Tarte Tatin: The French Upside-Down Apple Tart
Imagine a warm tart with soft, caramelized apples, golden pastry and plenty of buttery caramel. That’s the Tarte Tatin... one of those French desserts that feels simple, but is surprisingly delicious!
What makes it special? It’s baked upside down. The apples go into the pan first, followed by the pastry on top. Once it’s baked, the whole thing is flipped over so the beautifully caramelized apples end up on top.
It’s a classic you’ll find on French restaurant menus and family tables alike, and one that’s well worth making at home.
The little story behind the Tarte Tatin
The story of Tarte Tatin takes us to Lamotte-Beuvron, a small town in the Loire Valley, at the end of the 19th century.
Two sisters, Caroline and Stéphanie Tatin, ran a busy hotel-restaurant there, welcoming travelers, hunters and regulars looking for good, traditional food. Stéphanie was in charge of the kitchen, where her caramelized apple tart became a house favorite.
And then comes the fun part: legend has it that the tart was created by accident. The story goes that Stéphanie put the apples in the oven without the pastry, realized her mistake, and decided to place the pastry on top and bake it anyway. When it was time to serve it, she simply turned the whole thing upside down.
Whether that actually happened is another story. Upside-down apple tarts were already made in the region at the time, so the famous “accident” may well be just....a good story. But it certainly helped turn the sisters’ tart into a French classic!
The dessert eventually made its way to Paris, where it became known as Tarte Tatin, and it has been a beloved part of French cuisine ever since.
How to make a traditional Tarte Tatin?
This recipe comes from the Confrérie des Lichonneux de Tarte Tatin, a brotherhood founded in Lamotte-Beuvron in 1979 to preserve and defend the traditional recipe of this famous French tart.
Ingredients
This recipe makes one 24 cm (9.5-inch) tart.
For the pastry
170 g (1⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
70 g (5 tbsp) butter, softened
20 g (1½ tbsp) sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon of water, if needed
For the apples
1.6 kg (3½ lb) apples, such as Royal Gala, Jonagold or Jonared
80 g (5½ tbsp) butter, melted
130 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
1. Make the pastry
Start by making the shortcrust pastry.
Place the flour, butter, sugar and salt in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Add the egg and mix as little as possible, just until the dough comes together. If it seems too dry, add about a teaspoon of water.
Shape the dough into a ball, cover it and let it rest while you prepare the apples.
2. Prepare the apples
Peel the apples and cut them into quarters.
For the classic Tarte Tatin, the apples are packed quite tightly into the pan, because they will shrink considerably as they cook.
Use a 24 cm (9.5-inch), approximately 5 cm (2-inch) deep ovenproof cake pan, preferably non-stick.
Pour the melted butter into the bottom of the pan and sprinkle the sugar evenly over it.
Arrange the apple quarters tightly in the pan, with the rounded side facing down. Add a second layer on top, arranging the pieces in the opposite direction to fill the gaps as much as possible.
Don't worry if the apples seem to completely fill the pan, that's exactly what you want.
3. Start caramelizing the apples
Place the pan in an oven preheated to 200°C / 390°F and bake for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, roll out the pastry into a circle slightly larger than the pan.
Remove the pan from the oven and place it on the stovetop over medium heat.
Let the apples cook gently for around 25 minutes. The butter and sugar will gradually caramelize around them.
As they cook, gently rotate the pan from time to time. You should hear a characteristic sizzling sound as the caramel forms.
The apples should be tender and beautifully caramelized, but still hold their shape.
4. Add the pastry
Turn off the heat and carefully place the pastry over the apples.
Tuck the edges down around the apples, towards the inside of the pan. Prick the pastry a few times with a fork to allow steam to escape.
Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through.
5. The most important part: turning it upside down
Let the tart cool for a few minutes, but don't let it cool completely. The caramel needs to remain warm enough for the tart to release from the pan.
If necessary, briefly place the pan back over low heat and gently rotate it to loosen the tart.
Now comes the moment of truth. Place your serving plate over the pan, hold both firmly together and carefully flip them over in one quick movement.
Lift the pan away to reveal the caramelized apples sitting beautifully on top of the pastry.
Be extremely careful: the caramel will be very hot and can run out of the pan. Protect your hands with oven gloves and keep your face and arms away from the edges when turning the tart.
How to serve Tarte Tatin
The tart is best served warm, when the apples are soft and caramelized and the pastry is still crisp.
It can be served on its own, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or with a little crème fraîche.
Bon appétit!
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