Puff Pastry Plum Tart
Flaky puff pastry is topped with a sweetened vanilla cream cheese mixture and juicy plums for a visually appealing dessert that is guaranteed to wow! This beautiful Plum Tart might look complicated, but it is so easy to make with a sheet of puff pastry, a few basic ingredients, and of course, plums.
About This Recipe
This simple plum tart looks incredibly elegant yet requires just 15 minutes of hands-on work to prepare!
The base of the rustic tart is store-bought puff pastry. After thawing, the puff pastry is placed on a baking sheet and topped with a cheesecake-like filling, fresh plums, and sliced almonds.
Plums preserves are brushed over the tart after it’s finished baking to add a glossy finish to the dessert.
This is a showstopping recipe that any home baker can make. Keep this in your dessert rotation throughout the holiday season — it disappears fast at dinner parties!
Enjoy the puff pastry plum tart as is, or make a batch of stabilized whipped cream to serve on the side. A scoop of vanilla ice cream wouldn’t go amiss here, either!
Tools You’ll Need
I suggest having the following pieces of kitchen equipment on hand when making the plum and almond tart:
- Large Baking Sheet — For baking the tart.
- Parchment Paper — Here are my top tips for lining your baking pans with parchment paper.
- Measuring Cups and Spoons — For measuring the ingredients.
- Handheld Electric Mixer — If you don’t own a mixer, use a mixing bowl, whisk, and some upper body strength.
- Offset Spatula — Makes it easier to spread the cream cheese filling over the puff pastry.
- Cutting Board and Knife — Be sure to sharpen your knife first in order to cut through the plums cleanly.
- Pastry Brush — For brushing the preserves over the plums.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to add to your shopping list if you want to make a rustic plum tart with puff pastry:
- Frozen Puff Pastry
- Cream Cheese
- Vanilla Extract
- Granulated Sugar
- Fresh Plums
- Egg
- Slivered Almonds
- Fresh Thyme (optional, to garnish)
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
Ingredient Notes
- Puff Pastry — Must be thawed in the refrigerator overnight before using. Don’t attempt to unfold a puff pastry sheet unless it has properly thawed. If the sheet has a prominent crease in it, you can lightly dust a rolling pin with flour and very gently roll over the crease. (Do not over roll the puff pastry as this will condense the layers.)
- Plums — Choose ripe, fresh plums that give slightly when pressed gently with your thumb.
- Plum Preserves — The preserves add an extra layer of flavor but are predominantly used to give the beautiful shine. You can use honey or maple syrup if you can’t find plum preserves.
- Cream Cheese — Must be softened to room temperature first. See my tips for softening butter fast if you forgot to set out your cream cheese ahead of time (the same method works for cream cheese).
How to Make a Plum Tart with Puff Pastry
Don’t let the beauty of this plum tart fool you into thinking it’s hard to make. If you have a sharp knife and a chopping board, you can make this intricately decorated tart in 15 minutes!
- Roll out the puff pastry: Once thawed, roll the puff pastry onto a baking sheet. (Simply unroll it from the packaging, do not roll it out with a rolling pin.)
- Make the cream cheese filling: Beat together the sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla. Spread over the puff pastry, keeping a 1-inch border around the edges.
- Slice and arrange the plums: Halve the plums, remove the stones, and slice into thin slices. “Fan” the plum halves over the cream cheese filling.
- Assemble and bake: Brush the edges of the puff pastry with an egg wash. Sprinkle slivered almonds over the tart. Bake until the edges turn golden brown.
- Brush on the plum preserves: After the tart is done baking, brush lightly with preserves to add lots of shine.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Serving Suggestions
This puff pastry plum tart is lovely on its own, but it’s even better served with a dollop of crème fraîche, whipped cream, or ice cream.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- There is no need to score the edges with a knife. The puff pastry will puff up and look beautiful without any scoring.
- You should be able to cut the plums into thin slices with a very sharp knife. I did not use a mandolin. The plum halves will hold their shape as you cut if you hold them together when slicing. This makes it easier to fan them out into a nice shape before adding them to the tart.
- The cream cheese mixture puffs up slightly as it cooks. That’s totally normal! The plums will also release some juices.
- Heat up your preserves! This loosens it up, which makes it easier to brush over the tops of the cooked plums without disturbing the pattern you made with the fresh plums.
Recipe FAQs
Got questions about how to make a plum tart? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.
Can I use another stone fruit in this recipe?
