Easy Apple Tart
Easy apple tart with a buttery crust, creamy almond filling, and a layer of tender cinnamon apple slices. It’s finished off with a simple sugar glaze and toasted sliced almonds.
If you had to pick just one dessert to make and enjoy throughout the fall months, this easy apple tart would be it. It’s wildly easy to assemble and it’s so cozy and satisfying!
No Tart Pan Required!
I used to be intimated by pies and tarts, especially when it involved making the crust from scratch. But this apple tart is super forgiving in many ways and pretty easy to make.
The crust requires only four ingredients and you don’t even need a fancy tart pan. Instead, a multi-purpose springform pan will work just as well.
The filling is a classic cream cheese filling with almond extract. The combination is absolutely delicious with the cinnamon-sugar apples on top. A simple sugar glaze and a sprinkle of toasted sliced almonds finishes off this easy apple tart recipe.
Preparing Apples for Apple Tart
Personally, I love tart Granny Smith. They are great all-around baking apples. You can also use Braeburn or Jonathan. For sweet apples, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Gala are great options. You need about 2 medium apples for this recipe.
Yes! I always peel and core my apples. For this tart, the end result is more delicate and tender with peeled apples.
Peel and core the apples. Using a sharp knife, slice one side of the apple as closely as possible to the core. Repeat all around with the remaining 3 sides. Then slice each apple chunk 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
How to Make Easy Apple Tart
First, make the crust.
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in the vanilla, and gradually the flour.
- Grease and flour the springform pan. Press the dough onto the bottom and 1-inch up sides of the pan.
Next, make the apple tart filling.
- In a clean bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and continue beating until combined. Add egg and almond extract. Beat on low speed just until blended. Pour into the crust.
Lastly, prepare the apples and layer.
- In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with the remaining sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Arrange apples over cream cheese mixture in an overlapping pattern.
- Push down the dough lightly around the edges to even out the filling.
Bake and finish with glaze.
- Bake the tart for 5 minutes in a 450F oven. Reduce the oven to 400F and continue baking for an additional 30-35 minutes or until apples are tender and crust golden brown. Cool the tart on a wire rack.
- Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and milk. Drizzle the cooled tart with glaze and sprinkle with toasted almonds.
This apple tart is super forgiving. So even if your crust is not perfectly even or apples are neatly arranged it will hardly be noticeable.
Storing Apple Tart
Store leftover apple tart, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
More Apple Dessert Recipes
- Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Apple Semolina Cake
- Apple Crisp with Coconut Oil and Honey
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread (with shredded apples!)
Easy Apple Tart
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Easy apple tart recipe with a buttery crust that is made from scratch and creamy almond filling. Topped with tender cinnamon apple slices and crunchy almonds.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar, divided (1/4 c. + 1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp.)
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 2 medium apples such as Braeburn or Granny Smith (3, if apples are small), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground nutmeg (about 1/8 tsp.)
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tbsp. milk
- 2 Tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- In a medium bowl, cream butter and 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in flour.
- Grease and flour 9-inch springform pan. Press the dough onto the bottom and 1-inch up sides of the pan.
- In a clean medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until combined. Add egg and almond extract; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour into crust.
- Toss sliced apples with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Arrange apples over cream cheese mixture in an overlapping pattern. Push down the dough lightly around the edges to even out with the filling.
- Bake 5 minutes in the preheated 450F oven. Reduce oven setting to 400F. Do not take the tart out of the oven while reducing the oven temperature. Bake 30-35 minutes longer or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown and begins to separate from the sides of the pan. Check doneness with a toothpick inserted into the middle of the tart. Take the tart out of the oven and cool on a wire rack.
- While the tart is cooling, prepare the glaze by mixing confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth.
- Remove rim from the springform pan. Using a small sharp knife, gently go around the bottom of the tart crust to loosen the bottom. With a thin spatula or large knife, lift the tart from the pan onto a serving platter.
- Drizzle with prepared glaze and sprinkle with almonds. Cut into 12 servings and serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers covered for up two days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 209
- Sugar: 17 g
- Sodium: 44.7 mg
- Fat: 10.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.4 g
- Protein: 2.9 g
- Cholesterol: 41.4 mg
Keywords: fall, pie, apple dessert
Recipe adapted with changes from Taste of Home and originally published on 9/18/2015.
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Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
This is the best apple tart i have ever made/tasted. its so simple but packed full of fall flavors, thank you!
★★★★★
I had a 10 inch tart pan, so I modified it to recipe plus half (2 eggs in the cream cheese blend) and cooked an extra 10 minutes. It came out beautiful!
★★★★★
Thank you Beilnda!
Can this be made in a tart pan with removable sides? Can it made in advance and served the next day?
Hi Debra! I’m not positively sure what pan you’re referring to? But I used a springform pan for this recipe and it works just fine. Also – yes you can definitely make this in advance to serve the next day. I hope you enjoy it!
I made this today and it was amazing! Absolutely my fav tart I`ve made yet!
★★★★★
Thanks Lindsey! So glad you loved it!
Do you have to lightly beat the egg separately and then add it to the cheese cream mixture?
Hi Victoria…yes you do have to beat it.
YUM! I just made this and it is delicious! I left out the glaze & sliced almonds at the end, and it’s still so so yummy. Not too sweet, LOVE the almond extract flavour, and the crust was a perfect cozy shortbread. I was worried about baking it at 450, so I kept the temp at 400 from the beginning, and then lowered it to 350 for the last ten minutes (because the edges and top started to look burned). It still ended up a tad too dark around the edges for me 🙁 But that could just be my oven. I’ll try it again at 350 all the way through and let you know how it goes! Thanks for the recipe; it really hit the spot 🙂
★★★★
Hi Cat, so glad you’re making the tart. It’s one of my favs! I hope by your turning down your oven it does not burn this time around. It could definitely be the oven as I’ve baked it many times in my oven per recipe instructions and it comes out fine. Good luck and let me know.
Oh this looks so delicious!!!!!!
★★★★★
Thanks Olga!
I think this is such a perfect combination. Cream and apples, you are onto something here
This tart looks ridiculous good. I am so making it this weekend!
Thanks!!! It’s so easy to make and it’s so stinkin good 🙂