Strawberry Galette

This strawberry chocolate frangipane galette layers strawberries over a chocolate frangipane in a semolina tart crust. The result is a fruit-forward galette where chocolate and almond bring it together for the perfect dessert!

This galette is built from three tried-and-true components—my semolina tart crust, almond cream, and a deeply chocolate frangipane. What sets it apart is that the chocolate never overshadows the almond, keeping the filling light and balanced rather than brownie-like.

This dessert is a perfect addition to any Valentine’s Day dessert, or just a casual Tuesday. You can also make this cherry galette, or go savory with this tomato and goat cheese galette! You can also try a full-format tart, like this cherry almond tart!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Durum Flour: Durum adds strength and a slight elasticity that helps the dough hold its shape around a juicy filling. It also contributes a subtle chew that contrasts with the crisp exterior.
• Semolina Flour: Semolina encourages a pleasantly sandy, crisp texture that resists sogginess from the fruit. Its coarser grind builds structure while keeping the bite delicate.
• Plain Frangipane (almond cream without rum): Frangipane forms a flavored barrier between the crust and the fruit, absorbs juices, and prevents a soggy bottom. Omitting the rum keeps the flavor focused on almond, chocolate, and strawberry without adding excess liquid. If you want to see the base filling on its own, my blueberry nectarine galette uses a similar plain almond cream and is a good reference point for how it should look and behave.
• Chocolate, 54%, Melted: Mid-range dark chocolate enriches the frangipane with cocoa butter and a rounded chocolate flavor that complements the almonds without bitterness. Melt it gently and let it cool to no warmer than body temperature before incorporating, so it doesn’t seize the butter in the frangipane.
• Dutch-Process Cocoa: Dutch-process cocoa deepens the chocolate flavor and color while keeping the frangipane smooth and mellow in acidity. Natural cocoa will not work here; its acidity makes the filling taste thin alongside the strawberries and disrupts the almond cream’s balance.
• Strawberries (339 g): Use strawberries in two cuts to control texture and presentation. Slice about half into ¼-inch rounds for the top, and dice the rest small to scatter under the frangipane, where they release juice into the filling as it bakes.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations on This Strawberry Galette

• Change the Crust. Substitute pâte sucrée, pate sablee, or even this all-butter pie crust! Pâte sucrée is perfect if your strawberries are on the tart side, though I prefer the semolina crust for its textural contrast.
• Smaller Individual Galettes. You could make minis. I would roll out a large tart dough and use a large cookie cutter and then fill. You could also put them in mini cupcake pans like these pecan tassies. Reduce the bake time and begin checking for the press-test doneness cue earlier than you would for the full 9-inch version.
• Valentine’s Day Presentation. This galette is well-suited to a romantic occasion: the sliced strawberry topping is inherently visual, and the chocolate frangipane adds a richness that reads celebratory. Browse the full roundup of the best Valentine’s Day desserts for pairing ideas.

Professional Tips

• Stop the food processor before the dough comes together. The dough is ready when it holds together when squeezed between your fingers, not when it forms a ball in the machine. Over-processing develops gluten and produces a tough, leathery crust that will not crisp properly.
• Temperature controls everything in the frangipane. Melt the chocolate to a fluid state, but no warmer than body temperature, and bring the frangipane to room temperature before combining. Adding chocolate that is too hot, or incorporating it into cold frangipane, causes separation and streaks that no amount of stirring will fully correct.
• Stir the cocoa and melted chocolate thoroughly by hand. Use a stiff silicone spatula and work until absolutely no streaks remain. Rushing this step leaves pockets of cocoa or chocolate that bake unevenly and compromise the finished filling’s texture.
• Chill the assembled galette before baking. Twenty to thirty minutes in the refrigerator is enough to firm the pleated border so it holds its shape during baking. Skip this and the sides will slump before the crust sets. Bake at 325°F convection or 350°F conventional for 40 to 45 minutes, and use the press test at the center rather than color to confirm the frangipane is set.

Make the Semolina Tart Crust

Step 1: Pulse the dry ingredients. Add both flours, salt, and sugar to a food processor bowl and pulse a few times to combine. The mixture should look uniform and sandy before the butter goes in (photo 1).

Step 2: Cut in the butter. Add the cold butter and pulse in short bursts just until most of the flour looks slightly darker and crumbly, and the largest butter pieces are no bigger than peas. Stop a little earlier than you think you need to — the butter will continue to break down as the water pulses in, and over-cut butter means a tougher, less flaky crust. (photo 2).

