This Apricot Frangipane Tart is the most delicious Summer dessert. It combines a crunchy Sweet Shortcrust Pastry (Pâte Sucrée), soft Almond Cream Filling and fresh Apricot slices.

Why we love this recipe

This Apricot Frangipane Tart is a delicious summery take on the classic French Pear Frangipane Tart (Tarte Bourdaloue). This recipe uses similar components with the buttery Pâte Sucrée tart shell and fluffy almond cream filling, but the apricot slices bring an amazing fresh taste to the dessert.

Topped with some crunchy slivered almond, this apricot tart offers a great combination of flavours and textures: the shortcrust pastry is buttery and crunchy, the almond filling is soft and fluffy and the baked apricots are deliciously fresh with a touch of tang.

The perfect dessert for Summer and stone fruit season!

More frangipane tart recipes to try: Apple Frangipane Tart / Peach Frangipane Tart.

What is a Frangipane Tart

A Frangipane Tart is a classic French dessert combining a pastry crust, a baked almond cream filling (sometimes called frangipane filling, although a frangipane cream and almond cream are different in French Pastry) and fresh fruits

Ingredients

Scroll down to recipe card below for all quantities

For the Pâte Sucrée pastry:

• Wet Ingredients: very soft unsalted Butter, Icing Sugar and large Egg, at room temperature.

• Dry Ingredients: a mix of Almond Meal (or almond flour), Plain / All-Purpose Flour and a pinch of Fine Salt. You can replace the almond meal with the same quantity of plain flour if preferred.

For the Almond Cream Filling:

• Butter: unsalted butter, very soft / at room temperature

• Egg: large size eggs, at room temperature.

• Almond Meal: you can use both blanched or un-blanched almond meal made from corse ground almonds. You can substitute the almond meal for almond flour but you will get a slightly different texture once baked.

Optionally, you can also add a little bit of Vanilla or Almond Extract to the filling for a stronger flavour.

To finish the tart:

• Fresh Apricots: aim for apricots that are ripe (for sweetness) but not too soft or they won't keep their shape in the oven.

• Almonds: to add a touch of extra crunch to the apricot tart. I used slivered almonds but flaked almonds will work too.

• Apricot jam: optional as well, used to glaze the fruits once the tart is baked. It will give the apricot tart a nice shine and help keep the fruit fresher for longer.

How to make Apricot Tart step-by-step

1. Prepare the Pâte Sucrée dough

• Photo 1: Place the soft butter and sifted icing sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Mix together on medium speed for a couple of minutes or until completely smooth.

• Photo 2: Add the egg and almond meal. Mix until well combined, stopping to scrape the side of the bowl when required. You should get a thick, slightly lumpy mixture.

• Photo 3: Add sifted flour and salt.

• Photo 4: Mix on low speed, stopping as soon as a rough dough comes together. You wan to avoid mixing the pastry for too long or it will develop too much gluten, making it hard to work with later on.

Optionally, do a "fraisage" (or "frasage") to finish combining the pastry: with the palm of your hand,  gently press the dough against your kitchen table and move it forward. Pick it back up and place back over the centre of the pastry. Keep on going until the dough is very smooth.

2. Roll the pastry and line the tart pan

• Assemble the pastry into a large ball and place it between two large sheets of baking paper / parchment paper. Slightly press on the pastry ball to flatten it.

• Photo 5: roll the pastry to a thickness of about 4 mm (1/6 inch), preferably using a rolling pin with thickness rings to get an even thickness. Place the flat rolled pastry on a large baking sheet and chill for at least 1 hour (or up to 24 hours).

• Photo 6: Remove the baking paper and transfer the pastry over a 24 cm (9,5-inch) tart tin, preferably with a removable bottom. Gently press the pastry down into the corner of the tart tin to create a 90 degree angle. If it cracks, you can patch it up with your fingertips.

If the pastry is too hard to be handled, leave it to come back to room temperature for a few minutes. If it gets too soft, place back in the fridge for a few minutes.

• Photo 7: Cut off any excess with a small pairing knife. Place the lined tart pan in the fridge to chill and rest for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight (or for up to 24 hours).

• Photo 8: Preheat your oven on 160 degree Celsius / 325 degree Fahrenheit. Dock the pastry (prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork) and place the pastry in the freezer while the oven is preheating.

• Par-bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the bottom feels dry to the touch. Place on a wire rack and leave to cool down completely.

You will notice that I do not use baking beans or other weights to par-bake the pastry. As long as the pastry has been properly chilled and rested, it will not move in the oven.

You actually want to avoid covering the bottom to allow for the bottom of the pastry to dry out as much as possible.

3. Make the Almond Cream Filling

• Photo 9: Place the very soft butter and sugar in a medium size bowl (if using a hand mixer) or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until very soft, creamy and increased in volume.

• Photo 10: Add the eggs (preferably pre-whisked in a separate bowl first). Slowly mix then into the butter mixture until you get a smooth paste.

If the mixture seems to curdle at this point, it usually means that your butter wasn't soft enough. Don't worry, it will come back together once you add the almond meal.

• Photo 11: Add the almond meal (and optionally some vanilla paste) and slowly mix in to get a thick, coarse paste.

• Photo 12: Spread the almond cream at the bottom of the cool par-baked pastry. I like to use a pastry bag fitted with a large round piping tip to insure I get an even layer of cream - but that is optional.

• Use a small offset spatula (or back of a spoon) to spread it into a smooth layer.

4. Assemble and bake the apricot tart

• Cut the apricots in half, remove the stone then cut each apricot half into 3 slices.

• Photo 13: Place the sliced apricots over the almond cream, slightly pushing them into the cream, creating two rings of apricots.

• Photo 14: Generously sprinkle with slivered almonds.

• Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the almond filling is puffed and golden. Place on a wire rack to cool down.

• Optionally, place some apricot jam in a small bowl and slightly heat up in the microwave (you can add a dash of water to thin it out if too thick). Brush the warm apricot jam over the cooked apricots and the almond filling.

• Serve this apricot frangipane tart lukewarm or cold, on its own or topped with some Crème Anglaise or vanilla ice cream.

Recipe FAQs

Tips & Tricks

• Choosing the right fruits: use fresh, ripe apricots that feel slightly soft. Apricots that are too young tend to have a strong acidic taste. When too ripe, you will find that the apricots don't hold their shapes well as they baked and will turn soggy.

• Baking the perfect crust: resting and chilling the pastry for a long time each time you handle it is key to get a crust that does not move in the oven. For the best results, refrigerate the un-baked pastry lined inside the tart pan overnight before baking it.

• How do you know when frangipane is cooked: the cream should have risen and have a nice golden colour. It's important to bake it at a lower temperature to avoid melting the butter too quickly, which would result in a soggy, greasy filling.

Storing & Freezing

Making ahead:

Both the pastry and filling can be prepared in advance (up to 24 hours) and assembled just before baking. The un-baked pastry can be kept in the fridge for 24 hours, either rolled between the baking paper sheets or inside the tart pan. It can be kept at room temperature for 24 hours once par-baked.

The almond cream can be stored in the fridge for 24 hours, covered with plastic wrap touching its surface. Let it come back to room temperature before filling the tart and baking it.

Storing: once baked, the apricot almond tart should be kept in the fridge. It will last for up to 3 days. It can be served cold and slightly re-heated before serving.

Freezing: I don't recommend freezing the finished tart as it will impact the final texture. The unbaked pastry can be frozen, either rolled out flat or inside the tart pan.

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