• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

A Baking Journey

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Tarts and Pies

    Published: Dec 4, 2018 · Modified: Feb 22, 2022 by A Baking Journey · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Apricot Tarte Tatin with Lemon Caramel

    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Print
    • Email
    Jump to Recipe

    I wish you could have smelled my kitchen while this Apricot Tarte Tatin with Lemon Caramel was baking... This Tarte Tatin is both sweet and tangy and topped with deliciously caramelised Apricots!

    Close up on tarte tatin from above
    Jump to:
    • What is a Tarte Tatin
    • Homemade Pâte Brisée
    • How to make a Lemon Caramel
    • Putting the Tarte Tatin together
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    I simply LOVE apricot desserts. Apricots are so underrated when it comes to baking, and that's really a shame because they make really delicious dessert.

    Just like my for my Apricot Crumble, the stars of this recipe are summer Fresh Apricots. This Upside Down Apricot Tart is a delicious way to use this stone fruit this summer!

    What is a Tarte Tatin

    The easiest way to describe a Classic French Tarte Tatin is to basically say that it is an Upside-Down Tart.

    Like an upside-down cake, it has two elements: a cake dough (here a Pate Sablee Pastry) and a topping, usually a fruit. And just like an upside-down cake, you can pretty much use any fruit you'd like to make a Tarte Tatin like this Pear Tarte Tatin or Peach Tarte Tatin.

    But this tart doesn't have to be exclusively a sweet one, you can also make a savoury version of it with a non-sweetened tart pastry and fresh vegetables. To make a Tarte Tatin, you simply need to make a normal tart... but upside-down.

    Put the caramelised fruits at the bottom of a pan and cover it with the pastry. Once baked, simply flip the tart you’ve got a delicious Tarte Tatin!

    Homemade Pâte Brisée

    For this Apricot Tarte Tatin, I used my usual Pâte Brisée recipe. Pate what!? I guess I could have simply called it a Shortcrust Pastry, but the French Pâte Brisée is hard to exactly translate in English.

    If you enjoy French Pastry, you know that there are a few different types of Pastries used to make tarts: Pâte Sucrée, Pâte Brisée, Pâte Feuilletée and Pâte Sablée.

    Unfortunately, other than for the Pate Feuilletée (Puff Pastry), there are no exact translation for the rest of the pastries. They all tend to be called Shortcrust Pastry in English, although they are in fact slightly different.

    Tarte Tatin on a black plate

    So what makes a Pâte Brisée distinctive? As opposed to a Pâte Sucré or a Pâte Sablée that incorporate very soft butter into the dry ingredients, you need to use cold butter to make a Pâte Brisée.

    The key is to work the pastry quickly - and use cold ingredients only - so that the butter doesn't start melting. Out of all the different French Pastries, the Pâte Brisée is the most basic one, and the easiest one too!

    You only need 4 basic ingredients:

    • Flour
    • Sugar
    • Butter
    • Water

    Follow the golden ratio of 2 flour for 1 butter to succeed your Pâte Brisée every single time! Once all the ingredients have been mixed (see the recipe below for the steps), the pastry need to be chilled.

    If you bake it when the butter is still slightly warm, it will shrink in the oven. What I love about this recipe is that you can make it in the Food Processor, which makes it even easier to prepare! And it is the most versatile pastry ever!

    Check out other recipes I have made using a version of this pastry:

    • Feta Asparagus Quiche
    • Chocolate Cherry Tart
    Caramelised Apricots from above

    How to make a Lemon Caramel

    Now that we have covered one of the two elements of this Apricot Tarte Tatin, let's talk Caramel. The second element of this recipe is some Caramelised Fruits.

    In this case, some delicious Apricots cooked with a Lemon Caramel. There are many ways of making a Caramel, mostly in a pot and often with cream but in our case, the Caramel is made in a Pan.

    Nothing complicated here, just all the ingredients mixed in the pan and heated up to reach a caramel:

    • Butter
    • Brown Sugar
    • Lemon Juice
    • Water

    The addition of the Lemon Juice is a great way to break the sweetness of a Caramel and create a more interesting flavour. I personally LOVE anything tangy and citrusy so it was a no-brainer to add lemon in this recipe.

    If you prefer something super sweet, you can also make a caramel without lemon. That being said, I highly recommend making this version of a Lemon Caramel as it is the element that really makes the dessert!

    Apricot Tart Flatlay

    Putting the Tarte Tatin together

    Alright; now you've got your pastry chilling in the fridge and your Apricots nicely caramelising in a pan. What's next? Assembling the Apricot Tarte Tatin!

