Easy Puff Pastry Tart

Easy Puff Pastry Tart is easy, pretty and delicious. Make with peaches, apples, or pears. For beginners and experts, ready in no time.

Peach? Apple? Pear? Why not try all three options for this Easy Puff Pastry Tart that comes together in no time. Perfect for holiday dinners, weekend guests, or last minute cravings.

This recipe for Easy Puff Pastry Tart is so simple to put together, it’s a beautiful presentation, and is my new favorite dessert to make. I started testing this recipe at the end of summer when peaches were plentiful but as is always the case with peaches, their season is so short that they’re here at about the same time as they’re on their way out. So to be able to share this new beauty with you, I needed to test it for all seasons.

Easy Puff Pastry Tart is as the name suggests- Easy! So testing different fruits, making the tart many times over, and getting feedback, was not a chore. In fact, it made me fall more in love with this simple, impressive, delicious treat.

Ingredients for an easy puff pastry tart-

Fresh fruit (or sometimes, frozen fruit)- Peaches work beautifully in this tart. Fresh is best, but frozen works in a pinch. Apples are delicious, and pears became our favorite because they soften to a lovely, almost creamy, texture.

Nutmeg or cinnamon- Freshly grated nutmeg is fabulous and gives just enough brightness to the tart. I’ve used cinnamon with the apple tart and loved it, but nutmeg still wins.

Store-bought puff pastry- Use whatever brand you can get your hands on. My tasters and family have loved the tarts using Pepperidge Farm. Trader Joe’s is the other option I’ve tried. It’s a little thicker than Pepperidge so I did roll it out a bit more. It’s also smaller so, again, requires more rolling so it can be cut to a 10- inch circle. I expected Trader Joe’s to be preferred over Pepperidge Farm because Trader Joe’s uses butter and Pepperidge Farm uses shortening. But we didn’t notice much difference in flavor. Both were delicious.

Cake crumbs- The cake crumbs used in this recipe do two things for the tart. First, they absorb some of the juices that the fruit and sugar produce, preventing the bottom crust from being soggy. Second, they add a delicious texture to the tart and added flavor that you’ll appreciate. (If you don’t have cake crumbs, you can substitute one slice of white or wheat bread, with 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract added to the bread. Not preferred, but an acceptable substitute.)

Cake crumbs as an ingredient in a baking recipe might be new to you and, a) may seem like something you can skip, and b) is probably not something you keep on hand. But I highly recommend that you purchase a dense vanilla or lemon loaf cake at your local grocer and keep it in your freezer. The loaf cake I purchased was pre sliced, so I can take out a slice at a time, defrost on the counter for just a few minutes, and then pulse to crumbs in a mini food processor.

Egg wash- An egg is mixed with an equal amount of milk and dash of salt for the egg wash. This serves as the “glue” that holds the tart crust together when you fold it over the fruit. Also, brushing the egg wash on the outside of the crust gives it a nice shine and as well as helping the coarse sugar adhere for added flavor.

Almonds, pecans, or walnuts- Nuts are optional for this recipe but if you’re into them, any favorite can be used but sliced almonds are the best, in my tasters’ opinions. The thinly sliced almonds add a delicate crunch and added flavor.

Coarse sugar- Coarse sugar can also be known as decorating sugar, Turbinado sugar, or raw sugar. Basically, any coarse, larger grit sugar. If you don’t have any of these, regular granulated sugar will do in a pinch.

How do you make an easy puff pastry tart?

Place the sliced fruit, in this case- peaches, in a bowl with granulated sugar and freshly grated nutmeg. Stir and set aside.

Process a 1- inch thick slice of loaf cake (see above ingredient paragraph for reasons to use cake crumbs in the recipe) until uniform crumbs are created. Reserve 1 1/2 ounces, or about 1/2 cup, of the crumbs.

Roll out the puff pastry just enough so that you can cut a 10- inch circle out of the pastry. Place the pastry circle on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush a 1- inch border of the egg wash on the outside of the circle.

Add your cake crumbs to the center of the pastry and spread out to within 2- inches of the edge. Pile the peaches (or other fruit) on top of the cake crumbs. You’ll have some liquid left in the bottom of the bowl from the fruit. Save this, you’ll need it after the tart has baked. Sprinkle the nuts, if using, over the entire top of the fruit.

Fold up the edges of the puff pastry over the fruit, folding pleats along the way, as shown. Brush more of the egg wash over the outside of the crust and sprinkle coarse sugar and more nuts over the crust.

The first ten minutes of baking will be at a high temperature of 400F degrees, then the temperature is reduced to 300F degrees until the outer crust is golden brown. That’s it! Then after a few minutes of cooling, cut this baby into four generous slices and serve with either ice cream, whipped cream, or the best option of all- heavy cream drizzled on the side to scoop up with every bite.

Whether it’s peaches in late summer…

Apples in the fall…

Or pears in winter… this recipe is bound to be a go-to favorite for so many reasons. And really, any of these fruits can be used any time of year. Frozen peaches any day, any time; apples forever; pears that aren’t even ripe. Try one or all for your next get together, holiday dessert, or just during the week when you’ve had a stressful day and everyone could use a cozy treat.

Other fruit or pastry recipes I think you’ll like are; Kuchen– this German cake with peaches feeds a larger crowd; Berry Galette– similar to the puff pastry tart in looks and how it’s assembled except you make an easy and flavorful pie dough; Ginger Pear Upside Down Cake– a light and fresh flavored, one-layer cake with a hint of lime and ginger that is a sure hit with everyone.