This Apple Walnut Tart with Vegan Cashew Custard is easy to make with simple ingredients and incredibly delicious. The nutty crust is naturally sweetened with dates, and this gluten-free tart is filled with a combination of sliced apples and a super simple plant-based custard that’s thick and tasty with perfect sweetness. incredibly delicious. This wholesome dessert is kosher for Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Thanksgiving or your neighborhood fall fling!
Raise your hand if an apple tart with walnut date crust has entered your must try list. Don’t get me wrong, I love a rich chocolatey dessert as much as anyone….especially when it’s homemade twix bars or tahini brownies! But sometimes I’m craving a nutty apple number and then nothing but this walnut tart with apples and cashew custard will satisfy!
Ingredients
- Apples: use a combination of green and red for a more beautiful presentation. Use a softer baking apple like Cortland or McIntosh if you like a more juicy center. Apples like will hold their shape better. They all work well in this easy apple dessert, so basically, it’s fine to use whatever type of apples you have.
- Walnuts: I adore the rich and decadent flavor profile the walnuts blend into, which is important since this recipe uses no added oil.
- Dates: A natural sweetener that is rich in fiber….and the sticky factor is a big bonus in holding the crust together!
- Cashews: Rich and creamy, perfect for making a thick vegan custard to hold those apples in place and provide a decadent tart filling.
How to make it
Start by covering your raw cashews with boiling water. Let them sit while you get to work.
Pit and roughly chop the dates.
Place chopped dates, walnuts, cinnamon and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Process until crumbly. “Dough” will hold together between two fingers, but stop short of turning into “paste”.
Dump the walnut/date mixture onto a tart pan with removable bottom.
Use your hands to press crust into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Rinse and drain the soaked cashews, then add to a blender with fresh water, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt.
Blend until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and then blend some more.
Pour ¾ of the cashew custard into the walnut tart crust.
Use an offset spatula to spread the custard evenly, into the corners of the crust.
Cut sides off apples, leaving the center core and then thinly slice. The thinner you slice them, the quicker they’ll cook all the way through.
Start to layer the apple slices on the outside of the tart crust. Grab a bit of the custard from the bottom to use as “glue” between the layers.
Put another spoonful of custard into the center to use as you continue to use the apples.
Go round and round until all the apples are used up. You can even insert some into empty spaces you see to use them all.
If there’s any custard left, spoon it into the crevices between the apple slices. Sprinkle some additional cinnamon onto the top, if desired.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Until apples are tender. but not falling apart.
Allow the tart to cool in the pan and then gently remove the outer rim.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Buy medjool dates with the pits still in. They’ll be softer and more moist. It’s easy to pit them yourself.
- Once you perfect this walnut tart crust and the vegan custard, you’ll realize how easy it is to make and substitute any fruit like pears, peaches, nectarines or plums into the filling, and you can enjoy this tart all year long, depending on what’s in season.
- Save slicing the apples until all the other parts (crust is pressed into tart pan and custard is already made) are ready so the apples don’t turn brown from oxidation.
- Scoop up some of the creamy custard as you place each apple slice to use as glue and it’s much easier than trying to spoon it in between apple slices later.
- If you’re making this in advance and placing in the fridge, leave the outside of the tart pan intact before covering the whole thing with plastic wrap. You can remove the outside before plating and serving.
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📖 Recipe
Walnut Tart with Vegan Apple Custard
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups walnuts
- 10 medjool dates
- ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling
- 3 apples thinly sliced
Vegan Custard
- 1.5 cups raw cashews soaked in boiling water
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Pour boiling water over cashews and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350
Make Crust
- Remove pits from dates and roughly chop. Add to bowl of food processor with the walnuts, cinnamon and salt. Process until thoroughly combined. It will resemble a mixture between a crumbly mixture and a rough paste, and definitely will hold together when pressed between 2 fingers.
- Pour walnut and date mixture into a tart pan with removable bottom. It may look like there's too much, but it will flatten and be the perfect amount of crust for this tart.
- Press walnut mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. I use barely damp hands for this, and then use the bottom of a glass or dry measuring cup to be sure it's flat against the bottom surface of the pan. Set aside.
Make the Custard Filling
- Drain cashews, rinse with clean water and then drain again. Add drained cashews into a blender. Use the food processor if you don't have a blender, but the custard cream will be a bit smoother if you use a blender.
- To the blender with the cashews, add the water, maple syrup, lemon juice and cinnamon. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Assemble and bake the tart
- Spoon ¾ of the custard mixture into the tart pan with the walnut crust. It will act as the glue that holds the apples in place!
- Slice apple super thin and arrange in a circle starting with the outside of the tart, working round and round until the pan is full and the apple slices are all used up. Drag a bit of the custard along with you as you place the apples, so it's in between the apple slices too.
- Thin the remaining custard by using a fork or whisk to incorporate 1 tablespoon water. Then drizzle it onto the top and into the crevices between apple slices. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon if desired.
- Bake in preheated 350 oven for 25-30 minutes. Timing will depend on how thin you were able to slice the apples. You want them to be tender, but not completely falling apart.
- Allow tart and custard to cool before removing the outer layer of the tart pan and transferring to serving plate.
- Cool completely before covering and storing in the fridge.
- Slice into pieces. Walnut tart with apple custard filling can be served cold or at room temperature.
- Store covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
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