It is said that the name Frangipane comes from a 16th century Italian Marquis called Muzio Frangipani. Whether this is true I do not know … I do know that this simple frangipane recipe works. I like to call it the Italian version of our Dutch almond paste (amandelspijs) mainly used in Christmas stollen and speculaas.
I made these tarts the first time to practice for Christmas when I wanted to bake a nice bakewell tart with marzipan in which frangipane is also used. I found that for me tart fruits like raspberries work best with frangipane. Raspberries have a nice sharpness that combines perfect with the sweetness of the frangipane. Pears are sweet and when combined with more sweet it is just a little less interesting to the pallet. If you like sweet, don’t let this stop you of course. I think apricots would also work very well, maybe cherries and certain plums or apples and of course cranberries.
Ingredients for the Tart base
125 g butter
125 g caster sugar
225 g flour
pinch of salt
1/2 egg or one egg yolk
Ingredients for the Frangipane
125 g butter
125 g sugar
3 medium eggs (125 to 150 g)
125 g finely ground almonds or almond flour
zest of 1 small lemon, orange or tangerine
+ 125 g of fresh raspberries and/or other fruits of choice
Note: To keep this recipe easy and simple I bake the tart, base and filling, in one go. The bottom does not go soggy this way when I bake it, but it is not exactly crisp either. This is absolutely no problem, the tart is perfectly delicious. But…if you are looking for a perfectly baked, crisp bottom I would suggest blind baking the pastry for 10 minutes before filling it.
Making the Frangipane and Raspberry Tart
Make a firm dough with the flour, butter, sugar, salt and the half egg. Rap in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Make sure the dough is cool but still easy to work with by the time you want to roll it out.
Now make the frangipane by slowly melting the 125 g butter over low heat and letting it cool slightly. Beat the sugar together with the three eggs and the grated zest of lemon, orange or tangerine until creamy and add the melted butter while continuing to beat. Add the almond flour and mix well.
Preheat your oven to 175ºC / 345ºF.
Fill a greased mold (approx 24 cm/ 9.5 inches diameter and a height of about 3.5 cm /1.4 inches preferably with removable bottom) with the rolled out pastry dough.
Now spread the frangipane evenly into the mold (it very probably will spread out nice and even on it’s own). Now add your fruit. You can lay the raspberries (in a pattern) on top of the frangipane, they will sink in a little bit anyway, so no need to push them, you still want to see them.
Slide the tart into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, depending on your oven. When it’s beautiful and golden brown, puffed and firm to the touch, it is ready. Leave to cool on a rack. You can dust the tart with icing sugar before serving.
A different version with poached pears
You can also make individual tartelettes, like I did with the poached pears version. For this I used three pears and poached them in water with a cup of vanilla sugar, juice of a lemon and a cinnamon stick in a saucepan and left them to simmer until tender (10 to 15 minutes). I sliced them after I left them to cool in the liquid.
Make sure to drain the pears on a paper towel before using them because you do not want too much liquid in your frangipane for fear of sogginess. Three pears is too much for six tartelettes, but they keep well in their liquid in the fridge for several days and you can also use them in muffins or cupcakes or eat them with some whipped cream.
Enjoy!
Jan Ellison says
Hi I have just made a large frangipani tart with tinned apricots and a bought sweet pastry case and it’s delicious however I live on my own so can I freeze some of it please?
Donna says
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes, thanks so much for sharing!
Just a lil note tho, my pastry seems to get “sucked up” below where I place the raspberries ….so the base is very rippled if that makes sense…
Do you prick holes in the pastry before putting the filling in…have you had this issue before?
Robert says
Made two poached pear tarts, moved onto a rasberry every one fantastic. Pushed out the boat and trying Luxardo black cherry this time, fingers crossed it works. Added some almond essence each time for a bigger almond hit. Great simple recipe, thanks for sharing.
Jean says
Hello. Im in the Uk.
For those of you have a pastry phobia.may I suggest you use a baking dish that has perforated hole all around the sides with a loose bottom.
You will never have anymore soggy bottoms they will all turn out perfect.
