I’ve taken the classic French Almond Tart and given it the one Sarcastic Baker treatment. The rich almond cream is infused with fresh orange zest and cinnamon, then topped with a crisp almond-honey later that caramelizes into the most irresistible crunchy topping. It’s buttery, fragrant and anything but ordinary.
Every summer. I find myself developing honey desserts for the Jewish holidays. I am alway the designated dessert person for Rosh Hashanah, and let’s just say the expectation hare high.
My goal with every dessert, is to create something people to talk about and request year-round, just like my Jewish Apple Cake. This is one of those recipes. Every ingredient shines on its own, yet together they create a flavor that’s somehow even better than the sum of its parts. Every part is all about texture: buttery shortcrust, rich and chewy almond filling, and a crisp honey-almond topping.
The Secret Is In These Ingredients
I used three ingredients to make this recipe different from all other classic almond tart recipes:
- Orange zest, cinnamon and honey. In short, the orange zest brightens, the cinnamon warms, and the honey ties everything together with its deep floral sweetness. And the best part, is that the honey is part of the topping, so as it bakes it gets this rich, deep, caramelized flavor.
How To Bake Perfection
The complete recipe is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card. I tried to be as clear as possible, and in addition to the step-by-step images, here are a few extra tips and notes I picked up while testing this recipe:
- Make the dough at least an hour in advance, and up to three days ahead. It is important to roll it when it is cold and the gluten in the dough has a change to “settle” after the mixing stage. It makes it easier to roll without tearing.
- Place a large pan lined with parchment paper on the oven rack below the tart. Since the dough is very buttery, some butter may drip through removable-bottom pan. Catching those drips prevents smoke, burnt butter and unwanted flavors.
- To prevent mistakes, I aim to be as organized as possible (my kitchen still get messy!), by being strategic with the order of things: make the dough, then roll it is refrigerate. Make the honey topping, and while it cools make the filling. The assemble and bake.
- The dough can be used to roll 8, 9, or even 10-inch tart. If you decide to bake a tart larger than 8-inch, double the filling.
As always: pat attention to the tart and not the timer. Your oven is different than mine, and you may need shorter, or longer baking time, so use the signs I specified in the recipe card to determined if the tart is fully baked.
Chewy Almond Tart With Crispy Honey Topping
Ingredients
- 1 Recipe Pate Sable
For the Filling
- 1 Recipe Almond cream
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh orange zest (one medium orange)
For The Topping
- 1/2 Cup (180g) Honey
- 6 Tablespoons (75g) Unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 Cup ( Sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and have an 8-inch tart pan with removable bottom ready.
- Roll the dough between to large pieces of parchment paper into 12-inch circle. Remove the top pieces, then use the bottom piece to line the tart pan with the dough. Gently peel the parchment paper, cut access dough and use a fork to prick the bottom of the dough. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Measure the honey (180g) and butter (75g) into a small or medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat, until the butter has melted. Mix in the almonds and set a side.
- Mix the almond cream with the orange zest (1 tablespoon) and cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon).
- Remove the pan with the oven and top it with the almond cream. Use an off set spatula to spread the cream.
- Spoon the honey-almond mixture over the cream.
- Bake over the middle oven rack for 30-35 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the tart to set in the oven, door shut for 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for another 1 hour before transferring to a serving dish and serving.
- Store at room temperature for up to 4 days. Left overs can be wrapped in plastic wrap, place in a freeze bag and frozen for up to four weeks. When ready, unwrap the tart, and set aside to reach room temperature.
