Looking for a super easy apple recipe? This is my version of the viral TikTok upside down caramelised apple tart recipe! Mine has one super easy component that takes 1 minute to make but elevates it so that it tastes like you bought it from a bakery. If you love apple tarts this is a pushy recipe Dear Reader!
Some of my favourite recipes have come from TikTok because they tick the box for easy and tasty (complicated just doesn't really work on TikTok). The original recipe by Lily Ghodrati for caramelised upside down tarts was simple and had honey, sliced fruit and some puff pastry on top. A lot of people on TikTok are on the start of their cooking journey and while it was nice but I wanted something a bit more that might elevate it to something that you would buy at a bakery. I decided to add a bit almond frangipane that takes 1 minute to make and it totally made them pop!
Why upside down the apple tart? This way the pastry is super crispy and stays that way. The tarts ends up beautifully caramelised. It's like a tarte tatin but super simple in a single serve size. I tried making these tarts with baking the pastry on the bottom and I could add more frangipane but the caramelisation wasn't as pronounced and the apples weren't as soft.
What is Almond Frangipane? When I was little I used to think that they used frangipane flowers in cakes (and when I say little I mean I was embarrassingly a full adult when I thought this haha). Frangipane is actually a mixture of almond meal, sugar, butter and egg. It's SO easy to make and takes 1 minute to make in a food processor and transforms these simple tarts into something amazing.
What is the difference between almond meal vs almond flour vs ground almonds? They're all the same thing! Almond flour is sometimes ground a bit finer but they're all just finely ground almonds.
Tips for Making Upside Down Apple Tarts
1 - I start with 1 teaspoon of honey and then once the tarts are baked I add more. I found that when I added more honey in step 2 then it spread out and caramelised the pastry a bit too much. You do want the oven to be hot enough to bake the pastry golden and to cook the apples but you don't want the honey to burn
2 - I don't recommend slicing the apples on the thinnest mandolin setting as they become too thin and sort of disappear. I also keep the skin on so that you get a nice contrast of red and white colour and pattern.
3 - If you don't have a mandolin you can slice them by hand but try to slice them a consistent thickness.
4 - These tarts taste better with 2 teaspoons of frangipane added to them but the frangipane spreads and shows a bit once baked. The ones in the picture only have 1 teaspoon of frangipane added to them but that's because I wanted them to look pretty. I would recommend using 2 teaspoons of frangipane.
5 - Usually puff pastry cooks at 200C/400F but I baked these at 180C/350F fan forced because I found that the honey really burned at a higher temperature.
6 - Any leftover frangipane can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
7 - These tarts will store for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. You can reheat these tarts the oven at 150C/300F for 8-10 minutes.
These tarts are so easy that dare I suggest that you could make them for breakfast. I know, I know, I'm not really an early morning action sort of person. I'm a late sleeper that can sleep as an Olympic sport. But one Sunday I woke up early because I knew I had to be somewhere early. It's funny how your body keeps its own internal alarm. I've never tested it on something important like a flight or travel plans but I know that if I have to be somewhere early I'll usually wake up in time.
A short time later I received a text from Mr NQN's sister Araluen. We were meeting in a few hours for her birthday except she was texting to let everyone know that she had a flu or cold and had to cancel. I was disappointed as I was looking forward to eating out so I suggested to Mr NQN that we go somewhere else for brunch. Then we could walk the dogs and go to the butcher before they closed.
"What time will you be ready?" he asked. Since it was just brunch and it was a Sunday I didn't have to work out or put on any makeup. I literally just had to brush my teeth, put on sunscreen and get changed. "10 minutes?" I said.
The sunshine was bright but there was an icy chill in the air and there was a total absence of movement and activity. There was no gentle hum of cars, dogs being walked or garden-proud neighbours mowing their lawn. "We are breaching the perimeter early," I muttered to Mr NQN. It was 8:00am on a Sunday and was the crack of dawn as far as I was concerned. We took the dogs for a long run in the park but of course all of the regulars that we might see weren't there because we usually go later in the day. We went to brunch and then the butchers and then returned home. And it wasn't even noon!
"So what do we do now?" I asked Mr NQN. He shrugged and curled up on the couch for a nap while I made some of these tarts that we ate for afternoon tea with vanilla ice cream. The day always goes so quickly but it seems like when you wake up early, well it goes on forever!
So tell me Dear Reader, do you have your own internal alarm? And what time do you wake up on a Sunday?
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