Vegan Almond Frangipane

Plus, a fresh cherry frangipane tart

Frangipane is a delightful almond cream traditionally made with equal parts butter, sugar, egg, and almond flour. It is a classic filling most famously used to make twice-baked almond croissants, as well as a variety of French tarts, cakes, and breads. I’ve developed a vegan version that takes advantage of the nutty flavor of flaxseed meal to replace the egg while enhancing the nuttiness of the almonds. I also love the brown flecks it adds, which remind me of almond creams I tried in Paris while at cooking school, which were made with un-skinned almonds and boasted a robust, toasty flavor. While not traditional, I added a bit of almond extract and a splash of amaretto, as they amp up the flavor of the almonds and give the cream the distinctive flavor most people associate with almond desserts. Use this frangipane to make a delicious French toast-style treat called bostock, homemade almond croissants, or my fresh cherry frangipane tart, the recipe for which is available for my paid subscribers below!

Vegan Almond Frangipane

Makes about 2 cups, enough for one 9-inch tart

15 mins active time, 15 mins total time

Ingredients

113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted, margarine-style vegan butter, room temperature (e.g. Violife - see note below)

100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar

14 g (2 tbsp) flaxseed meal

80 g (1/3 cup) water, cold

110 g (1 cup) almond flour

30 g (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour

2.25 g (3/4 tsp) kosher salt (Diamond Crystal or see note below)

5 g (1 tsp) vanilla paste

2.5 g (1/2 tsp) almond extract

15 g (1 tbsp) amaretto (almond liqueur)

Instructions

1. Beat the butter with a firm spatula until creamy

2. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is homogenous; do not whip, otherwise the almond cream will be too fluffy and could overflow when baking

3. Combine the flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl and chill for 5 mins, until thickened; this is called a flax egg

4. Meanwhile, combine the almond and all-purpose flours in a small bowl and break apart any lumps with your fingers

5. Add the flour mixture and flax egg in 2 parts each, beginning with the flour and alternating with the flax egg, mixing thoroughly after each addition to prevent lumps

6. Add the salt, vanilla paste, almond extract, and amaretto

7. Frangipane keeps for about 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge

Things I Used

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Ingredients

Violife unsalted vegan butter

King Arthur all-purpose flour

Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste

Nielsen-Massey pure almond extract

Disaronno amaretto liqueur

Fresh cherry frangipane tart in layers: (1) sweet pastry shell with homemade cherry jam and fresh cherries, (2) vegan almond frangipane, (3) flaked almonds, (4) finished tart

Frangipane tarts are a classic rustic pastry in the world of French baking. They can be served year-round, taking advantage of whatever fruit the season has to offer: pears in fall, apricots in summer, or even with no fruit at all in the mid-winter specialty galette des rois. But I particularly love the pairing of cherry and almond, and this recipe combines a traditional French fresh cherry frangipane tart with the British classic Bakewell tart, which uses jam instead of fresh fruit. Here, I use both, cooking down cherries into a quick jam, and also chopping them up fresh. Then the whole thing gets covered in rich, nutty vegan frangipane, showered in flaked almonds, and baked to golden perfection. I bet you can’t eat just one slice!