Apple and Custard Tart.
Traditional recipe and also Bimby.
This dessert represents a sweet memory for me. In fact, it was a recipe from my grandmother, who prepared it in her pastry shop.
The delicate and enveloping shortcrust pastry filled with a wonderfully fragrant lemon custard, all topped with many slices of Renetta apples, the sweetest. Homemade jam glazing could not be missing.
In the recipe, you will find, in addition to the usual ingredients, the possibility to replace them with more diet-friendly ingredients for those who want to indulge in a little treat without worrying about the diet.
If you want to see all the cake recipes click here
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 35 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 427.38 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 58.83 (g) of which sugars 29.96 (g)
- Proteins 9.28 (g)
- Fat 18.54 (g) of which saturated 10.62 (g)of which unsaturated 7.67 (g)
- Fibers 1.57 (g)
- Sodium 57.46 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 180 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
For the shortcrust
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (Or low G.I FiberPasta or oat flour)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sugar (or 25 stevia or 100 erythritol)
- 1/2 cup butter (or 3/4 cup vegetable or coconut oil)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/3 cup cornstarch (Or oat flour)
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sugar (or 20 stevia or 90 erythritol)
- 1 lemon zest (grated)
- 3/4 cup egg yolks
- 3 Renetta apples (thinly sliced)
- 3 tbsps jam (as preferred)
- 3 tbsps water
Tools
What we need to prepare the
- Stand Mixer
- Rolling Pin
- Baking Pan – Springform 9.5 inches
- Parchment Paper
- Brush (silicone)
- Oven
- Blender / Mixer
Preparation: Apple and Custard Tart
Traditional preparation
The shortcrust
You can make the shortcrust either by hand or with a stand mixer.
The first thing to do if using butter is to take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before.
Put the sugar and softened butter in a bowl and mix them with a fork or whisk until creamy.
Add the egg and blend.
Combine the flour previously sifted with the baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Knead and form a dough ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
In the meantime, prepare the custard.
Mix the egg yolks with the sugar in a pan. Add cornstarch and blend until smooth.
Heat the milk and then pour it into the egg mixture. Turn on the heat and cook until the custard thickens well. At this point, add the grated lemon zest.
Turn off the heat and cover the custard with plastic wrap, making it adhere to the surface, and wait for it to cool.
The shortcrust
Put the sugar in the bowl and pulverize: 15 sec./speed 10. Bring it back to the bottom with the spatula.
Add the butter, all-purpose flour, egg, salt, and sugar, knead: 30 sec./speed 5.
At this point, the dough will appear grainy. Do not worry, it’s all right,
Transfer it to the work surface, compact it into a dough ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for 1 hour
The custard
Put in the bowl the milk, egg yolks, sugar, grated lemon zest, vanilla, cornstarch, and cook: 7 min./194°F/speed 4.
Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap making it adhere to the surface, and allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 356°F static.
Take the shortcrust from the refrigerator and roll it out with a rolling pin between two sheets of parchment paper, leaving a thickness of about 1/10 inch.
Line the inside of a 9.5-inch springform pan with the shortcrust, up to the edges. Trim the excess with a knife, and prick the bottom with a fork
Pour the custard inside the shortcrust and level it.
Peel the apples and cut into thin slices with a mandoline; if you like the skin, you can leave it on, collect them in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning.
Create a decoration on the surface of the cake with the apple slices overlapping one another.
In a small bowl, pour 4 tablespoons of your favorite jam and, if in chunks, you can blend it with the same amount of water.
I used my homemade sugar-free apricot compote; see how I make it, click here
With a kitchen brush, brush the apples and bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for about 30-35 minutes. Check that the shortcrust is golden before removing it.
Let cool well before slicing and serving.
Here’s the Apple and Custard Tart ready for a healthy and genuine snack.
storage and tips
Apple and Custard Tart. You can keep it out of the fridge for up to 3 days covered, or even freeze it in portions for up to 4 months.
Apples can be replaced with pears or apricots, and the jam can be replaced with brown sugar or honey diluted in water.

