Raspberry and Almond Frangipane Tart

After a hot summer's day a light, not too sweet dessert is the perfect way to finish off the family dinner. Today I'm sharing my Raspberry and Almond Frangipane Tart recipe, and I've included some tips for making the perfect pastry case every time. Plus there's a few options for adapting this recipe when your time poor or not motivated to fiddle around in the kitchen making your own pastry :)


Frangipane is a filling made from or flavoured with almonds. Add some delicious sweet shortcrust pastry, a sprinkling of bitter fruit and you have a beautiful light dessert that the whole family will love.
Raspberries are summers bounty and they work so well with the velvety frangipane filling and that soft, buttery pastry. I also make this dessert in the winter with blueberries and honey and its soul warming and delicious :)


Fresh raspberries are in abundance at the moment but I always use frozen ones for this recipe. Its just a personal preference I suppose but they hold their shape better and they are easier to position in the filling prior to cooking. I add a light scattering to the tart and then serve a few fresh ones on the side with some whipped cream and a generous sprinkling of icing sugar :)

I avoided making my own pastry for years but once I started I never looked back. Its not as hard as you think and the results are well worth the extra effort. Here's a few of my tips to achieve the perfect pastry every time:

  • Clean- your utensils, work surfaces etc. must be spotlessly clean. I use a food processor because its quick and it avoids over handling the pastry.
  • Cold- your butter must be cold, your hands must be cold and your work surface must be cold. I'm fortunate enough to have granite bench tops but investing in a marble chopping board is a great alternative for rolling pastry.
  • Less is more- work quickly, don't over work your pastry and only use a light dusting of flour when rolling. Roll pastry between sheets of baking paper and before rolling, shape your pastry the way you want it rolled- for a round tin, shape your pastry into a ball, for a rectangular tin, shape your pastry into a rectangle etc. and then roll to spread it to the desired size.
  • Rest- once your pastry is made, wrap it in cling wrap and rest it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Quickly roll the pastry and pop it into your tin, cover it loosely with cling wrap and rest again in the fridge for 30 minutes to prevent shrinkage. I usually leave my pastry "proud" and trim it level with the tin, just before blind baking (I'm not sure you're meant to do this but it works for me).
  • Heat- always preheat your oven before blind baking and to avoid a soggy bottom, place a cookie sheet in the oven while its heating and place your tart tin directly on top to bake.


If you don't have the time to make your own pastry you can purchase one of the lovely packaged sweet shortcrust pastries that are available in the fridge section of the supermarket, and then all you need to do is roll and blind bake it before adding the filling. To make it even easier you can also purchase ready made pastry cases in bakery departments and then all you need to make is the frangipane filling.


Almonds are definitely the hero of this dessert and you know how much I love my almonds ♥. The filling is made with almond meal and a dash of almond extract and then the tart is finished with a light sprinkling of slivered almonds prior to cooking. It's heaven on a plate and I have been known to get lost in the whole experience of savoring every spoonful :)
If you would like to give my Raspberry and Almond Frangipane Tart a try, you can download the recipe by simply clicking the link or right click on the photo below and save to your computer for later:




I hope you enjoy this light, summery dessert. It's elegant and delicious but be warned, one piece is simply not enough :)
Happy baking :)

2 comments

  1. Happy to see your blog! Love the quilt blocks and eager to try this recipe! Thanks, Gail

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Gail. I hope you enjoy the tart. Its very yummy :)

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