ stick]
- 75 g white granulated sugar [⅓ cup]
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
For Apple Rose
- 4 whole apples (5-5.5oz each) preferably red-skin
- 1 whole lemon, juiced or 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 42 g unsalted butter, melted [3 tbsp]
- 50 g white granulated sugar [¼ cup]
Instructions
For the Pâte Brisée (Tart Dough)
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Cut the cold butter into small cubes (about ½" by ½") and toss into the flour. Pinch the butter into the flour mixture to break into smaller clumps with your fingers, until the mixture only has a few smaller butter clumps remaining and it resembles an almond flour consistency.225 g all-purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, 180 g very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- Add the ice water (one tablespoon at a time) to your flour mixture, mixing in between each addition until the dough just barely comes together– try not to add too much water! Knead the "barely together" dough a few times until it becomes smooth.2 tbsp ice water
- Flatten the dough into a thick disk (about 1" thick), wrap in plastic, and place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
- Lightly dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour, then place your chilled dough in the center. Begin rolling the dough from the center outwards while continually turning and checking under the dough to prevent sticking; the dough should be about ⅛" thick and large enough to cover your tart pan plus a couple inches. (For my 11" tart pan, I rolled out a 14" circle.)
- Roll the sheeted dough onto the rolling pin and gently drape it over the tart pan. Center the dough to assure all sides have equal coverage, then press down in the center to secure the dough in the pan. Work your way around the edges, pressing the dough gently into the grooves of the tart pan. Freeze your dough-lined tart pan for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Then, cut a piece of parchment or foil to a slightly larger size than the tart pan with overlap on each side. Once your oven is preheated and the tart dough is firm to the touch, place your parchment paper on top of the tart pan. Fill the inner cavity inside of the pan/on top of the parchment with pie weights (dry beans, dry lentils, or dry rice work too).
- Blind bake the filled, frozen tart shell for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take the tart out of the oven to remove the weights and parchment paper that was inside of the pan, and put back into the oven for another 10-12 minutes. The tart shell should be lightly-golden in color and no longer shiny/uncooked underneath where the weights were. Let the tart shell cool while we finish prepping our filling and apples.
For Tart Filling
- Add the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and ground cardamom together into a small bowl and mix together. Set aside.66 g unsalted butter, melted, 75 g white granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cardamom
For the Apple Rose
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the lemon juice, melted butter, and sugar. Set aside.1 whole lemon, juiced, 42 g unsalted butter, melted, 50 g white granulated sugar
- Using a sharp kitchen knife, cut each washed apple with the stem pointing upwards into three segments, leaving a triangle-shaped core in the center. Cut one side, turn 120º, cut another, turn another 120º, then cut one last time. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, make thin (almost see-through), crescent-shaped slices of each apple segment with the cut-side facing down on the cutting board. Do this for all of your apple segments.4 whole apples (5-5.5oz each)
- Toss the thin apple slices into the lemon juice mixture as they are cut and give them a toss to coat the slices in the lemon juice solution. This will lessen the browning the cut apples will develop.
- Add the tart filling you set aside earlier into the empty tart shell, and spread a thin layer on the bottom. Begin assembling your rose tart starting from the outside edge and working your way around the tart until you reach the center. Each apple slice should overlap just slightly as you line each layer. Once you reach the center, roll the last couple of apple slices into a tight curl and push it into the center.
- Bake your assembled apple rose tart at 350ºF for 30-35 minutes. The tart shell edges will have become more golden and the apple slices have colored slightly.
- Let the tart cool completely before gently removing it from the pan.
Video
Notes
- When you are making your tart dough, make sure that your hands don't feel greasy as you pinch together the cold butter with the flour. This is a sign that your hands are melting the butter, which means you should put your flour/butter mixture into the freezer for about 5 minutes before continuing. It is essential for this recipe that the butter stays cold for a flaky tart shell.
- This recipe requires a process called "blind-baking" where a raw tart shell is partially baked with a layer of parchment and pie weights inside of the dough-lined tart pan. If you don't have pie weights in your kitchen (and most people don't), feel free to use dry rice, dry lentils, or dry beans! These work just as well as pie weights and are a perfect alternative for the same result.
- After baking your beautiful apple rose tart, you can brush on a clear glaze on top of your tart for a shiny finish! For an easy apricot glaze, I melted a heaping tablespoon of apricot jam with a tiny bit of water in the microwave. The mixture has a syrup-like consistency and is a perfect make-shift apricot glaze for the top of this apple tart.