I bought mine from Amazon.i am sure you have an Amazon in the states have a go.
Greeting from the Uk Stay safe.
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Jean for this suggestion and sharing your experience.
Enjoy your baking!
Michael N says
Iv just made the pear frangipane tart, very easy to follow recipe and its simply delicious. I’ll try Raspberry’s next. Thank you.
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Michael,
We find the pear and raspberry different but equally delicious, they are such a good combination with the almond flavor. Thank you for trying and liking the recipe.
Enjoy your baking and sharing!
Ed & Marieke
WKB
Roger says
I tried this yesterday and was absolutely delighted with the results. I used strawberries and raspberries from my garden.
Weekend Bakers says
Wonderful Roger. And you just reminded me to go pick some strawberries from our own garden before the slugs get to them after the recent rain!
Baking with own produce is the best. Enjoy!
Marieke
WKB
Sanika says
Just made this. It looks, smells and tastes amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe, I’ll definitely be making the poached pear version soon.
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Sanika, great the recipe is a success. Next to raspberry the pear version is a big favorite of ours. Hope it will be delicious too!
Chris Foster says
Great, recipe, didn’t use sweet pastry, as I had some left over from a quiche, so used that, it was perfect. Made it for my niece, as she is an avid lover of almonds, me I don’t eat cake, but love making them.
Now she says it’s her favourite, so I keep making it
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Chris,
That is so wonderful. Funny you mention your love of baking but not eating your bakes. We hear this more often, so you are not alone.
Great your niece can enjoy your pastries, tarts and pies.
Greetings from Holland,
Mariek
Eve Williams says
Use a biscuit base or even graham crackers recipe! Eliminates the terrors for those with pastry phobia!
Guy says
Hi – I’m going to give this a go. I have a recipe for frangipane tart which I’ve tried a few times with “mixed” results (I’m talking about the pastry base):
175g plain flour
85 unsalted butter (soft)
3 egg yolks
85g caster sugar
3-4 drop of vanilla essence
a pinch of salt
This was for a 12-inch spring-form cake tin but was woefully inadequate. So I multiplied all the ingredients by 3 and although this now gives enough to fill the tin at a reasonable thickness, the pastry mix is a bit wet and sticky even after spending the night in the fridge. The major difference between the recipe I’m following and yours seems to be the number of egg yolks – I ended up putting 9 in (multiplying the original 3 by three times) – so is this the obvious problem?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Guy,
We think the amount of egg yolks cannot really be correct, looking at the amount of flour used. It will not be a good strong base for a heavy frangipane filling, the yolks make it softer and more delicate.
Ai Lin says
Hi! I’m interested to try this. How do you make the dough? Do you use an electric mixer?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Ai Lin,
We make the dough by hand. Just combine the ingredients and with a cool hand form a dough, being careful not to over-knead, as soon as you have a nice smooth dough and all the ingredients are well incorporated you can stop and wrap it and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Ai Lin says
Thanks so much! But it’s kinda hard to have a cool hand in sunny Singapore where it’s 90 deg f! 🙂
Weekend Bakers says
We understand! Maybe, if possible, wash your hands with cold water before touching the dough.
Hope it will be great!
Bridget says
Hi it looks so good. Can you make it ahead and freeze
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Bridget,
Yes, you can, it works really well with this type of tart.
Hope you like it too!
Bridget says
Thank you going to make it tomorrow for a party next week
Weekend Bakers says
Have a wonderful party and enjoy your baking!
Carole says
I made the Easy Frangipane tart. It was magnificent! Thank you so much!
Weekend Bakers says
Wonderful to read your comment Caroline, so glad the recipe was a success for you.
Enjoy your baking!
Allan Mahnke says
I’m delighted to see your recommendation of cranberries. A local bakery has that flavor for their frangipane at the moment. It’s delicious. We also live near northern Wisconsin, a major cranberry producer. I can’t wait to try it myself!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Allan,
So great to get local fruits for your favorite bakes. here in Holland we do have excellent apples for our Dutch apple pie. Hope you will try the recipe but if you want more choice take a look at these favorites of ours:
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…ry-rondos/
+
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…laas-pies/
Enjoy your Holiday baking and sharing!
