This Apple Tart with Tosca Topping has a sweet apple filling that is topped with a caramelized almond topping in a puff pastry crust. Top it with fresh whipped cream for an easy dessert that is worthy of company.
If you’re an apple fan, check out these 15 Apple Recipes You’ll Want to Make Every Fall.
Puff Pastry Apple Tart
This is part 2 – where I make a recipe inspired by a recent day trip to Heber City, Utah. You can watch the first video here.
I am a sucker for a good pastry. But let’s be honest – I feel like when I’m visiting a new bakery, they are usually hit or miss.
Luckily, on a day trip to Heber City, Utah, I visited Belle’s Bakery and fell in love with their menu. And at the heart of all of that love? The Apple Tosca Pie.
When they first served this pie to me, I didn’t even think to ask what “Tosca” was. They just called it an Apple Tosca Pie, and I just got so caught up in it that the flavor was all that counted. But as we were driving home that day, I thought to myself that I wanted to make a version of that pie. But then realized I had no idea what tosca was.
And even after getting home and doing some online research, I still don’t really know. From what I can gather, though, it’s a caramelized almond topping that goes on top of other things. Like pies. Or more commonly, cakes. There is a Swedish apple cake called Tosca Cake or Toscakaka. It is traditionally a sponge cake topped with caramelized almonds.
So as my inspiration from that delicious pie in Heber City, I brought out some store bought puff pastry for the crust, made a delicious apple filling with apples, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. You let that cook for a few minutes, then pull it out and top it with the tosca topping. It really is pure heaven. One of my favorite desserts right now.
How to Make Apple Tart Filling
This apple tart filling is very easy to prepare.
Start by peeling 3 apples. I like to use Granny Smith Apples.
Core the apples and cut them into slices.
Place the apples in a large bowl, then squeeze 1/2 lemon over and stir to coat the apples with the lemon juice.
Add brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon and a dash of salt to the apples and stir to combine.
How to Make Almond Tosca Topping
To make the Almond Tosca Topping, simply combine the sliced almonds, butter, sugar, flour and half and half in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the butter is melted. You want the topping to be hot so that the sugar can dissolve, but you don’t want it to boil. Remove it from the heat just before it comes to a boil.
How to Make this Apple Tart with Tosca Topping
Want to see how to make this tart? Watch the video above!
Tips for Making this Puff Pastry Apple Tart
- Let the puff pastry come close to room temperature by setting it out 30 minutes before you want to use it. I like to wrap it in a clean kitchen towel so that it doesn’t dry out.
- Make sure to line the baking sheet with parchment paper. (Or even put a layer of foil under that so that clean up is really easy!) The first time I made this tart, the filling spilled out. So I tried it again and the same thing happened again. I was going to alter the recipe so that the filling didn’t spill out at all, but I was so in love with the flavor that I didn’t want to change the recipe at all. So I learned to deal with a little bit of mess. The parchment paper helps with clean up, plus it makes it so that the tart doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Let the tart cool for several minutes before cutting it.
More Tart Recipes
Shortbread Lemon Tart Recipe
Pear and Raspberry Tart
Marshmallow Lemon Tart Recipe
Strawberries and Cream Tart
French Lemon Cream Tart with Meringue
Tools Used to Make this Apple Tart with Tosca Topping
You’ll want to use a half sheet pan that has sides.
The tart will mostly likely overflow, so a sheet of parchment paper not only helps with cleanup, but makes it so that the tart won’t stick to the baking pan.
I use a hand mixer to beat the cream to make the fresh whipped cream.
LOOKING FOR MORE FREE RECIPES?
Subscribe to my free recipe newsletter to get new family friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more family-friendly inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
Apple Tart with Tosca Topping
Ingredients
Tart:
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 3 medium apples
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Dash of salt
Tosca topping:
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons half and half
- Fresh whipped cream optional
Instructions
- 30 minutes before you are ready to start, remove the puff pastry from the freezer. Wrap it in a clean towel and let it sit out to thaw for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour a work surface and lay the puff pastry on the surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the puff pastry to a 9×14-inch rectangle. Transfer the puff pastry to the lined baking dish.
- Take a sharp knife (I like to use a paring knife) and score the edges of the puff pastry, making a 1-inch border around the puff pastry. You don’t want to cut through the pastry completely, just make a score.
- Add a splash of water to the beaten egg, then brush the egg wash over the entire puff pastry. (You won’t need to use the whole egg, just use enough to evenly coat the pastry.) Set aside.
- Peel the apples and cut into slices. Place in a large bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice over the apples and stir to combine.
- In another bowl, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the brown sugar mixture to the apples and stir to combine and coat the apples.
- Arrange the apples over the puff pastry, making sure to keep them off of the scored border. If there is any of the brown sugar mixture left in the bowl, sprinkle it over the top of the apples.
- Place the tart in the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
- While the tart is baking, prepare the topping.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the almonds, butter, sugar, flour and half and half. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture is hot, but do not boil.
- Remove the tart from the oven and spread the tosca topping over the apples. Return the tart to the oven and cook an additional 15 minutes, or until the pastry and the almond topping are both browned and cooked.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting and serving.
- Serve topped with fresh whipped cream, if desired.
Lorrayne Waller says
What is half and half please? I have never heard of this in New Zealand.
Deborah says
It is half heavy cream and half milk. You can use all cream if you’d like, as well.