Why it’s so good!
I’m just in love with how pretty this apple frangipane tart is. It’s delicate and light but still a total treat to serve to your friends and family. The French shortcrust tart shell is buttery and crisp which is a beautiful contrast to the soft almond filling called frangipane. Because it’s simple to make, it’s a perfect dinner party dessert.
- Made with fresh, sweet, and tart apple slices
- Super easy almond frangipane filling
- Crispy tart shell (though you can use store-bought if you prefer)
- It’s elegant, light, and totally delicious.
Plus, your kitchen will be filled with a divine, cosy aroma that is totally irresistible as this apple almond tart bakes. That’s another reason why I love to serve it at dinner parties — your guests will be so impressed the minute they walk through your front door.
If you love this gorgeous French apple tart, I know you’ll love my apple crumble tart, warm apple crostata, and this cinnamon apple crumb cake too.
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What is frangipane?
You may have noticed I have a bit of a thing for frangipane. It’s a classic French almond pastry filling often used in tarts and other baked goods, just like this apple tart with frangipane. Traditionally made with almonds, this soft and moist baked filling can also be created using other nuts, like hazelnuts or pistachios.
Almond frangipane is classically paired with fresh fruits. Though, you can get creative with desserts like this honey baklava tart or these coconut tartlets. It’s also the base for the classic Bakewell tart, so you could call this apple tart with frangipane an apple Bakewell tart. Frangipane is so very versatile.
Ingredients
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
- Flour: Just regular plain flour/all-purpose flour is perfectly fine for this apple tart with almond filling.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter so you can control the salt levels.
- Sugars: There are 3 types of sugar in this apple frangipane tart. Icing sugar (powdered sugar) in the tart shell and both brown and white sugars in the filling.
- Eggs: I use large free-range eggs.
- Almond meal: Known in some places as almond flour, almond meal is just blanched ground almonds.
- Flavourings: I use pure vanilla extract along with the warming flavours of ground cinnamon and ground ginger. As a note, if you like a strong almond flavour, feel free to add ½-1 teaspoon of almond extract as well.
- Apples: I just love the tart and sweet flavour of Granny Smith Apples, but you can use others. You can even use a combination. Pink Lady, Gala, Braeburn, Honey Crisp, Fuji, or Jonathan will all work too.
How to make apple frangipane tart
This apple tart with frangipane is made up of 3 simple components — the tart shell (pate sucree, a French shortcrust pastry), the almond frangipane filling, and the fresh apple slices. A stand mixer is handy for the tart shell, however, both the pastry and the filling can be made using a handheld mixer and a large bowl.
The tart shell dough takes only 10 minutes to pull together with just 4 ingredients. The butter should be softened and the egg at room temperature. You can quickly bring an egg up to room temperature by placing it in a cup of hot (not boiling) water for 10 minutes. The butter you can soften very carefully using the microwave — it shouldn’t be melted or so soft that it’s greasy though.
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Make the easy tart shell
Beat the butter and powdered sugar together until well combined and creamy. Add the egg and beat until smooth — if you’re having trouble getting it to combine, add a heaped tablespoon of flour to help it along. Add the flour and mix until it clumps.
Pull the dough into a smooth ball, then roll it out to about 4mm/⅙ inch thick. Lay it into a loose-bottomed tart tin and press the sides down into the corners so the overhang is sticking up. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours (or up to 3 days).
2. Blind-bake the tart shell
Dock the base of the tart shell (prick it all over with a fork) and trim off the overhanging pastry. Line the base with baking or parchment paper and fill with rice, lentils, or ceramic pie weights. Bake for around 15 minutes, remove the rice and baking paper, and bake for 5 more minutes. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before adding the filling.
3. Make the frangipane filling
Make the filling while the tart shell bakes. Start by beating together the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
Spread the almond filling into the blind-baked shell. Peel the apples, then arrange over the almond mixture in any pattern you’d like. Bake for around 50 minutes, or until the top of your frangipane apple tart is golden brown.
As a finishing touch, you can add a glaze to the top to give it a bit of shine. Just warm a little apricot jam in the microwave for 10-12 seconds, then brush it lightly over the top of your apple almond tart.
Tips and tricks
- Don’t skip the chilling step. You need it to create a tart shell that holds its shape without shrinking too much and is perfectly crisp. As noted, you can make the shell up to 3 days ahead of time.
- Press the sides down into the corners of the tart pan when shaping the dough. Don’t press from the centre of the pan into the corners or it will become too thin.
