French Almond Tart

5 from 2 votes

This classic French Almond Tart combines a crispy Pâte Sucrée crust, soft almond cream frangipane filling and crunchy flaked almonds . It is an easy to make and perfect for anyone who loves almond desserts!

Prep Time1

Cook Time45

Resting Time5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings:

Calories: 486kcal

Author: Sylvie

Ingredients

Pâte Sucrée Crust

100 gr Unsalted Butter at room temperature
50 gr Powdered Sugar sifted
1 large Egg at room temperature
40 gr Almond Meal or almond flour
200 gr Plain / All-Purpose Flour
1 pinch Fine Table Salt

Almond Cream (Frangipane)

150 gr Unsalted Butter at room temperature
150 gr Powdered Sugar sifted
3 large Eggs at room temperature
150 gr Almond Meal or almond flour
50 gr Flaked Almonds

Instructions

Pâte Sucrée Crust

Place the soft butter and sifted powdered sugar in a large bowl. With a mixer, cream on medium speed for2 to 3 of minutes or until completely smooth.
Add the egg and almond meal and mix until well combined. Stop to scrape the side of the bowl when required. You should get a thick, slightly lumpy mixture.
Add sifted flour and salt, and slowly mix until a rough dough comes together (see note 1). If you press the crumbs between your fingers, they should easily stick and combine into a smooth dough.
Place the pastry between two sheets of baking paper / parchment paper and flatten it with your palm to get a thick disk.
Roll the pastry to a thickness of about 4 mm or 1/6 inch (see note 2). Place the flat pastry on a large baking sheet and chill for at least 1 hour (or up to 24 hours). It should be very cold and hard.
Remove the baking paper and transfer the dough over a 24 cm (9,5-inch) tart tin, preferably with a removable bottom. Gently press the pastry down into the corner of the tart tin to create a 90 degree angle. If it cracks, you can patch it up with your fingertips (see note 3).
Cut off any excess dough with a small pairing knife. Place the tart pan in the fridge to chill and rest for at least 3 hour, preferably overnight (or for up to 24 hours).
Preheat your oven on 160 degree Celsius / 325 degree Fahrenheit. Dock the pastry (prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork) then place in the freezer while the oven is preheating (about 15 minutes).
Par-bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until the bottom feels dry to the touch (see note 4). Place on a wire rack and leave to cool down completely.

Almond Cream (Frangipane)

Place the very soft butter and sugar in a large size bowl. With a mixer, cream on medium speed for about 3 to 5 minutes or until very soft, creamy and almost doubled in volume.
Add the eggs one at the time, slowly mixing it into the butter until fully incorporated (see note 5).
Add the almond meal and slowly mix in to get a thick, coarse paste (see note 6).

Assembling the tart

If needed, re-heat your oven on 160 degrees Celsius / 325 Fahrenheit.
Transfer the almond cream over the par-baked tart crust. You can use a piping bag or simply a spatula / back of a spoon. With a small offset spatula, spread the cream into an even layer.
Sprinkle the flaked almond all over the almond cream.
Bake the filled tart for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the almond sponge has puffed and set and the almonds on top look golden brown.
Rest on a wire rack to cool down completely before removing from the tart pan. Optionally, dust with icing sugar before serving.

Notes

Make sure not to over-mix the pastry to avoid creating too much gluten, which will make your dough pull and shrink when rolled. Traditionally, a technique called "fraisage" (or "frasage") is done after the addition of flour. The tart dough is placed on your working surface. With the palm of the hand, the dough is gently pressed and pushed out, picked back up and spread out again until very smooth.
For the best results, use a rolling pin with thickness rings or thickness strips to get an evenly rolled pastry.
If the pastry is too cold and hard to be handled, leave it for a few minutes at room temperature to soften. If it gets too soft, place back in the fridge for a few minutes.
I do not use any weight to par-bake the pastry. If it has been properly chilled and rested, it should not move in the oven. You actually want to avoid covering the bottom so it can dry out as much as possible before adding the filling.
The mixture often starts to split at this point. This can happen if your butter was too cold or your eggs were too cold or warm. Don't worry if this happens, the almond filling will come back together once you add the almond meal.
If the cream appears to be a bit greasy, it is usually an indication that the butter is too warm. You can chill the cream for up to 15 minutes before using in the tart crust to firm it up/ If chilling for longer, allow to soften at room temperature first to make it easier to spread.

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