Apricot & Almond Frangipane Tart
This apricot & almond frangipane tart is a great way to use seasonal fruit! There’s crisp pastry, nutty almond cream & sweet, jammy apricots.
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This homemade tart is a fantastic way to use seasonal fruit!
For this summery dessert, we’re making an all butter tart case then filling it with apricot jam, nutty almond frangipane, fresh apricots & a sprinkling of flaked almonds. Once baked, the pastry is crisp, the frangipane is soft & cakey and the apricots are super jammy. There’s also a generous amount of apricot jam brushed on top, to give our tart a glossy finish.
This almond frangipane tart makes for an impressive summertime dessert & is best served with a scoop of ice cream, a generous amount of homemade custard or a drizzle of pouring cream. Apricots & almonds are a classic combination for a reason & paired with a hint of lemon zest, make this one seriously tasty dessert! If you’re a fan of Bakewell tarts, you’re sure to love this recipe…
If you’re looking for some more dessert inspiration then check out our ever growing collection of dessert recipes! There’s something for everyone here, from homemade ice creams, to pies, cheesecakes, crumbles & tiramisu.
Ingredient Notes
- Apricots – In season apricots work best for in this tart. Make sure to use fruit that is ripe, so that they’ll turn soft & jammy once the tart is baked.
- Almonds – You’ll need three types of almond for this tart. Ground & extract in the frangipane & flaked for the top of the tart.
- Butter – Make sure to use unsalted butter for both the pastry & frangipane. It’s important to use softened butter for the frangipane & chilled butter for the pastry.
- Flour – We’re using plain (all-purpose) flour in both the pastry & frangipane.
- Jam – A thin layer of apricot jam in the base of the tart adds even more flavour. Feel free to use a different jam or leave it out completely if you’d prefer.
- Lemon Zest – The zest of 1 lemon in the frangipane adds a hint of citrus flavour which works fantastically with the flavour from the almonds. An orange could also be used.
How To Make An Apricot & Almond Frangipane Tart
The full, printable recipe card for this apricot tart can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…
- Pastry
First, we need to make a sweet shortcrust pastry. To do this, we place flour, icing sugar & salt into a mixing bowl then add in butter & rub in by hand, until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. To this, we add egg yolks & vanilla paste then mix to form a dough. We then give the pastry a quick, gentle knead until smooth then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. - Tart Case
Next, we roll our pastry out into a circle that’s 3-4 mm thick & a couple of inches bigger than the diameter of our tin. Now we drape the pastry over the tin then carefully mould it in, using a small ball of excess pastry. We then prick the base with a fork & refrigerate the tart case for at least 2 hours before baking. - Blind Baking
Now to blind bake the tart case. To do this, we line the inside of our pastry case with a scrunched up piece of baking parchment then fill with baking beans. The tart case now gets baked at 190°c/374°f for 20 minutes or so, until set then we remove the baking beans & parchment & continue baking until golden brown all over. To finish, we brush egg yolk over the base of the tart then bake for another 30 seconds, to set the egg (this prevents any leaks). - Trimming
Once blind baked, we let the tart case cool then use a vegetable peeler to trim off the excess pastry, so that it is level with the top of the tin. - Frangipane
To make our frangipane, we beat together softened butter, sugar & lemon zest until light & fluffy (with a mixer) then mix in eggs, followed by almond extract, ground almonds, plain flour & a good pinch of salt. - Assembly
To assemble the tart, we spread apricot jam over the base then spoon the frangipane on top, spreading it out to completely cover the jam. Then to finish, we add apricot halves on top then sprinkle over flaked almonds. Make sure to place the apricots cut side down & leave plenty of space between them, to give the frangipane room to rise! - Baking
Next, we bake the tart at 180°c/356°f for 40-45 minutes, until the frangipane is a deep, golden brown & set, with a very slight wobble in the middle. - Glazing
Once baked, we brush the top of the tart with a good layer of jam then leave it to cool completely before cutting into portions.
Frangipane Tart Tips & Tricks
- Use Ripe Fruit – Using ripe, in season fruit is key to making the best frangipane tarts! This way, the fruit will be soft & jammy once the tart is cooked.
- Chill The Pastry – Make sure to chill the pastry case well before blind baking it. This prevents it shrinking as it bakes.
- Blind Bake – Blind baking ensures that the pastry case will be crisp & fully cooked once the filling is baked. This also prevents any leaks & soggy bottoms. Blind baking at a fairly high oven temperature also helps prevent the pastry from shrinking.
- Trimming Excess Pastry – Trimming off the excess pastry with a veg peeler, after blind baking gives tarts a neater finish & ensures that the pastry sits flush with the top of the tin.
- Leave To Set – Once baked, our apricot & almond frangipane tart should be left to cool completely, so that the filling has time to fully set.
- Use A Clean Knife – When portioning the tart, wipe your knife clean between cuts for the neatest slices. A sharp, serrated knife works best here.
What To Serve With Apricot Frangipane Tart
This frangipane tart is like most tarts, as in it goes great with homemade custard, ice cream, clotted cream or a generous amount of pouring cream! I’d recommend going with our homemade vanilla ice cream or charred vanilla bean custard.
