Dessert | Sweet Tarts

Rustic Apricot Crumble Tart

Name: Rustic Apricot Crumble Tart
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 Shortbread Crust; 350 g Apricots; 60 g Brown Sugar; 0.5 Orange; 1 Vanilla Beans; 20 g Butter; 25 g Butter; 25 g Brown Sugar; 1 pinch Salt; 30 g Almond Flour; 20 g All-purpose Flour; 20 g Roasted Hazelnuts

A rustic apricot tart recipe made with a crumbly shortbread crust filled with vanilla-flavored apricots and baked in the oven. It is then topped with a delicious crumble topping.

Belula June 30, 2015 January 01, 0001

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Overhead shot of the baked apricot tart topped with hazelnut crumble and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

This rustic apricot tart is delicious and super easy to make. If you want to go the extra mile, you can make your shortbread crust! This apricot crumble tart is made with an almond crust, filled with fresh apricots that have been soaked with orange juice and vanilla bean, it is then baked in the oven. Finally, this apricot tart recipe called for a sprinkle of my hazelnut almond crumble topping! I can’t wait for you to try it out!

Material & Ingredient Notes

Shortbread crust: I used this recipe to make it: Shortbread Crust. However you can use a store-bought one if you prefer!
Fresh apricots: I prefer them fresh. But you can also use canned apricots to make this tart. If you use canned apricots, make sure to pat them dry using a kitchen towel.
Crumble topping: I like this to give the tart an extra crunch.
Vanilla ice cream: this is optional but strongly recommended!

45° shot of the baked apricot tart with a sliced portion.

45° shot of the baked apricot tart with a sliced portion and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

How to make this recipe

Making this rustic apricot tart is rather simple:

Make the shortbread crust
Make the crumble topping
Prepare the apricot filling
Assemble the apricot crumble tart
Bake the tart
Top the apricot tart with the crumble topping

Overhead shot of apricots cut in different shapes some of them inside a bowl.

Overhead shot of sliced apricot in a bowl mixed with vanilla and orange juice.

Overhead shot of the crust filled with the sliced apricots.

Overhead shot of the crust filled with the sliced apricots and a hand folding over the dough.

Overhead shot of the apricot tart ready for baking.

Recipe notes

Make the crumble topping first as it lasts for quite some time.
You can find all the step by step instructions, tips and tricks for the making the crust here: your shortbread crust recipe
Once you have rolled out the shortbread crust, cover with parchment paper and refrigerate for an hour before assembling the tart.
In that time, soak the apricots with the orange juice and the vanilla bean.
Before assembling the tart make sure you strain the apricots and KEEP the soaking liquid.
You must assemble this rustic apricot tart on a piece of parchment paper placed on a baking tray, as it will be difficult to move after.
You can arrange the apricots however you like. I arrange them making circles to make the tart look nice.
While the tart is baking in the oven, let the soaking liquid simmer in a small pot until it had acquired a syrup-like consistency, and has reduced in volume.
Let the tart completely cool off over a rack before you sprinkle it with the crumble topping.

Recipe notes on making this crumble topping

This a different crumble topping recipe because it is not baked along with the tart but rather made separately. I love this technique because it allows me to make a batch and store it in an airtight container and to top tarts, ice cream, mousse. Any dessert is better with it!

To make it you must:

Roll out the dough in between two pieces of parchment paper and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Transfer the crumble onto a baking tray and remove the top parchment paper. Bake until brown (about 15 minutes).
After is has completely cooled off, break down and store in an airtight container to keep crumble from getting soggy.
I pass the crumble through a thin mesh strainer. You can break it using your hands too.
Crumble topping keeps for about 2 weeks safely stored.

Expert notes

The soaking liquid turned syrup will be used to glaze the rustic apricot tart once it is removed from the oven to make it shine a little.

Storage tips

This tart must be kept in the refrigerator to avoid the crust from getting soggy too fast. It lasts for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container. However, it is best enjoyed the day it has been baked.

Freezer instructions

I would not recommend freezing this apricot tart as the fruit has been baked and will release too much water and become soggy when it defrosts..

What you can do is freeze the raw dough and so it’s ready whenever you have a craving for this easy dessert. The shortbread crust lasts for 3 months stored in an airtight container.

How to serve this rustic apricot tart

You can serve this tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and top it with a spoonful of the syrup you made earlier and some extra crumble to make this even more perfect!

You can get a great recipe for vanilla ice cream here if you feel like making your own Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe!

Variations to this recipe

If you want to make the classic French apricot tart, you can add a layer of frangipane cream between the dough and the apricots. You can get a recipe for frangipane here Pear Almond Tart.

You can also change the apricots for peaches or red berries if you prefer!

The ingredients used in all recipes on this site are measured using the metric system. I use a scale to be precise with my measurements and ensure good results. If you would also like to use a scale, here are some: USA, Canada, UK, Australia, France.

Rustic Apricot Crumble Tart

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Nutrition: 335 cal

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Dough

Shortbread Crust 1

Apricot Filling

Apricots 350 g
Brown Sugar 60 g
Orange 0.5
Vanilla Beans 1
Butter 20 g

Crumble Topping

Butter 25 g
Brown Sugar 25 g
Salt 1 pinch
Almond Flour 30 g
All-purpose Flour 20 g
Roasted Hazelnuts 20 g

Procedure

1. Make the crumble topping: Chop and roast the hazelnuts in the oven for about 10 minutes at 170 C. Mix the ingredients together until you obtain a homogeneous dough. Roll out to 1/2 cm, in between two pieces of parchment paper, and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Preheat the oven at 170 C. Transfer the crumble onto a baking sheet and remove the top parchment paper. Bake until brown (about 15 minutes). Let it cool off on a cooling rack. Break down the crumble and store in an airtight container.
2. Prepare the apricot filling: Cut the apricots in halves and remove the pits (if you get a larger size apricot, cut it into quarters). Transfer into a bowl and squeeze the juice of half an orange onto the apricots. Add the vanilla bean seeds, the brown sugar, and toss them together. Refrigerate for half an hour minimum.
3. Roll out the shortbread crust: Roll out the dough to 4/5 mm and cut out a circle of 25 cm in diameter. Place the dough on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes minimum.
4. Assemble the rustic apricot tart: Strain the apricots and arrange on top of the crust leaving 2.5 cm on each side free of fruit. Close the dough onto the apricots and brush the apricots with melted butter. Bake until golden. About 45 minutes.
5. Prepare the apricot glaze: While the tart is in the oven, put the rest of the maceration liquid in a small pot and let it simmer until it has reduced in volume and changed to the consistency of syrup.
6. Glaze the apricot crumble tart: Brush with the syrup as soon as you remove the tart from the oven. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool down at room temperature. Sprinkle with crumble once it has cooled off.

If you made this recipe I would really appreciate it if you leave a rating or comment below! Also, if you share on social media please use #cookwithbelula, I would love to see what you create!

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