This post contains affiliate links.
During the holidays Elara’s school had a dessert exchange set up for the teachers where the parents sent 3 dozen desserts for the teachers to take. I decided to use some mini tart shells I had leftover from a catering event and make frangipane tarts! Frangipane is a filling made from ground almonds, butter, and eggs. It develops a delicious nutty aroma and chewy yet soft texture (similar to financiers!) The batter takes 5 minutes to throw together and the prep is super minimal since I used pre-made tart shells.
When you’re filling your tart shells with the frangipane be sure to fill them just slightly to the edge. The frangipane filling will puff up a little while it bakes. I had some mini strawberries on had that I halved and pressed into the center of each frangipane tart, however, you can use any fruit you’d like. Apricots, mango, raspberries, blueberries, pears, and plums all work well! I made my tarts mini but if you don’t want to grab them off Amazon, you can use a large storebought frozen tart shell (8 or 9-inch). You just have to bake the tarts a bit longer.
For an eggless version of frangipane tarts, you can use aquafaba instead of eggs and add in baking powder for leavening and cornstarch and flour to help the filling set. I mention the amounts in the Notes section of the recipe. You can also make the tarts completely gluten-free if you swap out the regular tart with a gluten-free tart. You can swap out the almond meal for any other nut powder (pistachio, hazelnut, walnut, pecan, etc) as well! This tart is super flexible!
Frangipane tarts are easy to make plus you can make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. You can also freeze the frangipane filling for up to 6 months, just thaw by placing it in the fridge the night before using. Once baked the tarts stay well for 2 days at room temperature and 3-4 days in the fridge.
If you make these be sure to tag me on social media @milkandcardamom! Happy baking!
Print
Frangipane Tarts
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 15 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Fill mini tart shells with nutty cardamom frangipane for a simple dessert! Makes one 8 inch tart OR 15-17 mini tarts (1 1/2 inch to 2 inch shells)
Ingredients
- 15–17 mini tart shells (2 inch) OR one 8-inch tart shell
- 1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp (224 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/3 cup (224 g) almond flour or almond meal
- 2 eggs plus 1 egg white (read notes to make eggless)
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract
- strawberries, halved if small enough or diced, or any soft fruit (mango cubes, pears, etc)
- powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp strawberry jam (optional)
- edible flowers (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and place tart shells onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl whisk together 1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup plus 2 tbsp (224 g) granulated sugar and, 1/4 tsp salt and mix for 3 minutes on high. Add 2 1/3 cup (224 g) almond flour or almond meal and mix for 2 minutes. Add 2 eggs and 1 egg white, one at a time mixing in between each addition. Add 1/2 tsp ground cardamom and 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix for 1 minute.
- Spoon the frangipane mixture into a piping bag and pipe the batter into each tart shell until it’s just slightly below the edge. Press your strawberry halves into the tart and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tarts are golden brown on top. If you make one large tart it will taker between 45-50 minutes.
- Cool the tarts completely before brushing any exposed strawberry bits with 1 tbsp of strawberry jam (warm it up in the microwave to loosen it if needed). Dust with powdered sugar and decorate with edible flowers before serving! These will stay good for 2 days at room temperature and 3-4 days in the fridge in an air-tight container.
Notes
- To make this gluten-free- use a gluten-free tart base.
- To make it eggless use whisk together 1/4 cup (31 g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 2 tsp cornstarch and add it to the batter when you add the almond meal. Add 1/3 cup (90 g) aquafaba in three additions when the directions say to add eggs.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