Debp says
Extremely successful tartelettes made with this frangipane and a small dollop of raspberry or mandarin jam underneath!
I served them with sliced mango and yoghurt…
Weekend Bakers says
Ohhh, I like the sounds of that combination, heavenly and inspiring Deb!
Judy Thompson says
I’m a bit confused, as the ground almonds aren’t mentioned in the method. Is it 125 grams of almond flour OR almonds? If not, what is the quantity of each please. Not able to get almond flour, is plain OK.
Thanks so much Judy thompson
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Judy,
Thank you for your comment. You either take 125 grams of almond flour OR you grind 125 grams of almonds and use that. If you grind your own almonds you can (for instance) take an old coffee grinder and use that. Because almonds are very oily, it works best to use the 125 grams of sugar from the recipe and grind the almonds together with this sugar (to avoid the ground almonds forming an oily lumpy mass). So, no plain flour, either almond flour or ground almonds, otherwise it will not be frangipane.
Hope it will be great!
Judy says
Thanks so much. Can I bake in a flan dish and serve it straight from there.
Sorry, but not good at baking!!
Thanks again Judy
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Judy,
Yes you can. For this recipe the indication that you should keep in mind for the dish measurements is approx 24 cm/ 9.5 inches diameter and a height of about 3.5 cm /1.4 inches.
Enjoy your baking
Judy says
Thanks ever so much again! Will let you know how it turns out!
Nadine says
The recipe is amazing and so easy to make. I used pineapple and coconut flour for the base – it was Pina Colada heaven. 🙂
Weekend Bakers says
Wow Nadine, that sounds delicious. Have not heard of these ingredients for this recipe, but thank you so much for sharing your exotic variation!
Starfish says
Nadine can u pop on what amount of coconut flour u used please as sounds like my kind of tart
Linnea says
These recipes look beautiful. I will like to learn to make them! Thank you!
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Linnea,
Just start with a recipe that you really like and make it more than once is our advice.
Happy baking!
Dan Death says
Hi please accept my apologies for my ignorance. I forgot I had posted a comment let alone you replied. I made the tarts, my wife loved them, but I thought they were a little heavy. Any tips for lightness. Sorry again.
DD
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Dan,
Great to ‘hear’. Yes, frangipane does not exactly make for light eating. We always make it like this, but maybe you can get inspiration from this recipe that uses yogurt and cornmeal for a lighter, less calories, filling:
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recip…ewell-tart
Mandy says
Could you beat the egg whites separately for a lighter frangipane? Would it flatten upon leaving the oven?
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Mandy,
We have never done this, but it could be worth a try. We must say we do like the rich and creamy texture of the original frangipane, but experimenting is always fun and you might come up with something wonderful! Maybe start with a combination of eggs and egg whites.
Dan Death says
Hi
Do I serve this with whipped cream or something else or nothing?
Thank you
Dan
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Dan,
We do both, depending on the occasion and wishes of our guests. The tart does not need anything to go with it, because it is very rich, but people do love cream of course.
Happy baking!
Melissa S says
Figured since I have made this recipe over a dozen times with various fruit/nut combinations I should let you know how gosh darn amazing I think this recipe is! Also easy to make for my coeliac friends with a little flour replacement. Love, LOVE this recipe, thank you so much!
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Melissa,
You put a smile on our faces. Wonderful to read your comment on the recipe and how much joy it brings to you and your loved ones!
Wishing you many enjoyable baking moments,
Ed & Marieke
Cathie Ryder says
Turned out great even though I had to convert the measurements and I used sliced fresh peaches for the fruit. I’ll be making this again!
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Cathtie, sounds absolutely delicious, great the recipe worked so well for you!
plasterer bristol says
One of my all time favs this. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Simon
Ann Mccann says
I would love a recipe book on frangipani ..deserts..
Crosby says
Real easy instructions , thank you
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Crosby, much appreciated!
