They say that classics never die, and that is certainly true: this easy apple and red berry tart is a very quick recipe to make, light and absolutely delicious. But do you know what is the most interesting thing about shortcrust pastry tarts like the one we are bringing you today? You can make them all year round with whatever berries you like (fresh or frozen) and they always turn out well. Plus, it is not a heavy cake and is ideal for any occasion.
I'm sure many of you have made it before. If not, make it! It's so quick to prepare and allows for so many variations!
Beyond the recipe, which I hope you enjoy very much, I hope that some notes that I leave here and in the recipe will give you some new ideas to vary the recipe that you normally follow or that you will be encouraged to try some of the suggestions that I make to you as an option.
Things to keep in mind
- Today we are making it with a lot of apple and some red fruits. I used berries and cherries, which I can still find fresh. But you can use frozen fruit if you want (you can find bags of frozen fruit in most large grocery stores).
- If you use frozen fruit, it is best to leave it at room temperature to defrost beforehand, otherwise it will release a lot of water and spoil the dough.
- I used red apples, but you can use only yellow apples, like Golden. They are sweeter and I actually love them baked. By combining them, red and Golden, I have achieved a less sweet tart, which is what I was looking for, and I still have the crunchiness of the fruit.
- You can use shortcrust pastry, brisa or puff pastry, but since there is a significant amount of fruit, I prefer to use shortcrust pastry because it supports the weight better (apart from the fact that I like it better for this type of cake... it makes it more like a cake, don't you agree?)
- In the baking section of large stores, you will find jars of cherries for filling . They are a great option to sweeten and add juiciness, and they can be part of the fruit that you add to the cake (if you do so, I would reduce the sugar in the recipe). Their juice is sweet and will mix with all the fruit and make a deliciously attractive cake. You can also make this filling at home, here you will see how to make filling for cakes .
Ingredients
- 1 rectangular sheet of shortcrust pastry (2 round pieces)
- 2 red apples, Ambrosia or Gala type
- 1 golden apple
- 150 g red fruits (strawberries, blackberries, cherries, berries...)*
- Half a lemon
- 100 g of sugar**
- ⅓ tbsp cinnamon
- (optional) 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- (optional) Strawberry jam
*You can also use cherry filling for cakes (see notes above).
**You can substitute part of it with brown sugar, which gives it some very interesting nuances and caramelization.
- 1 beaten egg
- Powdered sugar
Preparation
We prepare the dough:
If you have 1 rectangular dough:
Roll out the shortcrust pastry into a rectangle, and draw a circle - it should be about 3 centimetres wider than the base of the mould you are going to use. That is, if you use a 20cm base mould, the circle should be 23-24cm in diameter. To do this, you can use a plate (place a plate turned upside down on top of the dough (many flat plates are 23 or 24cm, measure it), and cut around its perimeter with a sharp knife.
The dough scraps you cut off will be the top strips of the cake. Cut these scraps into strips about an inch or two wide.
If you have 2 circular doughs: one dough will be the base of the cake, and the other dough must be cut into 1 centimeter thick strips, to make the upper strips of the cake.
If you've used 2 sheets, you'll end up with a lot of strips. This leads you to decide between two nice and delicious options: (1) not just make the top of the cake with crosswise strips, but rather intertwine them (some from top to bottom and others from right to left, and make a "grid" on top that covers the whole cake); (2) use some strips to cover the cake, and cut others into smaller pieces and mix them with the fruit you'll put inside (I assure you that it's a delicious option, every bite is delicious if you find the fruit with more dough).
We prepare the cake
- Place the dough in the springform pan , pressing the sides toward the pan so that they remain raised.
- Wash, peel and cut the apples into strips and then into small cubes. Place them in a bowl and squeeze a little lemon juice over them to prevent oxidation. Mix to coat everything.
- Wash the berries and cut them into smaller pieces if using strawberries. Add them to the apple and mix.
- Only if you have used two sheets of puff pastry and have extra dough, as explained above, you can now cut some of the leftover strips into pieces and mix them with the fruit.
- Add the sugar and cinnamon (and nutmeg, if using), and mix.
- Pour the fruit into the mould prepared with the shortcrust pastry.
- Arrange the reserved strips of dough on top. You can turn them halfway when placing them, making a spiral shape on top of the fruit.
- Close the sides of the dough, lowering them and covering the ends of the strips you have arranged.
- Brush the entire dough with beaten egg.
- Bake at 180 degrees for about 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Before serving, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.
NOTE: If you want, after placing the batter in the mould (before pouring the fruit inside), you can spread strawberry jam over the entire base to add juiciness and sweetness (I don't normally apply it, but it's a good option). You can also apply a few spoonfuls of jam and mix it with the fruit.
