This Brilliantly Simple Upside-Down Pastry Hack Is Taking Over TikTok
If you’re not a professional baker or an experienced home cook, working with puff pastry may seem a little intimidating. Making the deliciously buttery dough from scratch takes a lot of practice and care. But starting with a store-bought package can make things a lot easier.
Recently, while looking for some recipe inspiration, I discovered a clever puff pastry hack that’s sweeping TikTok. The trick is rather simple: Spread a small rectangle of honey on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet, top with thinly sliced and slightly overlapping fruit (like apples or plums), then cover with a square of puff pastry. Yes, it’s technically upside-down, but that’s part of the simplicity!
This trick first caught my attention via a now uber-viral TikTok video from lilyghodrati (the video currently has over 42 million views and nearly 3 million “likes”). Since the video was first posted, however, people have been falling in love with the fun idea and putting their own spin on it, too.
Part of the fun in this simple dessert hack is really how customizable it is and how you can easily channel your favorite pie or pastry flavors at home, without being a professional chef. TikTok user rotiibrown, put her own inventive spin on the dessert by using sweet potato as the filling instead of sliced fruit, to make it reminiscent of classic sweet potato pie.
Typically, when making a puff pastry dessert or danish, it’s instinctual to place the sheet of puff pastry on the baking sheet first, then layer in your filling. This trick however, includes the puff pastry on the top, which rises even more beautifully in the oven.
Plus, the fact that the filling is hidden underneath the pastry almost makes for a nice surprise for what’s waiting below!