    For this recipe, I used a Springform Pan that I lined with Baking Paper to make it easier to flip the tart. You can also use a simple Tart Pan instead, but I highly recommend using one with a removable bottom plate.

    The caramel will continue to cook in the oven and could start sticking to the edge of the pan you use.

    Place your caramelised Apricots on the bottom of your Pan, the sliced side facing up. Cover your fruits with the rest of your Lemon Caramel and set aside to cool down a bit.

    If your fruits are still very hot when you cover them with the pastry, it will start melting the butter. Lastly, roll your Pate Brisee into a circle; it does not have to be perfect.

    Place it over the Apricots and make a small hole in the centre of the pastry to allow the steam to come out while baking. And that's it, your Apricot Tarte Tatin with Lemon Caramel is ready for the oven!

    Side view of the tart

    Feeling 'Upside-Down'? Here are a few other recipe ideas:

    • Red Wine Pear Tarte Tatin
    • Upside-Down Blackberry Cake
    • Persimmon Upside-Down Cake
    • Caramelised Apple Upside Down Cake
    • Plum Upside Down Cake

    Made this recipe? Let us know if you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below! And don't forget to share your creation on Instagram with the hashtag #abakingjourney and tag @a.baking.journey

    Recipe

    Close up on tarte tatin from above

    Apricot Tarte Tatin with Lemon Caramel

    Deliciously sweet and tangy, this French Apricot Tarte Tatin with Lemon Caramel is the perfect start of summer dessert!
    4.72 from 14 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: French
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 8
    Author: A Baking Journey
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    Pate Brisee

    • 1 cup (160 gr) Plain Flour
    • 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
    • 3 oz (80gr) Cold Butter
    • 1/4 cup (60ml) Cold Water
    • 1/4 teasp. Cinnamon Powder - Optional

    Apricots and Lemon Caramel

    • 7 Small Apricots
    • 3,5 oz (100gr) Butter
    • 1/3 cup (60gr) Brown Sugar
    • 1/4 cup (60ml) Lemon Juice
    • 1/4 cup (60ml) Water

    Disclaimer

    I highly recommend using the measurements in grams & ml (instead of cups & spoons) for more accuracy and better results.

    Instructions

    Pate Brisee

    • Put the Flour, Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Powder in the bowl of your food processor and pulse a couple of times to mix the dry ingredients together. (See note 1 if you don't have a food processor).
    • Add in the Cold Butter, cut in small cubes. Pulse to mix the butter with the dry ingredients until you get a sandy / crumbly texture. Try not to over-mix it, you do not want to butter pieces to be too small or start melting.
    • Add in the Cold water and mix one more time until the dough starts to come together.
    • Transfer the Pate Brisee pastry onto your kitchen bench dusted with a little bit of flour. Roughly assemble the dough into a ball, cover with cling wrap and press on it to flatten it. Place in the fridge to rest.

    Apricots and Lemon Caramel

    • Wash and slice your Apricots in half.
    • In a large pan, melt your Butter and Brown Sugar then add the Lemon Juice and Water. Cover the Lemon Caramel with the Apricots and cook for 20 to 30 minutes on low heat, flipping them a few time to get a nice caramelisation on both sides. 

    To assemble the Apricot Tarte Tatin with Lemon Caramel

    • Preheat your oven on 180'C.
    • Line a round springform pan or tart pan with baking paper. 
      Arrange the Apricots on the bottom of the pan, keeping them as tight as possible. The cut side should be facing up.
      Cover the Apricots with the remaining of the Lemon Caramel that should be left in your pan. Set aside.
    • Roll your Pate Brisee into a rough circle and cover the Apricots with it. Press the edges of the pastry to fully cover the apricots. Cut a small hole in the centre of the pastry to allow for the steam to come out while baking.
    • Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the Pate Brisee pastry is fully cooked.
      Carefully remove from the oven (there could be some hot caramel coming out from the bottom of the pan) and place on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes before flipping the Tarte Tatin over. Serve warm.
    • If you are not going to serve the Apricot Tarte Tatin straight away, place it back in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to re-heat it. Alternatively, place it for a few minutes under the oven grill to finish the caramelisation of the tart.
    • Optional: sprinkle a little bit of desiccated Coconut and Orange Zest over the tart before serving it.

    Notes

    1. If you are making this pastry without a food processor, sift the dry ingredients in a bowl and cut the cold butter in with a pastry cutter or two fork. Add the water and quickly need the dough into a ball.
    Tried this Recipe? Take a photo and Tag us on Instagram!Mention @a.baking.journey or tag #abakingjourney!

