This classic French apricot tart recipe uses frangipane cream (almond paste), a staple of the Patisserie trade. It’s delightfully simple to make and looks heavenly. Apricots are just beginning to appear in the markets, so take the opportunity to impress dinner guests and create a Sunday lunch showstopper!
Apricots and almonds make an excellent combination. However, the apricot season can be short and can bruise and spoil quickly. So, please adapt the recipe and experiment using other stoned fruits such as peaches, nectarines, cherries, or plums. Later in the season, figs, apples, or pears are also great pairings for the almond filling. The apricot frangipane tart is encased in a light buttery pastry similar to our lemon meringue pie but with a hint of almond and orange zest.
Freshly Ground Almonds (Almond Meal) for the Frangipane
Use blanched or unblanched almonds for the frangipane. You can use almond flour, but it tends to be much finer. I prefer a slightly coarser almond ‘meal’ and recommend making your own. Whizz the almonds in the food processor until you achieve the right consistency – very fine breadcrumbs! You can also toast the almonds in advance to further pop the flavour. I don’t add almond essence to the frangipane (for me) – it tastes synthetic. However, by all means, add it if you think you need a more potent almond punch!
I added a little dried orange zest to the pastry and a pinch of cardamom to the Marsala and honey apricot marinade.
Assembling the Apricot Tart
There’s no need to blind-bake the tart case—I promise it will cook. Prick the tart base with a fork. Use soft, ripe fruit and marinate for 20 minutes in the masala and honey – or just melted honey with a squeeze of orange juice. Depending on their size and whether I add an inner circle of fruit, I’ve used anything from 6 to 10 apricots (the recipe settles on six large). I leave the design up to you. 😀
Place the fruit on top of the frangipane—they will sink as the tart cooks and give you the classic French tart effect. Straight from the patisserie! Brush the fruit with a little of the honey and masala mixture. By all means, sprinkle on a few flaked almonds to decorate. The apricot tart takes about 35-40 minutes to cook, so I suggest sprinkling them on 10 minutes before the end of cooking so they don’t brown. Or add them at the end once the tart is baked.
I initially spotted this recipe on the lovely Pardon Your French website. There are many recipes for frangipane and apricot tarts – I read most of them – but my inspiration indeed started there.
Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream, mascarpone or cream. For more baking ideas, click here.
Apricot Frangipane Tart
Equipment
- 1 23 cm loose-based fluted tart tin
Ingredients
Pastry
- 175 g all purpose flour
- 1 tsp fine-dried orange zest optional – you can use fresh orange zest *see notes
- 2 tbsp ground almonds/flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 50 g golden caster sugar
- 100 g cold butter cut into cubes
- 2 egg yolks whisked with a tbsp of iced water
Apricot Marinade
- 6 large apricots **see notes for alternative fruit options
- 1 generous tbsp melted honey
- ¼ tsp cardamom optional
- 2 tbsp Marsala or Vin Santo optional – use a little orange juice instead of alcohol
Frangipane
- 125 g room temperature butter cut into cubes
- 100 g golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 120 g ground almonds (almond meal)
- 50 g all-purpose flour
Instructions
Marinade
- Marinade the quartered apricots in the honey and Marsala mixture.
Pastry
- Put the flour, salt, butter, and icing sugar in a food processor and whizz until you have fine breadcrumbs. If you make the pastry by hand, first rub the flour and butter together and then add the sugar.
- Add the egg yolk mixture and process until the dough comes together. Don't overwork. Add a little more water if necessary.
- Rest for 20 minutes in the fridge and pre-heat the oven to 160 °C
Frangipane
- Make the frangipane while the pastry is resting.
- Whizz the almonds in a food processor until you have fine breadcrumbs. Be sure to use freshly opened almonds and taste one to be sure. Stale almonds will ruin the frangipane. The same applies to ready made ground almonds.
- Whisk the butter and sugar until light and creamy with a handheld mixer or in the food processor. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla essence, ground almonds and finally, the flour. You should have a light, creamy, spoonable mixture.
Assembling the Tart
- Grease the tin. Roll out the pastry and line the tart tin. Don't worry if it tears—patch it with spare pastry. Prick the tart base all over with a fork.
- Spoon in the frangipane and smooth over with a spatula to ensure it is even.
- Place the apricot quarters in the frangipane in one or two circles – skin side up. Lightly brush the apricot quarters with the marinade
- Bake on the middle shelf for 35-40 minutes. My oven errs on the hot side, so I like to bake it at 160 °C
- Check the tart at 25 minutes and increase the temperature if necessary. It should take no longer than 40 minutes.
- Serve warm or cold with cream, mascarpone or ice cream. Decorate with icing sugar or flaked almonds, or both!
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