There’s nothing like a flaky and buttery homemade tart. This marzipan liqueur apricot tart is a combination of a flaky and crispy crust, a thin apricot jam layer, a wonderful marzipan liqueur layer and some shaved almonds for crunch. Simple yet elegant and delicious, this tart is perfect for every sweet tooth out there.
Since I love to bake, I try to create a delicious treat at least once a week. My mom sent me a homemade apricot jam, I had some marzipan cream liqueur left, an apple that was no longer crisp and plenty of shaved almonds; that’s how this delicious tart was created.
The base of every tart is a shortcrust pastry. And, making your own shortcrust pastry makes a huge difference in flavour. Besides, it’s easy and super fast to make. However, you can find also a pretty good store-bought one. But, try to make it if you have 5 minutes time. Wink.
Shortcrust pastry
When making shortcrust pastry, you should know three important rules: ONE, be quick, TWO, work with cold ingredients and THREE, not overdo it.
In order to prevent the butter from melting too quickly, cube it and then chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Afterwards, making the shortcrust pastry will be easier. Also, try not to over-knead it or else it will get very difficult to get the right consistency. The same thing applies when rolling out the dough. Therefore, chilling the dough is an important step, which shouldn’t be skipped.
Additional, you might also like these shortcrust pastry recipes: beautiful apple-rose tart, autumn celery marroni tart, colourful carrot tart, wonderful pear tarte Tatin, vegetarian tomato-zucchini goat cheese tart or cute easter chick deviled eggs tart.
Apple sauce instead of eggs
As you can read below in the recipe, the use of apple sauce is only optional. Apple sauce makes the crust a bit softer and it’s a great substitute for egg, which works as a binder. However, if you decide to use it, you can either buy it or make it yourself. It’s very simple to make. Simply wash the apple, cut it into smaller chunks, put in a pan with a splash of water and cook until tender. Then, using an immersion blender or a food processor, blend until pureed. Before using it, cool it down. Easy peasy.
Apricot jam
Furthermore, I find that apricot and marzipan pair wonderfully together. And they do. I know, I know, it’s only a thin layer of this sweet jam, but it makes a big difference. In fact, it gives that sweet and fruity note, which you can taste with each bite. However, feel free to substitute the apricot jam with any other fruit jam. For example, peach, orange, plum, pear, raspberry or blueberry would also go well with the marzipan flavour.
Lübeck marzipan cream liqueur
But, just before the apricot, you’ll taste the marzipan. That’s the flavour that develops first when you take a bite of this apricot marzipan tart. Oh, so delicious! So many flavours and textures in such a simple dessert.
Do you know marzipan? Probably you all know the marzipan figures, as small imitations of fruits, vegetables or animals, on cakes and other desserts. They are so cute. Wink. Basically, marzipan is a smooth and sweet confection made of almonds and sugar or honey.
Moreover, in this recipe, I used marzipan cream liqueur. It’s a combination of a lovely almond aroma from the fine marzipan and of the finest cream. Also, this marzipan liqueur comes from the capital of marzipan, Lübeck. This is one of the best places to go when looking for marzipan in Germany.
Ingredients for a (Ø 20 cm) marzipan liqueur apricot tart:
- 130 g flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 80 g butter (cold, cubed)
- 40 g apple sauce (optional)
- 40 g brown sugar
- 1 vanilla sugar (8 g)
- pinch of salt
Ingredients for the filling:
- 2 Tbsp of apricot jam or confiture
- 60 ml marzipan cream liqueur (from Lübeck)
- 40 ml of almond milk
- 1 sheet of gelatine
- a handful of shaved almonds
To begin, prepare the flaky shortcrust pastry dough. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla sugar, a pinch of salt, apple sauce (if you decide to) and cold butter cubes. Then, rub it between your palms until you get a crumbly texture. At this point, knead just for one minute longer, form a ball, wrap it in plastic foil and put in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Furthermore, preheat the oven at 180º C. Then take the dough out of the fridge and, on a lightly dusted surface, roll it out into a circle form, trying to make it evenly thick (about 5-7 mm). Next, grease the springform or the tart form (the one you are using) and lay the dough in it. With your fingers, spread it evenly around the form and form a slightly higher edge. Prick it with a fork all around the bottom and put in the freezer for 5 minutes. Afterwards, put it in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Once the crust turns golden and crispy, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely. Furthermore, prepare the marzipan filling. Firstly, soak the gelatine in cold water for 10 minutes. Secondly, in a small saucepan, combine milk and marzipan cream liqueur and bring it to a gentle simmer. Once it starts to simmer, remove it from the heat and stir in the gelatin (after squeezing out all of the excess water). Keep stirring until completely dissolved and let it sit to cool down to lukewarm.
At this point, spread a thin layer of apricot jam on the tart base. On top of that, gently pour the marzipan cream jelly and place the tart in the fridge for 30 minutes. Afterwards, take it out, sprinkle it with shaved almonds and place it back in the fridge until completely set (or overnight).
Finally, serve this marzipan liqueur apricot tart chilled with a cup of tea, coffee, cold almond milk or a glass of apricot juice. Also, it’s a lovely idea to bring out on a birthday party, Sunday lunch or family reunion and make everyone happy who has a sweet tooth.
Enjoy!
PS
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
