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5 Comments Have a few plums sitting around that need to be used up? Then this is the perfect time to make this easy plum tart with marzipan. The combination of crisp puff pastry, sweet marzipan, and soft, slightly tart plums is seriously delicious.
And the best part? It takes very little effort. I use store-bought puff pastry, because sometimes you want pie without first spending half the afternoon making dough. Totally understandable, right?
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Tip from Simone
Blind bake the puff pastry before adding the marzipan and plums. It’s one extra step, but it makes a big difference and helps keep the bottom nice and crisp instead of soggy.
If you can find toasted marzipan (I usually buy mine in Germany if I see it. Haven’t found it in the Netherlands yet), definitely use it because it adds even more flavor. Regular marzipan works perfectly well too.
Recipe Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients for this easy plum tart.
- Puff pastry – I used four individual sheets of puff pastry, but one large sheet of refrigerated puff pastry is even easier. You can also make this tart with homemade shortcrust pastry.
- Plums – depending on their size, you’ll need about 3 to 4 plums. Choose plums that are ripe but still firm enough to slice neatly. No plums? Pears or apples work well too.
- Marzipan – toasted marzipan is extra flavorful, but regular marzipan is absolutely fine.
- Heavy cream – this softens the marzipan and makes it easier to spread.
- Honey – a little honey over the plums adds sweetness and helps them caramelize in the oven.
- Pistachios – for crunch and a bit of color. You can substitute sliced almonds or another nut if you prefer.
- Egg – used to brush the pastry so it bakes up beautifully golden brown.
How to Make Plum Tart with Marzipan
This plum tart is very easy to make, and the oven does most of the work.
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200˚C
If you’re using individual puff pastry sheets, let them thaw first. Place them slightly overlapping on a lightly floured work surface and roll them together with a rolling pin.
Line a rectangular tart pan with the puff pastry and gently press it into the edges. Prick the bottom several times with a fork.
Cover the dough with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice. Blind bake for about 15 minutes.
Remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and return it to the oven for another 10 minutes. This gives you a sturdier, crispier base.
Meanwhile, mix the marzipan with the heavy cream. It won’t become completely smooth, but it should soften enough to spread.
Carefully spread the marzipan mixture over the prebaked pastry. Don’t press too hard or you’ll flatten all those lovely puff pastry layers.
Slice the plums into thin wedges and arrange them over the marzipan. Drizzle with honey and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the plums are soft and the pastry is golden brown.
Can I Use Other Fruit?
Absolutely. This tart is very easy to adapt depending on what’s in season. If plums aren’t available, apples or pears are both great alternatives.
Just keep in mind that very juicy fruit releases more moisture as it bakes. Blind baking the pastry first helps prevent the bottom from becoming soggy. The layer of marzipan helps as well.
How to Store Plum Tart
This tart is best eaten the day you make it, while the puff pastry is still crisp.
If you have leftovers, store them covered in the refrigerator. Reheat slices briefly in the oven before serving to help crisp up the pastry again.
You can freeze the tart, but the puff pastry will lose some of its crispness once thawed. So this one is definitely best fresh.
More Easy Recipes to Try
Essentially this plum tart is nothing more than puff pastry lined with marzipan and plums. The marzipan gives it that little bit of extra so don’t leave it out. And if you love marzipan have a look at the Fig tart with custard too. But if you want you could substitute the marzipan for frangipane. The recipe for the mango frangipane will give you the quantities if you want to try this with frangipane. Or if you want a totally different plum recipe, make sure to try the plum brioche or the plum sheet cake with almond flour. The plum and almond crumble is also one of my favorites!
FAQ Plum Tart with Marzipan
You don’t absolutely have to, but I highly recommend it. Plums release moisture as they bake, and blind baking helps keep the pastry much crispier.
Yes. Toasted marzipan adds a little extra flavor, but regular marzipan works beautifully too.
Definitely. In fact, it’s easier than joining individual pieces together. Simply trim it to fit your tart pan and continue with the recipe.
Yes, but for the best texture I wouldn’t make it too far in advance. Puff pastry is at its best when it’s fresh and crisp.
Use ripe but still fairly firm plums. Very soft plums are harder to slice and tend to release more liquid during baking.
More plum recipes
Recipe: Plum Tart with Marzipan
Plum Tart with Marzipan
Ingredients
- 4 sheets puff pastry defrosted ( I used 10 x 10 cm squares)
- 3-4 plums depending on the size
- 200 gr marzipan
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- honey
- pistachio
- 1 egg for eggwash
Equipment
- 20 x 30 baking tin with loose bottom
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200˚ C. (392˚F)
- Once the puff pastry sheets are defrosted lay them out on a flour dusted surface and line them up so they make a square, overlapping each other a little bit. Of course if you can find a whole piece of puff pastry that will work easier at the moment I could only find the smaller puff pastry sheets.
- Line your rectangular tart tin and prick the bottom with a fork to prevent from puffing.
- Line your tin with baking paper and use baking weights or dried legumes for blind baking the pastry for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the weights and brush lightly with eggwash and place back in the oven for about 10 minutes till lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven.
- In the meantime put the roasted marzipan in a bowl and whip it a bit with the double cream until it becomes a bit smoother to handle.
- Put the marzipan as a layer on top of your puff pastry (be careful not to break the pastry) and cut your plums into slices.
- Line the slices up on the marzipan and drizzle with honey. Pop back in the oven and bake for another 30 minutes or until the plums are soft and the pastry golden. Sprinkle with pistachio nuts and enjoy.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
My favorite go to recipe whenever I have leftover ripe plums for the picking. It’s easy and so tasty!
Delicious! Used ordinary marzipan, but it really makes the dish. A good way of using supermarket plums that never seem to ripen- keep their shape well and do soften in the oven. Will definitely make again.
Ah thanks Celia! Glad you liked it!
This looks amazing! Quick question, I can’t seem to find roasted marzipan any where here in the States. Is it different than regular marzipan/almond paste? Thanks!
It’s slightly different but you can certainly use regular!