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apricot & almond frangipane tart
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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.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Servings: 10 Portions
Author: Ben Racey

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.

Notes

1. Baking 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. 
2. Fruit - Make sure to use ripe apricots so that they will be nice & soft once baked. If you're apricots are on the small side, use a couple more. This tart is best made with seasonal fruit so feel free to swap the apricots out with something else. 
3. Pastry - To avoid shrinkage, it's important to give the pastry plenty of time in the fridge once made & also once rolled out. Make sure to trim the overhanging pastry off after blind baking, for a neater finish.
4. Almond Extract - If you haven't got any almond extract, feel free to leave it out of the frangipane. The tart will still taste great!
5. Storage - This tart is best served on the same day as being baked but will keep for a day or two when stored in an airtight container. Storing it in the fridge will extend the shelf life by a couple of days but make sure to serve it at room temperature.