Apple Tart - Gluten and Lactose Free

Freshly Baked Apple Tart brushed with Maple Syrup

Apple Tart ready to go into the oven

Baking away - hurry up looks so good

Risen beautiful, soft, light and fluffy and with a scoop of lactose free ice-cream

Gluten Free, Lactose Free Apple Tart

I found this delicious gluten free and lactose free Apple Tart recipe in the weekend magazine of the Sunday paper. It's actually a Donna Hay recipe that I altered.

I have yet to find a Donna Hay recipe that I can make exactly as written. She is also the only person who uses pouring cream instead of milk in almost all her recipes which is extremely annoying and frustrating. Ok enough complaining on to my delicious recipe.

I made quite a few changes basically depending on what I had in the pantry. The only thing I had to buy was the gluten free plain flour which was half price so that made me happy.

I also used cashew meal because its cheaper than almond meal and has a mild flavour which I prefer. It also tastes a lot better I think than almond meal as well. In future I am going to use this instead. I made a few more changes but won't bore you with that.

So without further ado I give you the recipe to an incredibly delicious and easy to make gluten free and lactose free Apple Tart.

Apple Tart - Gluten free and lactose free

Ingredients
130gm milk free margarine
1/2 cup brown caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups cashew meal
1/2 cup gluten free plain flour
1/2 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
1 apple finely sliced
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Method
Preheat oven to 160C/320F. Lightly grease a 26cm fluted loose-based tart tin.

Place the margarine, sugar, vanilla, lemon and orange rind in an electric mixer and beat for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add the cashew meal, flour and baking powder and mix to combine. 

Spoon the mixture into the tart tin and smooth. Press the slices gently into the filling.

Place the tart on a baking tray and cook for 40-45 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and while hot brush with maple syrup.

Cherry Tart

I was looking for a special treat to make as a birthday cake for a friend and came across this delicious Cherry Tart recipe.

This does have butter in it. Not sure if you can substitute margarine in the pastry but you may be able to do it with the filling. Give it a try and let me know how you go.

If I was making this for myself I would have substituted all the butter for margarine but as I was making it for someone else I stuck close to the recipe.
 

Cherry Tart 

Pastry

1½ cups plain flour

100gm butter, cold chopped

2-3 tbsp iced water

Filling

100gm butter at room temperature

½ cup caster sugar

1 tspn vanilla paste

2 free range eggs

100gm almond meal

1/3 cup plain flour

500gm pitted cherries

icing sugar to dust

Method

Place flour in a large bowl. Add butter and use your fingers to rub in until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add water and mix with a knife until mixture starts to cling together. 

Gather dough in a ball. Turn out onto a sheet of baking paper and roll out to fit a 35cm x 12 cm loose bottom flan tin. Then remove from paper, but do not throw away,  and line tin with pastry. Chill for 20 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 180C or 160C for fan forced. Line pastry with sheet used above and fill with either baking beans, rice or beans. 

Bake for 15 minutes then remove beans or rice and cook for a further 15 minutes or until dry and lightly golden. Cool.

To make filling use electric beaters to beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in vanilla paste. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Fold in almond meal and flour. Spread into pastry case. Arrange cherries over the filling pressing in slightly. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool, dust with icing sugar and cut into slices. Serve with cream if desired. 

Notes:


1. If you can buy a cherry pitter do so! Otherwise you will have to hand pit 45 cherries. I did it with a toothpick and never again!

2.  I had a bit of trouble with it not baking in the centre and found that I had to put foil over the dish and put it on a lower shelf for an additional 20 minutes until it cooked through. Keep the oven low and keep your eye on it so it doesn't burn.