Gooey caramelised apples and sweet dulce de leche sauce in a soft shortcrust pastry crust, this toffee apple tart is the perfect rustic autumn bake.
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I recently posted a recipe for the ultimate gluten free sweet shortcrust pastry, so it was only right I followed up with some inspiration for what to bake with it! Meet the toffee apple tart – a spectacular way to put your GF tart crust to use. It’s packed with sticky caramelised apples and sweet dulce de leche caramel sauce, and aside from your prepared pastry, you’ll only need 4 ingredients to make it.
How to make toffee apple tart
This easy gluten free dessert is made up of a few simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Gluten free tart crust
- Apples
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Dulce de leche
Once the crust has been part baked, the apples are sliced up and fried in melted butter and brown sugar to get them softened and golden. Then the dulce de leche is mixed through and the apples are left to caramelise a little. Finally, the caramel apples are transferred to the crust to assemble your glorious sticky toffee apple tart, and everything is popped in the oven.
Which gluten free apple tart crust should I use?
A key part of any apple pie or tart is the pastry. There are a few shop-bought options when it comes to gluten free pastry, but I’d highly recommend making your own by following this recipe. The result is a tender, buttery tart crust that you’d never guess was gluten free. That little bit of extra time is so worth it!
Which apples are best for baking?
The slightly more sharp, green cooking apples tend to provide the most flavour when it comes to baking. I usually go for Bramley apples. Since you’ll be adding sweetness with the brown sugar and dulce de leche, you won’t taste any sharpness once they’re cooked. However, this will still work great with any kind of apple so if you already have some red ones knocking about feel free to use them up.
How to cut the apples for your tart
The apples should be sliced fairly thinly, approx 4-5mm in thickness. This will allow them to get super tender when cooking and soak up all that dulce de leche flavour. Once you’ve peeled and de-cored each apple, slice it in half (down the hole in the middle). Then work your way along each half, creating the thin apple pieces.
Can I substitute dulce de leche for caramel?
Yes – you can absolutely make this a caramel apple tart by switching the dulce de leche for a thick caramel sauce (shop-bought or homemade). Or add a little salt and you’ve got salted caramel! I used dulce de leche because it has a deeper, more toffee-ish flavour that’s perfect for this recipe.
Storing your toffee apple tart
Apple tart tastes best when kept at room temperature. It should stay fresh in an airtight container for up 3 days. You can warm individual portions up in the microwave or oven before serving if preferred.
Can you freeze apple tart?
Yes! If you’d like to freeze this for later, do so before baking. Assemble the tart with the caramelised apples, then place it on a flat surface in the freezer overnight (with nothing touching the apples). Once frozen, wrap well in foil and place in a freezer bag. It should keep well for up to 3 months. You can bake it straight from frozen by adding an extra 10-15 minutes to the usual cooking time.
I hope you enjoy this rustic tart full of caramel apple goodness! That rich dulce de leche toffee sauce and tender shortcrust pastry really are the perfect pairing for fresh green apples. If you give this recipe a try at home, don’t forget to let me know how you got on by leaving a comment and rating below. You can also tag me in photos of your bakes on Instagram @BlueSkyEating. Enjoy! 🙂
Loved this easy gluten free apple tart?
Here are some more tasty free from desserts to try:
Lemon and raspberry drizzle cake
Pear and ginger pudding with chocolate sauce
Toffee Apple Tart
Ingredients
- 1
Gluten free tart crust - 30 g butter
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 green cooking apples (I used bramley apples)
- 4 tbsp dulce de leche (plus extra for drizzling on top – optional)
Instructions
- Peel, de-core and slice the apples into thin pieces (approx 4-5mm).
- In a large frying pan, heat the butter on a medium setting until melted.
- Add the apples and brown sugar and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly softened and starting to brown.
- Add the dulce de leche and lower the heat. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes or until comfortable to handle.
- While the apples are cooling, preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan.
- Arrange the dulce de leche covered apples in your tart crust, starting on the outer edge and working your way towards the centre. Or just spoon them in and spread them out in an even layer.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. The apples should be soft and caramelised.
- Serve with more warm dulce de leche drizzled on top, or add cream, ice cream or custard!
Please note that nutritional information is based on estimated quantities and therefore not always 100% accurate.
This tart is absolutely beautiful and so delicious!
Enjoyed this gluten-free apple tart! need to make again
Looks good. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
This tart is absolutely stunning!
This tart is absolutely superb, the family loved it 🙂
This was absolutely delicious. I will make it again, no doubt!