Very likely, yes. However, different stone fruits contain varying levels of moisture. So while you theoretically should be able to use peaches, nectarines, or apricots in this recipe, you might wind up with different results than I did.
Can I use frozen plums?
No, even if you thaw the frozen plums overnight before using they will not deliver the same results. Frozen fruit often releases excess moisture and winds up being too soft once baked.
Can the almonds be omitted?
If you have a nut allergy in your household or simply don’t want to use the slivered almonds, you may omit them.
Do I have to use frozen puff pastry?
I highly recommend using frozen puff pastry in this recipe. As it bakes, the puff pastry rises high and then gently deflates as it cools on your counter. Once cool, the puff pastry is beautifully flaky and light.
However, you could likely use a homemade pie dough or galette dough to make this plum tart, noting that the texture of the baked tart will be different from mine.
Storage Instructions
Cover and store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy the tart cold or reheat it, covered with foil, in a 325°F oven for 5 – 10 minutes.
Try Making This Simple Plum Tart at Home!
Next time you’re looking for an easy plum dessert recipe, give this puff pastry plum tart a try!
Did you love the fresh plum flavor? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought.
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see a photo of your plum almond tart!
More Easy Fruit Tart Recipes:
Need a simple yet elegant no-bake dessert for summer gatherings? Make this Strawberry Lemon Tart! The filling is reminiscent of no-bake cheesecake, but it’s creamier and richer thanks to the combination of mascarpone and cream cheese.
This Lemon Curd Tart with strawberry rhubarb compote is the perfect dessert when you need something special. It requires some assembly, but looks so elegant!
These Mini Cranberry Tarts will help you use up any leftover cranberry sauce from your Thanksgiving meal.
This Mini Blueberry Custard Tart recipe features a simple homemade almond crust topped with creamy almond custard. This is a great make-ahead summer dessert!
Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.
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Puff Pastry Plum Tart
Flaky puff pastry is topped with a sweetened vanilla cream cheese mixture and juicy plums for a visually appealing dessert that is guaranteed to wow! This beautiful Plum Tart might look complicated, but it is so easy to make with a sheet of puff pastry, a few basic ingredients, and of course, plums.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 6 ounces block cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 8 - 10 plums (depending on size)
- 1 egg, whisked (for egg wash)
- ¼ cup raw sliced almonds
- ¼ cup plum preserves
- fresh thyme, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the thawed puff pastry onto a rectangular baking sheet. Set aside.
Making the Cream Cheese Filling
- Combine the softened cream cheese, vanilla extract, and sugar to a medium sized mixing bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the ingredients together until they are fully combined and the cream cheese is smooth.
- Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the puff pastry sheet, leaving about a 1 inch border all the way around the edges. Then, spread until smooth using an offset spatula (keeping the 1 inch border). Set aside.
Preparing the Plums
- Using a sharp knife, cut the plums in half and remove the stones. Slice each plum half into very thin slices, about ⅛ of an inch (or 3 millimeters).
- When you are slicing the plums try to keep all the pieces together in the shape of half a plum.
Assembling the Tart
- Pick up sliced ‘half plums’ and gently fan them out slightly then place the entire ‘half plum’ on top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Arranging the plum slices is a bit like arranging a puzzle! Start in the middle and work your way out. Placing them however you think they look beautiful but don’t cover the raw edges of the puff pastry sheet.
- When you are done arranging the plums, brush the raw edges of the puff pastry sheet with the egg wash (you might not need it all) then scatter over the sliced almonds.
Baking the Tart
- Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until the edges of the pastry are golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Before Serving
- Meanwhile, put the plum preserves into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 15 seconds or until the preserves have loosened. Brush the tops of the plums with the preserves. Add a sprinkling of thyme to garnish.
- Slice, serve and enjoy!
Notes
Puff Pastry: Must be thawed in the refrigerator overnight before using. Don’t attempt to unfold a puff pastry sheet unless it has properly thawed. If the sheet has a prominent crease in it, you can lightly dust a rolling pin with flour and very gently roll over the crease. (Do not over roll the puff pastry as this will condense the layers.
Plum Preserves: The preserves add an extra layer of flavor but are predominantly used to give the beautiful shine. You can use honey or maple syrup if you can’t find plum preserves.
Cream Cheese: Must be softened to room temperature first. See my tips for softening butter fast if you forgot to set out your cream cheese ahead of time.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 253Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 114mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 2gSugar: 21gProtein: 5g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy. This provided information is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
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