You can also do this by hand with a pastry blender or in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

Step 3: Add the ice water gradually. With the processor running in short pulses, pour the ice water through the feeder tube one to two tablespoons at a time. After about ¼ cup, stop and squeeze a small handful of dough together. If it holds cleanly, you are done. If it crumbles apart, add more water and check again. Most batches take about ½ cup total, but check as you go rather than pouring it all in at once. (photo 3).

Step 4: Bring the dough together by hand. The dough will still look crumbly in the processor bowl, and that is completely normal. Turn it out onto a clean counter and use the heel of your hand to press and gather it just until it holds together. If a section keeps breaking away, pat on a few drops of ice water directly to that spot. Do not knead.

Step 5: Disk, wrap, and chill. Form the dough into a flat disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. The gluten needs time to relax so the dough rolls out without snapping back. (photo 4).

The wrapped dough disk freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.

Step 6: Roll and chill the crust. Dust your surface generously with semolina — it provides grip and adds a subtle crunch to the finished crust — and roll the dough out to about ⅛ inch thick and 12 to 14 inches across. It should be thin enough that you can almost see your hand through it when held up to the light. Slide it onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and refrigerate while you make the frangipane. (photo 5).

Make Chocolate Frangipane

Step 7: Bring the frangipane to room temperature. This step is non-negotiable. Cold frangipane will resist the chocolate and cocoa, leaving streaks and lumps no matter how long you mix. Pull your half batch of frangipane from the refrigerator and let it sit until it yields easily when stirred — it should look soft, pale, and spreadable, not stiff or cold to the touch.

Step 8: Melt the chocolate. Melt the chocolate until just fluid, then set it aside to cool slightly. It needs to be no warmer than body temperature before it meets the frangipane.

Too hot and it will loosen the mixture into something runny; too cool and it will seize into dark flecks when it hits the cold almond base. Test it by touching a drop to the inside of your wrist — if it feels neutral, not warm, it is ready.

Step 9: Mix the chocolate frangipane by hand. Add the Dutch-process cocoa and the melted chocolate directly over the room-temperature frangipane. Using a stiff silicone spatula, fold and press until no streaks remain. Cocoa clumps stubbornly, so work methodically through the whole bowl rather than rushing. The finished mixture should be a deep, even chocolate color with a texture that is smooth and spreadable — not gluey, not runny. A stand mixer is unnecessary here; hand mixing gives you better control and less cleanup. (photo 6 & 7).

Dutch-process cocoa is the only cocoa that works here. Natural cocoa’s acidity can make the filling taste thin and slightly harsh against the strawberries, undercutting the almond layer beneath.

Assemble that Galette

Step 10: Set the oven to 350°F (conventional). Pull the chilled crust from the refrigerator and spread all of the chocolate frangipane evenly over the surface, leaving a 1½-inch border bare around the edge. Work from the center outward with an offset spatula — the frangipane at room temperature will spread easily without tearing the dough. (photo 8).

Step 11: Layer the strawberries. Scatter the diced strawberries over the frangipane first, distributing them evenly so every slice will hit fruit. Then arrange the sliced strawberries across the top in a loose, random pattern, lying flat rather than overlapping heavily. (photos 9-11).

The slices should cover the filling without burying it — you want to see chocolate frangipane between the fruit, not a solid layer of berries. This layering puts the best-looking pieces on top while the diced fruit underneath delivers the bulk of the flavor.

Step 12: Pleat the border and chill. Fold the bare dough border up and over the edge of the fruit, working around the galette and pleating as you go. The pleats do not need to be perfect — rustic folds are the point — but press each one firmly so it holds. Once the border is folded, slide the pan into the refrigerator and chill the assembled galette for 20 to 30 minutes. (photo 12).

Finish and Bake

Step 13: Brush the pleated border with cream, then sprinkle with turbinado or white sparkling sugar. I like to dust the filling and fruit with a little sanding sugar as well — it catches the light and adds a faint crunch I love. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, starting to check at 40. (photo 13).

Step 14: Check for doneness. The chocolate frangipane hides the color cues you would normally rely on, so press gently at the center of the filling with one finger. It should feel set and firm, not soft or yielding. The frangipane visible between the strawberries will look matte rather than wet; the strawberries will have given up most of their juice, and the filling around the fruit will be visibly bubbling. If any part of the center still feels soft, give it another 3 to 5 minutes and check again. The crust should be a deep, even golden brown all the way to the base.

Step 15: Cool on the pan. Slide the pan onto a wire rack and let the galette cool completely before moving it. The frangipane needs time to set through, and the crust will firm as it cools. Once it is fully cool, slide it off the parchment onto a serving board or plate. (photo 14).

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

If this strawberry chocolate frangipane galette has you craving more ways to showcase seasonal fruit, you will find plenty of inspiration in my Pie & Tart Recipes or make these chocolate tartlettes next!