- Make sure to cut the apple slices fairly thinly so that they become tender within the baking time.
- Serve your apple tart with frangipane warm or at room temperature. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for apple pie vibes or, my favourite, a drizzle of crème anglaise.
Storage
Leftover apple frangipane tart should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days covered with plastic wrap or transferred to an airtight container. Again, you can bring it to room temperature or it can be warmed slightly in the microwave to serve. I have eaten it chilled, but find that it’s a lot tastier heated up.
FAQs
Frangipane is a simple combination of almond meal (finely ground almonds), butter, egg, sugar, and often a little flour. It’s a popular ingredient in a variety of French desserts.
Made up mostly of almonds, frangipane has a strong almond flavour. Often almond extract is added to intensify the almond flavour further.
Not really. Rather, frangipane is the filling used in a Bakewell tart. A Bakewell tart is a combination of tart shell, jam, and frangipane.
While you could swap the apple slices for pear slices in this apple frangipane tart, I do have a dedicated recipe for pear frangipane tart.
Your frangipane can seem soggy if it’s undercooked. Make sure to allow your frangipane apple tart to bake for at least 50-55 minutes for the best results. Another thing to note here is that you need to ensure you bake your apple almond tart at the correct temperature. Set your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F.
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Ingredients
TART SHELL – PATE SUCREE (SHORTCRUST PASTRY)
- 100 g unsalted butter, softened (7 tablespoons / 3.5oz)
- 40 g icing sugar (powdered sugar) (⅓ cup / 1.4oz)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 225 g plain flour (all purpose flour)
FOR THE FRANGIPANE FILLING
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar (50g / 1.8oz)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (50g / 1.8oz)
- 113 g unsalted butter, softened (1 stick / ½ cup)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 95 g almond meal (almond flour/ground almonds) (3.3oz / 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon plain flour (all purp flour) (notes 1)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced 3mm thick
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- or large bowl with electric mixer
- 9 inch fluted tart pan with removable base
Instructions
- FOR THE TART SHELL:In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add the butter and icing sugar. Beat on medium until fully combined and smooth (1 – 2 minutes). Add the egg and beat on low until smooth. If you’re having trouble getting it to combine, just add a heaped tablespoon of flour to the mixer to help it along.
- Add the flour and beat just until large clumps are forming.
- Turn the dough out and pull it together into a smooth ball with your hands (making sure not to handle it too much) then press it out into a 1 inch thick disk.
- Place it onto a lightly floured work surface and dust the top with just a little flouer too. Gently and gradually roll the pastry out, turning it often, to about 4-5mm (⅙ inch) thick or about 11 inches in diameter.
- Place the rolling pin in the middle of the dough and fold one side of the pastry over the top. Lift the rolling pin so the pastry is hanging over it, and lightly dust off any excess flour from underneath. Carefully lay it into a 9 inch round tart pan with removeable base.
- Press the dough down in to the corners all the way round, then press it into the scalloped sides. Leave the overhang standing upright and place the tart pan into the fridge to chill for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. If your freezer has space you can place it in there.
- PAR BAKE THE TART SHELL:Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) / 350F.
- Use a fork to prick the pastry base all over. Use a small sharp knife to trim off the excess pastry.
- Line the tart shell with a sheet of baking paper and fill with pie weights or rice. Fill it quite full and making sure it’s pressed up tight against the edges.
- Bake for 15 minutes. You can proceed with making the filling while it bakes.
- After 15 minutes. Carefully remove the baking paper and rice (or weights) and bake a further 5 minutes then set the tart shell aside. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes before adding your filling.
- FOR THE FRANGIPANE FILLING:Beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add the vanilla extract and beat well.
- Gently fold through the almond meal, flour and spices until combined.
- Spread the frangipane filling evenly over the base of the tart shell and arrange apple slices on top – I place groups of 4 slices randomly over the top but you could do a spiral design too.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, turning the tin 3-4 times during cooking, until nicely golden brown on top and just cooked in centre. The centre should not feel soggy when you gently press it.
- Can be served warm or at room temperature with some ice cream or creme anglaise.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (4 teaspoons worldwide). Many countries use a 15ml tablespoon so check yours first.
- For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
- This is lovely served with Creme Anglaise
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4 Comments on “Apple Frangipane Tart”
Anything almond is lovely.
Thank you Marie.
So true! Thanks so much Pamela.
In America, we use 3 teas = 1 Tabl – interesting that there’s a difference. Thank you for providing that explanation.
No problem Mary. I like to make sure anyone can make my recipes with success 🙂