Adam Liaw’s Normandy apple tart

Name: Adam Liaw’s Normandy apple tart
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6-8
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 eggs; 80g sugar; 100ml sour cream; 150ml thickened cream; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm slices; 2 tbsp demerara sugar; 25g butter, cubed

Adam Liaw

April 14, 2026

easyTime:1-2 hoursServes:6-8

This apple and custard tart has a certain elegance in its simplicity: sweet shortcrust, a mix and pour sour cream custard, and tart Granny Smith apples topped with a crunch of demerara sugar.

Ingredients

2 eggs
80g sugar
100ml sour cream
150ml thickened cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm slices
2 tbsp demerara sugar
25g butter, cubed

For the shortcrust

150g plain flour
80g cold unsalted butter, cubed
40g caster sugar
a good pinch of flake salt

Method

Step 1
For the shortcrust, combine the flour, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor and process to the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs. Add about 1 tbsp of cold water and pulse until the dough comes together into a rough ball. Remove from the food processor and spread the dough out with a pastry card. Very lightly gather the dough together, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. After refrigerating, roll the dough out to about ½ cm thickness and gently press into a 23cm fluted tart tin. Place the tart tin on a baking sheet, trim any excess and refrigerate while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Step 2
Heat your oven to 170C fan-forced (180C conventional). For the filling, beat the eggs with the sugar, then whisk in the sour cream, followed by the thickened cream and vanilla. Lay the apples over the pastry and pour the custard mix over the apples. Scatter the top of the tart with the demerara sugar and dot with the butter. Bake for 50 minutes until the custard is set. Allow the tart to cool, then slice to serve.

Adam’s tip: Whenever I bake a liquid filling, I always put the tin on a rimmed baking sheet, as it’s much easier to clean than an oven if there’s a spill.