    « Coffee Choux Buns
    Chocolate Brioche Bread Wreath »
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Print
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. K Streep says

      February 03, 2021 at 8:55 pm

      1 star
      I made this based on all the good reviews and was pretty disappointed after realising that all the 5 star reviews didn’t actually make this recipe! After cooking the apricots for only five minutes (not 20-30), they were already mush. The “caramel” was way too liquid. Would not make again!

      Reply
      • A Baking Journey says

        February 05, 2021 at 9:55 am

        Hi Kylie, I'm sorry to hear you had issues with this recipe! It sounds like the problem could come from the fruits themselves - if they were too ripe, they would have turned into mush really quickly. 5 minutes of cooking (instead of 20) is just not long enough to get the required thick caramel consistency, which is why your caramel stayed liquid. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    2. Catherine says

      December 25, 2018 at 3:49 am

      Are the apricots fresh, or can dried be used?

      Reply
      • thefoodiejourney says

        December 25, 2018 at 9:19 am

        Hi Catherine, I have used fresh apricots for this recipe. I am not sure if you would achieve the same result with dried ones, but if you do want to try, I would recommend soaking the dried apricots in water for a few hours to re-hydrate them. Let me know how you go! Cheers

        Reply
    3. Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says

      December 20, 2018 at 4:18 am

      5 stars
      I had no idea there are so many different types of French pastry! Your tarte tatin sounds so wonderfully summery and delicious! I really like the sound of lemon caramel too, perfect for when you find regular caramel a touch too sweet! Thank you for sharing your delightful bake with #BakingCrumbs 🙂

      Reply
      • thefoodiejourney says

        December 21, 2018 at 6:51 pm

        It really makes it confusing when you are trying to translate a specific pastry recipe from French and all the options you've got are... "shortcrust" haha! The lemon caramel was definitely a delicious way to balance the sweetness of the tart. Glad you enjoyed it Jo!

        Reply
    4. Jaimie | Nosh says

      December 15, 2018 at 10:03 am

      5 stars
      I am loving the recipes that Aussie bloggers produce this time of year using summer produce and this looks just beautiful. The lemon caramel sounds incredible, definitely giving this one a go - thanks Sylvie!

      Reply
      • thefoodiejourney says

        December 15, 2018 at 11:32 am

        I knew I had to make something with those beautiful apricots when I saw them at the supermarket. Nothing better than using fresh, seasonal and local products - right!?

        Reply
    5. jenny walters says

      December 14, 2018 at 11:47 pm

      5 stars
      Gosh you make this sound easy! What great fruity flavours. I love a tarte tatin but have only had apple. So loving broadening my horizons with this beautiful combo. Thanks so much for bringing it to #BakingCrumbs

      Reply
      • thefoodiejourney says

        December 15, 2018 at 11:29 am

        It really is that easy hehe! Apple tarte tatin are the classic one, but I love to use other fruits - or veggies - to make something a bit different 🙂 Thanks for the comment Jenny!

        Reply
    6. Diana Narcisse says

      December 13, 2018 at 4:19 am

      This made me drool a little, I can only imagine this being absolutely amazing to try out. I have a lot of vegans in my life I would some very small changes but this is absolutely doable. thank you for this cheers!

      Reply
      • thefoodiejourney says

        December 13, 2018 at 9:51 am

        Thanks Diana! I have made this tart pastry with margarine before and it worked just as well as with butter. And you can definitely swap the butter in the caramel for coconut oil to make it vegan! Would love to hear how you go with those changes. Cheers!

        Reply
    7. Bernadette says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:57 am

      This looks so delish!

      Reply
      • thefoodiejourney says

        December 11, 2018 at 10:29 am

        Thanks Bernadette!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *






    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi there! I'm Sylvie, a Belgian Expat living in Melbourne, Australia. I am a passionate Baker who loves to share her favourite recipes and baking tips.
    Join me on my Baking Journey!

    More about me →

    Spring Recipes

    • Mini Fruit Tarts with Pastry Cream Filling
    • Easter Mini Egg Brownies
    • Easy Raspberry Panna Cotta
    • Easy Cherry Tartlets with Puff Pastry
    • Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
    • Peach Tarte Tartin
    More Spring Recipes

    Popular Recipes

    • Stewed Rhubarb (3 Ingredients Recipe)
    • How to make Tartlet Shells
    • Lemon Curd Tartlets
    • Easy Mango Coulis (3 Ingredients)
    • How to make Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream)
    • Fraisier Cake with Diplomat Cream

    Footer


    ↑ back to top

    About

    About Me
    Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    Sign Up
    for emails and updates

    Contact

    Contact Me
    Work with Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
    Copyright © 2022 A Baking Journey

    • 18