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Frangipane is an easy and classic almond filling recipe! It is the filling for almond croissants, tarts and many other traditional French pastries!
We were about 2 days into the tart unit at culinary school when we made almond cream for the first time. Up until this point I had no idea how the almond filling for my favorite French pastries was made. It just seemed like magic.
I quickly realized how versatile this baked custard was. It is so versatile, in fact, that you can swap out the almond flour for hazelnut flour (or ground hazelnuts) to make hazelnut cream filling instead!
That first batch of almond cream was destined to be the filling for a tarte bourdaloue and after one bite all the memories from years of traveling and living in France flooded back to me like an almond flavored stream of happiness.
In that moment, I knew I had made the right choice. All of my doubt about the risks of changing careers and moving to a new city in my 30’s evaporated.
Magical.
The flavor still has that effect on me. True story.
Feeling inspired yet?
I would also say that it is the easiest of all the recipes in classic French patisserie. It is a simple creaming method like a cookie dough and there are only 5 necessary ingredients.
The rum is technically optional but, unless you have a real reason to omit it, don’t because it adds that je ne sais quoi.
The only real thing that you need to know about almond cream is that you have to bake it.
Everything else is just fluff.
You can use it immediately or refrigerate it for up to 7 days, which makes it easy to pull together a fantastic dessert in a flash!
Frangipane
Ingredients
- 125 g Butter room temperature
- 125 g Sugar
- 125 g Almond flour
- 75 g Eggs
- 15 g Cornstarch
- 15 g Rum optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Slowly add the eggs in several additions, beating well after each.
- Add the almond flour and the cornstarch, mixing well.
- Add the rum and mix to combine.
- Must be baked!
This sounds heavenly, and I’d love to make it for Christmas. BUT…right now fresh cherries are not in season.
Do you think that dried Montmorency cherries would work out? Or canned Montmorency cherries, very well drained, would be OK? Thanks!
Hi Andrea! I’m guessing you’re talking about my cherry cookies, which would be a knockout win at Christmas! Yes, you can use Montmorency! Happy baking!
Hi
I hope you can help.
I’m looking for a almond cream recipe to use inside large New York cookies. I was hoping to freeze the almond cream into balls,then place inside the cookies which take only take 14/15 mins to bake. Would this be enough time to bake the almond cream?
Hi May. That is a GREAT idea! That will absolutely work with this recipe. My suggestions are the following: pipe the almond cream (frangipane) into disks and freeze them that way. They will not spread the way cookies do. This will help keep the shape of your cookie and also help the frangipane bake faster. To allow the cream to bake in that allotted time, make sure it isn’t thicker than 1/4 inch. Don’t forget that stuffed cookies take longer to bake than the same sized dough unstuffed. Allow them to cool completely or the almond cream will appear underbaked even when it isn’t. Happy baking! I’m off to try your idea! 😉 ~Lindsey
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Hi, Can it be baked only on a tray lined with baking paper as it is done with meringue to obtain a plate or should it be baked with puff pastry? And for how long should it be baked and at what temperature?
Hi Chiara! You absolutely may bake it without any pastry. May I ask what your end goal is with doing that? Are you going to fold in into something or use it as a filling? I would bake it at 350 degrees F. This will create browned sides and bottoms. If your goal is to use it as a soft filling, then I would bake it in a water bath. Happy baking! Lindsey
I made almond paste with almond cream but which pastry do you bake into. Do you top danish with it? Do you roll a long rectangle dough and put it inside?
Hi Donna! Just to be sure, do you mean you made almond cream with almond paste? I love it! Might I suggest you start with this delicious Cherry Almond Tart to get a feel for it? Happy baking!
Outstanding Almond Cream recipe. So much better than using almond paste. I was thinking of using puff pastry sheet to create an almond cream danish. Quick question: will it work to put together the danish today, then cover it & put in fridge to bake in the morning or should I just do it up today & enjoy it tomorrow?
Hi Steve! Thank you! You can absolutely make it ahead of time, keep it in the fridge (or freezer) and then bake when you want it fresh.