Almond Frangipane Tart

 

Almond Frangipane Tart

Prep 30 min (+30 min chilling)

Cook 35–40 min

Serves 8

Ingredients

200 g all-purpose flour

100 g cold unsalted butter, cubed

80 g icing (powdered) sugar

1 large egg (about 50 g) for the pastry

2 g fine salt

100 g soft unsalted butter, for frangipane

100 g caster sugar

100 g ground almonds

2 large eggs (about 100 g) for frangipane

20 g all-purpose flour, for frangipane

3 g vanilla extract

10 g (optional) dark rum or almond liqueur

30 g sliced almonds, for topping

30 g (optional) apricot jam, warmed, for glazing

a little butter or spray for greasing the tart tin

Instructions

1

Make the pastry dough: In a bowl, mix flour, icing sugar, and salt. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add the egg and gently bring the dough together just until it forms a ball—do not overwork.

2

Chill the dough: Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it, and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes until firm but still pliable.

3

Line the tart tin: Lightly grease a 23 cm tart tin. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about 3 mm thick. Lift it into the tin, press gently into the corners, and trim the edges. Prick the base with a fork and chill again while you heat the oven.

4

Pre-bake the shell: Heat the oven to 180°C. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for about 12–15 minutes until the edges look set. Remove the paper and beans and bake 5 more minutes until the base looks dry but not brown. Let cool slightly.

5

Make the frangipane: In a bowl, beat the soft butter and sugar until creamy and pale. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well. Stir in ground almonds, flour, vanilla, and rum (if using) until smooth.

6

Fill the tart: Spread the frangipane evenly into the cooled tart shell. Smooth the top with a spatula and sprinkle sliced almonds over the surface.

7

Bake the tart: Bake at 180°C for about 25–30 minutes, until the filling is puffed, golden, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs, not wet batter.

8

Cool and finish: Let the tart cool in the tin. If you like, brush the top lightly with warmed apricot jam for shine, then dust with a little icing sugar before serving.

Sources: 

Beginner tips

• Pastry texture: Stop mixing as soon as the dough comes together. Overworking makes it tough, not crisp.
• Too sticky to roll? Chill a bit longer. Too hard? Let it sit a few minutes at room temperature.
• Rolling help: Lightly flour the surface and rolling pin; rotate the dough often so it doesn’t stick.
• Blind baking cue: The base should look dry and set, not shiny or doughy, before adding frangipane.
• Frangipane mixing: Mix just until smooth. If it looks curdled after adding eggs, keep mixing gently—it will come together once you add almonds and flour.
• Doneness check: The center should be slightly springy when pressed and not wobble. If it’s very pale and soft, bake a few minutes more.