Apricot Frangipane Tart
This Apricot Frangipane Tart is a French Summer classic, through and through.
- For the Pâte sablée :1 ¼ cup (155g) all purpose flour½ tsp salt¼ cup (50g) sugar½ cup (125g) unsalted butter, cold and cut in small cubes.2 egg yolks
- For the Frangipane filling:½ cup (125g) unsalted butter, at room temperature1/2 cup (100g) sugar1 tsp vanilla extract1 tsp almond extract2 large eggs1 ¼ cups ground almond (120g)3 tablespoons (45g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- For Garnish:8-10 ripe apricots, stoned and quartered2 tablespoons (30g) honey, maple syrup or apricot jam.
- Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.
- Step 1 – Prepare the Pâte sablée – In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt and sugar. Add the cubed butter and mix the ingredients together using your hands (rub between your palms) until you get a crumbly, sandy texture and pea-size bits of butter are still visible. Add the egg yolks and combine until the dough comes together into a ball. Wrap in plastic film and chill for 30 minutes.
- Step 2 - Prepare the Frangipane - In a large mixing bowl, whisk the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and continue whisking until fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla and almond extract. Finally, whisk in the ground almond and the flour. Mix until just incorporated.
- Pre-heat your oven to 350F(180C) with a rack in the middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform tart pan.
- Step 3 - Take the Pâte sablée out of the fridge. Place it between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to a 5mm (0.2inch) thickness. Line the tart pan bottom and sides with crust – don’t worry if the crust tears, you can easily patch it together and press to seal. Trim the edges all around and poke the bottom evenly with a fork.
- To assemble - Spoon the Frangipane filling into the crust and smooth the top all over with an offset spatula or the back of your spoon.
- In a bowl, toss the apricots quarters in honey (or maple syrup, or apricot jam). Poke the apricots into the frangipane, spacing them evenly, creating a circular pattern. Don’t push the apricots too deep into the frangipane, they will sink in as it bakes.
- Bake the tart for 40 to 45 minutes, until the frangipane gets lightly firm and golden. The apricots should be tender and a knife poked in the frangipane should come out clean.
- Leave the tart to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Serve still warm or at room temperature. For serving, dust with some icing sugar or accompany with some vanilla ice-cream on top.
Made with ripe apricots baked in an almond frangipane over a buttery crust, it is a favorite to bake in French households during stone fruit season. The nutty and creamy texture of the Frangipane filling is so satisfying and perfectly complements the sweet tartness of the apricots. Top this tart with a light dusting of icing sugar, and it will look straight out of a bakery.
The Pâte Sablée
This recipe begins with the making of a Pâte Sablée (“sandy” shortcrust pastry). I am providing below (in the recipe section) the directions to make your own pastry from scratch – which I always find makes a huge difference in taste and quality.
If you are in a crunch for time or simply don’t feel like doing it, using a store-bought short crust works too. The crust doesn’t need any blind baking before being filled with Frangipane.
The Frangipane
Next, you prepare the almond Frangipane: a not-too-sweet filling traditionally made from ground almonds and used extensively in French baking to fill pies, such as the Classic Bourdaloue Tart (a recipe you can find in my cookbook).or the traditional Galette des Rois. Frangipane requires basic pantry ingredients (butter, sugar, flour, eggs) along with a good quality almond flour.
When baking, the soft Frangipane filling will puff up, firm up and envelop the apricot quarters – making the tart look effortlessly clean and elegant. Cooking notes:
- Making your own Pâte sablée (“sandy” shortcrust pastry) will make a big difference. But using a store-bought piecrust works too.
- Almond meal (or Almond flour, or Ground Almond) is a highly perishable good. Make sure you get it fresh, store it well (in an airtight container) and use it as soon as possible. You can either buy it in store (either a package – such as Bobs Red Mill Almond Flour- , or buy it or in bulk) or you can make your own in a food blender. Blanched or un-blanched both work for this recipe.
- Choose ripe apricots: they shouldn’t be too firm to the touch, although not mushy nor blemished. When slicing them in half, the stones should remove easily. If they are difficult to remove – the apricots aren’t ripe enough.
- If really necessary (when apricots are out of season), you can use canned apricots. Make sure you drain them very well and pat them dry with paper towel so they don’t release too much juice/moisture while baking.
- Other ripe stone fruits will substitute great: peaches, plums or even cherries.
I hope you’ll love this Apricot Frangipane Tart recipe as much as I do! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment. If you try this Apricot Frangipane Tart recipe let me know!
Leave a comment or share a photo using #pardonyourfrench on Instagram. Bon Appétit! This recipe was first posted on Jul 18, 2017, and updated on June 28, 2020.