Frequently Asked Questions
In the UK, fresh apricots are in season from May to September, in America they’re in season from May To July & in Australia they’re in season from November to February.
Frangipane tarts are best made with fresh, in season fruit. This could be apricots, plums, pears, figs, cherries or rhubarb.
Frangipane is a sweet, French almond cream. Frangipane is creamy & spreadable when mixed and soft & almost cakey once baked. This is a popular tart, croissant & Galette filling.
Almonds are the classic choice of nut when making frangipane but other nuts like hazelnut & pistachio will work as well. Simply swap out all or a portion of the almonds in this frangipane recipe for nuts that have been toasted well then blitzed fine in a food processor (make sure not to blitz them too much though as you’ll end up with butter!).
How To Bake Frangipane Tarts In An Aga
With all of my recipes, I include cooking instructions for conventional ovens, fan ovens & also Agas. Here’s how to cook this recipe in an Aga…
Blind bake the pastry case on a grid shelf placed on the floor of the roasting oven. Bake the assembled tart on a grid shelf placed on the floor of the baking oven.
Equipment Used
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More Desserts To Try!
- Mango & Coconut Ice Cream
- Pear Tarte Tatin
- Crêpes Suzette
- Brown Butter Hobnob Cheesecake
- Amaretto Tiramisu
- Small Batch Sticky Toffee Pudding
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Apricot & Almond Frangipane Tart
Equipment
- 9" Tart Tin
- Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry Brush
- Veg Peeler
- Palette Knife
Ingredients
Pastry
- 250 g Plain Flour
- 160 g Unsalted Butter (Chilled & Cut Into Small Pieces)
- 80 g Icing Sugar
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- 45 g Egg Yolk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
- 1 Egg Yolk Lightly Beaten – For Blind Baking
Almond Frangipane
- 150 g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
- 150 g Caster Sugar
- 1 Lemon (Zested)
- 3 Large Eggs
- ½ tsp Almond Extract
- 170 g Ground Almonds
- 70 g Plain Flour
- ¼ tsp Table Salt
Assembling The Tart
- 120 g Apricot Jam
- 3 Ripe Apricots (See Notes)
- 15 g Flaked Almonds
Glaze
- 1 tbsp Apricot Jam
- ½ tsp Hot Water
Instructions
Pastry
- Start by sifting the flour, icing sugar & salt into a mixing bowl.
- Add the butter into the flour then rub in with your fingers until the mix resembles breadcrumbs with some large pieces of butter still visible.
- Stir together the egg yolk & vanilla then add to the flour.
- Mix until the pastry starts to come together then tip out onto a clean work surface & gently knead until you have a smooth dough (be careful not to overwork), flatten into a disc, wrap in clingfilm & chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Next, place the chilled pastry onto a lightly floured work surface & roll out to a thickness of 3mm-4mm.I like to give the pastry a quick, gentle knead before rolling it out, which gives it a consistent temperature throughout & make it more pliable.
- Pick the pastry up using a rolling pin, drape over the tart tin & carefully mould into the tin. Using some of the overhanging pastry, rolled into a ball to press the pastry into the sides of the tin works best.Don't worry about trimming the excess pastry off, we'll do this once the tart case has been blind baked.
- Prick the base with a fork then place the tin on a baking tray. Chill the pastry case in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours but overnight is best.
Blind Baking
- Preheat an oven to 190°c/170°c fan (374°f/338°f).
- Take a large piece of baking parchment, scrunch it up then place inside your pastry case. Fill the parchment with baking beans then bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the top of the pastry case is starting to turn golden brown & the edges have set.
- Remove the baking beans & parchment then return the pastry case to the oven & cook until it is a deep golden brown all over. This will take 5-10 minutes.
- Brush the base of the cooked case with the beaten egg yolk & cook for another 30 seconds (or until the yolk has set) – this will seal any holes in the pastry & prevents the filling from leaking.
- Remove the pastry case from the oven then leave to cool whilst you make the filling. Once cool, use a veg peeler to trim the sides of the pastry case level with the top of the tin. Discard any excess pastry.
Almond Frangipane
- Turn the oven temperature down to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f).
- Place the softened butter, caster sugar & lemon zest into the bowl of a stand mixer then beat with the paddle attachment until light & fluffy. This will take 3-4 minutes on a medium speed.Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly with a spatula.
- Next, with the mixer still running on medium, beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Add the almond extract, ground almonds, plain flour & salt into the mixing bowl then mix on a low speed until just combined.
Assembly
- Cut the apricots in half, remove the stone from each one then set to one side.
- Add the apricot jam into the tart case then spread out into an even layer. Spoon the frangipane on top then use a palette knife to gently spread out, to completely cover the jam.
- Next, arrange the apricot halves on top of the frangipane, facing cut side down then scatter the flaked almonds on top. Make sure to leave a decent gap between each piece of fruit, so that the frangipane can bake & rise properly.
- Bake the tart in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until a deep golden brown all over & the frangipane is set with the tiniest amount of wobble in the centre.
- Mix the jam & water together for the glaze then brush over the top of the tart. Leave to cool completely then carefully remove from the tin & cut into portions.The tart will take several hours to cool completely. Cut into it too soon & the frangipane will be gooey still.
