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Each bite of this chestnut apple tart pairs a crisp shell with nutty chestnuts, spiced apples, and creamy mascarpone. It’s the perfect recipe to enjoy the flavors of the Fall season. Let’s dive into the details.

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Chestnut Apple Tart

The inspiration for this chestnut apple tart comes from my subscription to Pastry Arts Magazine. Type A gal that I am, I’ve made a massive spreadsheet of all of the flavors and recipes in every issue.

I picked out a few recipes to create the starting point of my tart. From there, I tweaked and changed each element so that it suited my vision for the final bake.

Almond Pate Sucree

You can find several different recipes for tart shells on Bakes & Blunders. I decided to use the pate sucree that’s been featured in several of my mini tarts. This would be my first time using it to line a large tart pan.

The sweet dough was a little soft to work with, but I was able to line and bake my circular tart pan just fine. The recipe even gave me enough dough for two tarts! Now I have one disc of pate sucree chilling in the freezer for a future bake.

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White Chocolate Coating

Mousse is fairly wet, especially before it sets up. To prevent a soggy bottom, I melted just 20g of white chocolate and applied a super thin coat to the bottom of the baked and cooled tart shell. You won’t taste the white chocolate, but your tart bottom will stay crisp!

Chestnut Mousse

In the past, I’ve frequently used a custard based element for that creamy tart layer. That can get a bit heavy, so I opted for a light and airy mousse instead. Chestnuts add a nutty flavor and even a bit of texture.

When pureeing the chestnut and milk mixture, you want to process it until it has thickened up a bit and the nut pieces are fine. I only used about half of the mousse, but I worry that cutting the recipe in half could make it difficult to get the correct texture.

Related Reading: Apple Pie Cupcakes

Apple Compote

The hero flavor. Apples add a slight crunch and pair perfectly with the cozy spices in the compote mixture. Use whatever apples you like, except for red or golden delicious. I used Sugar Bee and they were the best ever!

Originally, I had too much gelatin in the recipe. It tasted great, but the texture was very rubbery. In the recipe below, I have reduced that amount. To measure those ingredients under 5 grams, I bought this tiny pocket scale. It’s been so handy!

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Mascarpone Whipped Cream

After adding and smoothing out the apple compote, your tart looks tasty, but also a bit unfinished. Whipping up a quick mascarpone cream is easy and finishes the chestnut apple tart off beautifully.

I whipped my cream up until it was only just firm enough to hold its shape. It was still super soft which created a luxurious taste and texture that paired perfectly with the tart’s fillings.

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Flavor Realization

After I made the chestnut mousse, I sampled a bite. To my dismay, I did not like it much. As far as mousses go, it was made well, but I realized that I just don’t like chestnuts. They are a slightly more savory nut, which threw me off.

But I continued with the recipe anyway. Even if I don’t like it, someone else might. When I sliced into the tart, I had every expectation to not be wowed. However, paired with the crisp shell and sweet apples, I found the chestnut apple tart to be straight up delicious!

Enjoy!

Try something new and whip up this delicious chestnut apple tart! It’s nutty and spiced, crisp and creamy. It’s not a terribly difficult tart to make, but it looks pretty and tastes yummy.

If you do get to try this tart, I’d love it if you left a comment and told me what you thought of it.

Chestnut Apple Tart

Crisp pastry shell with chestnut mousse, an apple compote, and mascarpone whipped cream.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword almond, Apple, Chestnut, Cinnamon, Fall, Ginger, Holiday, mascarpone, Mousse, Nuts, Pastry, tart

Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 1

Chill Time 4

Total Time 6 30

Servings 9 servings

Calories 282kcal

Author Colleen

Ingredients

Almond Pate Sucree

113 g unsalted butter cold and cubed
70 g powdered sugar sifted
1 egg
60 g almond flour
Pinch of salt
230 g all purpose flour
20 g white chocolate melted

Chestnut Mousse

24 g cold water
4 g unflavored gelatin powder
145 g roasted chestnuts
120 g whole milk
75 g sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
150 g heavy whipping cream

Apple Compote

24 g cold water
4 g unflavored gelatin powder
40 g sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger
300 g apples cored, peeled, and finely diced (about 2 apples)
100 g apple puree*

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

105 g heavy whipping cream
45 g mascarpone cream
15 g powdered sugar sifted
½ tsp vanilla bean paste

Instructions

Almond Pate Sucree

Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on a medium low speed until smooth.
Scrape the bowl down and add the egg. Mix on a low speed just until the egg starts to incorporate, but is not fully combined.
Scrape the bowl down. Add the almond flour and salt to the stand mixer. Beat on a medium low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl down.
Add the flour and beat on low until only just combined. A few streaks of flour okay. If needed, finish mixing the dough by hand with a spatula.
Divide the dough into two equal portions. Wrap them in cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
Lightly flour your work surface and roll one portion of the dough out to 3mm thick, forming a 12 inch circle. Gently transfer the crust to a 9 inch tart pan. Press the dough into the corners and trim off any excess. Prick the bottom of the crust thoroughly with a fork, then cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
While the crust chills, preheat the oven to 375℉.
Line the tart shell with parchment paper (crumpling it up a few times makes it easier to work with) and fill with pie weights. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment paper lining. Return to the oven and bake an additional 8- 10 minutes, or until the crust is a light golden brown.
Cool the crust completely. Before filling in the next step, brush the bottom with a very thin layer of melted white chocolate to prevent a soggy bottom.

Chestnut Mousse

Combine the water and gelatin, mixing to avoid lumps. Set aside to bloom.
In a small saucepan, combine chestnuts, milk, sugar, and salt. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Immediately cover and remove from heat. Steep for 10 minutes.
Add the bloomed gelatin to the saucepan and stir until melted. If the mixture isn't warm enough, place on a low heat JUST until the gelatin is melted.
Pour the milk mixture into a food processor and add the vanilla. Process until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened. A few bits of chestnut are fine, but there should be no large chunks. Transfer the warm puree to a clean bowl.
Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the puree in 3 parts. Be careful not to knock out too much air.
Pour the chestnut into the prepared tart shell, filling it up only half way. You will have extra mousse.
Cover the tart pan (no need to press cling wrap onto the surface) and chill until the mousse is set, at least 2 hours.

Apple Compote

Combine the water and gelatin, mixing to avoid lumps. Set aside to bloom.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.
In a saucepan, combine the diced apples and half of the sugar mixture. Cook on a medium- low heat for about 20 minutes, or until mostly cooked, but still slightly crisp. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. Pour the apples into a clean bowl and set aside.
In the same saucepan, combine the apple puree and remaining sugar mixture. Cook on a medium- low heat until it reaches 140℉. Remove from the heat and add the bloomed gelatin. Stir until the gelatin has completely melted.
Pour the warm puree over the diced apples and gently combine until evenly coated. Gently spread over the top of the set chestnut mousse and smooth into an even layer. You will likely use all of the compote, but that depends on how much mousse you added to the tart shell.
Chill in the fridge until set, at least 2 hours. Keep the tart covered, but do not press cling wrap onto the compote.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

In a bowl, add the heavy cream, mascarpone, powdered sugar, and vanilla. With a handheld mixer, beat on a low speed until the mascarpone is completely combined.
Increase the speed slightly and whip until the cream holds soft to medium peaks.
Immediately pipe onto the set apple compote.

Notes

To make apple puree, blend unsweetened applesauce in a food processor until smooth.
Wrap the unused portion of dough well and store in the freezer for up to a few months.

Chestnut Apple Tart

Chestnut Apple Tart