Almond Frangipane Tart with Blackberries

This classic almond frangipane tart comes studded with zesty blackberries to add a pop of fruity flavour & visual interest. True to tradition, this sweet pastry tart filled with baked almond cream is a simple, understated yet stunning dessert to serve.

Have you seen my blackberry cheesecake? It’s wonderfully colourful.

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THIS POST HAS BEEN SPONSORED BY KERRYGOLD. ALL THOUGHTS & OPINIONS ARE MY OWN

As far as crowd-pleasing desserts go, a blackberry and almond frangipane tart is hard to beat. Even the kids don’t seem to mind the presence of nuts here.

This almond frangipane tart comprises a crisp and buttery sweet pastry that is baked blind and then filled with an almond cream and fresh blackberries before being baked further. My version is rather reminiscent of a Bakewell tart, since I’ve included jam in the base too.

Although frangipane sounds quite grand and fancy it’s a very simple tart to pull together. In fact, I first made this recipe with my youngest daughter in preparation for a family BBQ.

Rather disappointingly, there were no leftovers for us the next day. The combination of crisp pastry, the intoxicatingly light almond centre and the fruity buzz of in-season fruit was enough to win all diners’ hearts.

For a festive twist on this dessert try my mincemeat frangipane tart. It’s rather like a large mince pie.

Ingredients notes

The list of ingredients for this impressive blackberry and almond frangipane tart is impressively short:

• Kerrygold Butter
• Flour
• Eggs
• Sugar
• Almonds (ground and blanched)
• Vanilla extract (optional)
• Blackberries

Since butter is a key component of both the pastry case and filling, I insist on using a quality brand that can be relied upon to deliver outstanding results.

Kerrygold butter is a fantastic option for this frangipane tart. It has a rich, superior taste that works wonders in pastry baking generally, but especially in this blackberry and almond frangipane tart due to the richness required in the filling too.

Kerrygold butter has a distinctive golden yellow appearance that enhances homebakes because of its excellent creamy taste. The #Kerrygold cows are reared in the beautiful Irish countryside and fed for the majority of the year on lush green grass. It is the milk from these #grassfed cows that gives Kerrygold butter its distinctive taste superiority.

Of course, this top-notch butter is not just for baking. Kerrygold is a great addition to the fridge generally, for simple pleasures such as a speedy round of toast with the family after a long hike.

Step by step instructions

1. How to make sweet pastry

The first stage in making this blackberry and almond frangipane tart is to make the sweet pastry.

Before starting to make it, be aware that this sweet shortcrust pastry has a high butter content, so it is very important to keep it well chilled to ensure it is easy to roll out:

• Use butter straight from the fridge
• Try not to over-handle the pastry once make, since this will raise its temperature and make it too soft to roll out
• Ensure you follow the instructions to chill the pastry before rolling it out and again before the blind bake
• On very hot days, you will need to work quickly in order to use this dough easily. If it gets too soft to roll out successfully, just put back in the fridge (or even the freezer) to firm up enough to handle again

This shortcrust pastry is made using the rubbing in method:

1. Put the flour into a medium sized bowl and sieve in the icing sugar
2. Add the salt
3. Cube the butter, then add to the bowl. Toss all ingredients together briefly using your hands

4. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the other ingredients until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs

5. Tip the egg yolk into the bowl along with 1 tablespoon of ice-cold water
6. Use a blunt knife to chop and mix the dough until it comes together. Add a little more water only if absolutely necessary

7. The dough should easily come together to form a soft ball. Adding too much water will make the dough sticky and difficult to handle
8. Turn onto a lightly floured worktop and knead gently and briefly until it is smooth. Flatten the dough slightly, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 45 minutes before using

2. Blind bake the pastry

Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to skip blind baking the pastry for this tart case. Yes, it’s an additional step, but it is an essential step.

Blind baking ensures that the pastry is cooked through completely and it’s the only way to ensure that the dreaded soggy-bottom is avoided. This process helps the pastry attain a deep golden colour, boosts its buttery flavour and ensures a crisp texture. 

There are numerous techniques around to blind bake pastry. For this particular sweet pastry, I advocate the following method:

1. On a floured work surface, roll the pastry out to around 2mm thickness and use to line your tart tin. Ensure it reaches the corners of the tin well.
2. Use a sharp knife to trim (or knock off) any pastry that overhangs the tin and use the off-cuts to patch up any tears in the pastry as required.
3. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM 4.
5. When the pastry has chilled, remove the cover and prick the base all over with a fork.
6. Next, cut a sheet of baking parchment large enough to cover the base and sides of the tin. Scrunch it up, then unroll it – this makes it easier to lay inside of the tin.
7. Fit the parchment in the tin and fill with baking beans, spreading them out to ensure they cover the entire base, especially the corners, where the pastry is prone to rising.
8. Transfer the tin to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and parchment (careful – they will be hot) and bake for a further 5 minutes.

Your sweet pastry is now blind-baked and ready to fill.

3. Make the frangipane filling

The filling for this almond frangipane tart is quick and easy to prepare. Start making it when the pastry is half way through the blind baking cooking time:

1. Cream the butter (softened) and sugar in a bowl using electric beaters

2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition
3. Mix in the ground almonds

When the pastry case has cooked, it can be filled as follows:

4. Spoon jam onto the base and use a blunt knife to spread it out

5. Carefully spoon the frangipane batter over the top and again, spread it out carefully using a blunt knife. Aim to take the batter to the very edge of the tart, covering the jam entirely, so it is less likely to bubble through the frangipane as it bakes
6. Top the frangipane with fresh blackberries and halved almonds. There is no need to press them down, the batter will rise up as it bakes

7. Return the tart to the oven and cook for 18-23 minutes. This tart is easy to burn if left too long in the oven, so do keep a close eye on it as it cooks. Better still, set a timer.

Let cool in the tin, then transfer to a serving plate and dust with icing sugar if desired.

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