Rum Apple Tart with Salted Caramel
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Apple tart infused with a rum-soaked fruit mix, light spiced batter, finished with pecans and a rich salted caramel sauce. Uses Golden Delicious apples swapped for Crispin variety and replaces brown sugar with coconut sugar to deepen flavor. Substitutes vegetable oil for melted coconut oil adds moisture and subtle aroma. Baked until center springs back when touched. Sauce made by careful caramelization of granulated sugar, combined with butter and cream for thick, velvety texture. A warm, gooey treat balancing tart fruit, nutty crunch, and buttery caramel.
Prep:
35 min
Cook:
25 min
Total:
60 min
Servings:
8 servings
#French-inspired
#fall dessert
#apple recipes
#caramel sauce
#baking
Rummaged through my pantry last fall and grabbed some Crispin apples instead of usual Cortland, curious if they’d soak up that spiced rum vibe better. They hold shape firmer, juicy but not mushy; macerating them 12 minutes lets booze land but doesn’t drown the fruit. Swapping coconut oil for veg oil added subtle sweetness and better moist crumb. Once, reduced brown sugar nearly burned mixing with butter and rum—learned patience matters. Scents of caramelizing sugar and toasted nuts fill the air when walnuts hit the syrup drizzle. Salted caramel sauce is tricky; watch sugar crystalize or burn. With these tweaks, got a warm, rustic tart that crackles with nuts and licks you with rum fragrance.
Ingredients
- 2 Crispin apples peeled and chopped into rough 1 cm cubes
- 50 ml (3 1/3 tbsp) dark spiced rum
- 280 ml (1 1/8 cups) all-purpose flour
- 6 ml (1 1/4 tsp) baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 55 ml (3 1/2 tbsp) coconut sugar
- 35 ml (2 1/3 tbsp) melted coconut oil
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) whole milk
- 50 ml (3 1/3 tbsp) coconut sugar (for syrup)
- 45 ml (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 130 ml (1/2 cup) coarsely chopped walnuts
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 65 ml (1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 240 ml (1 cup) heavy cream 35%
About the ingredients
Apples: Crispin or Honeycrisp preferred here for firmness; Cortlands get too soft under maceration. Rum: dark spiced variant adds layers but any dark rum works. Sugar: coconut sugar substitutes brown sugar, adds complexity with less moisture, but brown sugar works in pinch. Butter: unsalted needed for controlled salt balance in caramel. Coconut oil melts clear without strong flavor; vegetable oils can replace but taste neutral. Nuts: walnuts swap pacanes (pecans) for more earthy, woodsy crunch. Heavy cream at 35% fat gives silkiness to sauce; half-and-half too thin, whipping cream thicker but changes texture. Pan: springform lined with parchment makes unmolding neater, but greased cake pan works. Be cautious pouring caramel; hot sugar burns fast; use wooden spoon or silicone spatula when mixing hot bits.
Method
Apple Rum Maceration
- Place oven rack in middle position. Preheat oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Line a 20 cm (8 inch) springform pan with parchment on bottom. Lightly grease sides with butter or nonstick spray.
- Combine chopped apples and dark spiced rum in bowl. Stir and let sit 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Apples should absorb rum slightly but still hold shape. Drain off the rum liquid and reserve separately.
Dry Ingredients & Batter
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside. In larger bowl, whisk eggs and coconut sugar vigorously until pale, thickened and airy — at least 3 minutes. I use handheld electric mixer; beats by hand need extra elbow grease here.
- Add melted coconut oil, then milk into egg mix, stirring gently to combine. Fold sifted dry ingredients in 3 parts alternately with reserved rum liquid. Don’t overmix; few lumps ok. Texture should be thick but pourable.
- Fold the drained rum-soaked apples gently into batter with spatula. Keep fruit evenly distributed but avoid squashing.
Baking the Cake
- Pour batter into prepared pan, level surface with spatula. Tap pan lightly to remove bubbles.
- Bake 22-27 minutes, start checking at 20. Tester (thin skewer) inserted into center should come out clean or with few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Edges golden and pulling slightly from pan sides. Good poke test: center springs back, not jiggly but not dry.
- Meanwhile, melt reserved rum, coconut sugar, and butter in small saucepan over medium heat until bubbling gently. Once mixture thickens and smells caramelized, but not burned, remove from heat.