Glenda Campbell says
I usually make this with Cherries, can I use frozen raspberries instead.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Glenda,
Yes you can, just take into account that frozen fruit is colder and can have an effect on baking times when used frozen plus they can contain some extra moisture.
Joelle says
Can I substitute pecan mill to almond to make a frangipane? I prefer the pecan or walnut to almond when baking….
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Joelle,
That sounds like an excellent idea! Although we have not yet made frangipane with pecan, it is done more often and we are certain it will work and give a very tasty result.
Happy baking!
fiona gillespie says
Does this freeze OK?
Weekend Bakers says
We indeed freeze the left overs sometimes, but as often fresh is better!
fiona gillespie says
OK. Thanks. Will make fresh!
Krissie says
Oh, I forgot to say that I spread raspberry preserve on the base rather than add fresh raspberries – delicious 🙂
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you for this addition Krissie, excellent! Glad the recipe worked out so well.
Happy baking,
Marieke
Krissie says
Have been searching for a recipe where the pastry base is not crisp – this is perfecto!!!! Everybody who tries some loves it. Many thanks 🙂
Alisa Cohen says
Hallo Ed en Marieke,
Ik heb gisteravond jullie easy frangipane en raspberry tart gemaakt, en hij is heerlijk, maar na 20 minuten extra bakken op 350 F (ik woon in de VS) niet gaar en nog steeds nat vanboven.
Heb ik iets verkeerd gedaan, of hebben jullie nog suggesties?
Groeten,
Alisa
Weekend Bakers says
Hallo Alisa,
Dank voor je reactie. We hebben twee suggesties:
Houd de frangipane iets droger door iets minder ei toe te voegen.
Zet je oven iets hoger (je oven kan bv naar beneden afwijken in werkelijke temperatuur, dat is alleen te meten met een oven-thermometer) en kijk ook even naar de plek in de oven. Zet de taart eventueel een treetje hoger, dichter bij de warmtebron.
Succes ermee & happy baking in the USA,
Marieke
Laura says
Hi
I made this tonight. My filling came out with a bit of an eggy taste.
I believe this filling is more of a crème d’amande than frangipane & probably should have weighed the eggs to 125g – equal quantities to the other ingredients. Other than that it came out great. I did forget to add the egg to the pastry & added more butter to rectify the dryness (hadn’t realised I left out the egg till it was blind baking- oops) it came out beautifully short. Yum!!
Laura says
Oops I mean to say I should have followed the basics of the crème d’amande and made sure to use equal quantities of everything. I’m wondering if it was overly eggy due to the size of my eggs. I know it definitely was not over cooked.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Laura,
I think you could be right, it is a challenge with eggs because each country has their own system and a medium egg can be a large one depending on where you live. This recipe is from quite a while ago and more recently we always make it a point to be as exact as possible. The eggs I use will have a total weight of around 150 g, but I think your 125 g will work too of course.
Glad the tart still turned out well enough to be enjoyed!
Marieke
Kristy Korte says
FANTASTIC recipe! Thank you for sharing , my boys loved it. 🙂
Weekend Bakers says
Great one for the family too 🙂 Love to hear about this. Thank you for sharing and happy baking Kristy!
Shaelah says
I have made this twice now and it’s amazing! The first time I did not blind bake the pastry and it still turned out lovely, although I do prefer it a little more crispy.
Gill says
I think I might just have tweeted a pic of my weekend frangipan, but a bit new to tweeting images. Decided to throw in apricots, rather than raspberries, baked the pastry (more like shortbread – delish) blind first as I was worried about a soggy bottom. Just gave it 15 mins. Was a bit lazy and didn’t glaze it, but it was very good. I still have chunk of pastry left and a punnet of rapsberries so may have to do some mid week baking. G
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Gill,
Haven’t seen the pic, but those apricots sound like a splendid idea, the combination with the frangipane is perfect of course. I sometimes make something called a ‘croûte d’abricot’ , it is the French version you could say of this recipe. I add some lavender honey and a few lavender flowers, if I want to make it truly special.