- Immediately sprinkle walnuts on cake surface, then drizzle warm syrup evenly over top. Let cake cool 15 minutes in pan before loosening edges and removing ring. Serve warm or at room temp; flavors deepen after resting.
Salted Caramel Sauce
- Spread sugar evenly over bottom of heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium without stirring; watch sugar melt and form amber liquid, swirl pan gently for even coloring. Avoid crystal formation—if crystals form, add drop water and start again.
- When sugar is deep amber, remove from heat and whisk in butter quickly. Mixture will bubble violently—stand back. Then slowly pour in cream while whisking. Return to low heat and simmer 4-6 minutes until sauce thickens slightly—should coat back of spoon.
- Remove from heat, let cool to lukewarm. Sauce thickens more when chilled; warm gently before serving if too stiff.
- Drizzle sauce generously on slices. Keeps refrigerated up to 1 week; gently reheat or bring to room temp before serving.
Cooking tips
Punch eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy—this aeration key to light crumb. Alternate dry ingredients with liquids, helps prevent overdeveloping gluten. Macerating apples in rum hydrates fruit and brings boozy depth; don’t skip or overdo (10–12 minutes sufficient). Baking time varies; watch edges pulling from pan and do the poke test rather than timer. The syrup drizzle on baked cake nutty and sweet; apply when warm so nuts stick without getting soggy. For caramel sauce: patience paramount. Sugar should melt undisturbed but swirling pan ok to help melt edges. Butter and cream additions cause vigorous bubbling; remove from face. Simmer gently to thicken sauce; too high heat breaks sauce, becomes grainy. Store sauce cool, reheat gently to serve. Serve tart warm to enjoy gooey textures and rich aroma—it can toughen when cold.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Use Crispin or Honeycrisp apples for firm texture. Cortlands get mushy after maceration. Let fruit soak in rum 10-12 minutes max to keep shape intact but absorb flavor. Draining rum is key; reserved liquid folds back into batter, adding aroma without sogginess.
- 💡 Whisk eggs and coconut sugar vigorously until pale and thick. Electric mixer helps but vigorous hand whisking doable with patience, builds airy batter. Coconut oil melts clear—replace with vegetable oil for neutral taste but loses subtle hint of sweetness. Oil-egg mix must combine gently to avoid deflating eggs.
- 💡 Fold dry ingredients sifted with baking powder in thirds, alternating with reserved rum liquid. Avoid overmixing or batter will toughen. Lumps ok, batter thick but pourable. Gently fold drained apples last; pressure squashes fruit and changes texture. Spread batter evenly in springform pan with parchment for clean unmolding.
- 💡 Watch baking cues not timer: edges golden, pulling slightly from pan. Insert thin skewer; moist crumbs okay, never wet batter. Center springs back to touch—not jiggly but not dry. Start checking at 20 minutes, bake up to 27 max. Tap pan lightly before baking to remove air bubbles for even crumb.
- 💡 Caramel sauce demands patience. Melt sugar over medium heat undisturbed; swirl pan gently for even amber color. Avoid crystals; add a drop water and restart if formed. Butter addition causes strong bubbling—stand back. Slowly whisk in cream while hot, low simmer thickens sauce. Cool to lukewarm thickens further; reheat gently to serve.
Common questions
Can I use other apples?
Yes but text changes. Crispin or Honeycrisp hold shape well for maceration. Cortlands soggy, fall apart. Adjust maceration time accordingly. Firmer apples help maintain texture despite soaking in rum.
What if no coconut sugar?
Brown sugar swaps fine but adds moisture. Twice stirred for proper dissolution. Coconut sugar darkens flavor slightly. If using white sugar, may lose complexity. Consider adding a pinch cinnamon to compensate flavor loss.
How to fix grainy caramel?
Usually high heat or stirring early causes crystals. Restart helps. Avoid stirring sugar till fully dissolved. Gentle tilting of pan ok. If caramel breaks, small butter addition or extra cream smoothes but texture shifts slightly. Practice patience first.
Storage tips for tart and sauce?
Tart keeps room temp few hours, refrigerate longer. Reheat gently to soften. Sauce stores sealed fridge up to week; thickens on chill. Warm gently before use; no sudden heat or boils or sauce breaks. Freeze not recommended; texture suffers.
