Name: Frangipane recipe (a.k.a. almond cream)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: About 2 cups
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 7/8 cup (scant 1 cup) (125g) whole almonds (see notes below); 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (125g) white sugar; 1 egg, at room t°; 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, room t°; 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract (optional) (see notes below)

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You won’t believe how easy it is to make homemade frangipane and how amazing it is when used in fruit tarts and pastries.
It only has 4 ingredients and comes together in less than 15 minutes!

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This is a very French recipe for frangipane, also known as almond cream or almond cream filling.

Traditionally it is used in fruit tarts, the classic being pear tart, but also stone fruit – such as peach, apricot, plums, nectarines, cherries – and sometimes berries such as raspberries or strawberries. In my opinion, it can be used with almost any fruit since almonds pair well with most of them.

It puffs as it bakes and adds a creamy and wonderful layer of texture and flavor.

Bakewell tart is a very well known recipe that calls for frangipane.

And of course, it’s an exceptional filling for pastries (such as our beloved Strawberry Almond Danish Braid), rolls (Graham Cracker Skillet Rolls) and other yeasted bread such as babkas.

Ingredients for making homemade frangipane.

The list of ingredients is short and pantry staples most of them (image below).

Almonds: I use regular ones, but you can buy fancy like Marcona or any other you prefer. They will be ground, so pay no attention if they are broken.
Butter: unsalted is what we use for this recipe. A quality butter makes a difference.
Sugar: regular, white sugar works fine. It will be processed, so even the not-so-fine one works well.
Eggs: I use fresh, grade A, large ones.
Flavorings: I add some pure almond extract, but it is not part of the original recipe. The same with vanilla extract, a few drops might work for you. I don’t use it. You can also add some liquor like Amaretto.

Origin of frangipane

It goes back to 17th century France and is named after an Italian nobleman named Frangipani.
He was living in France and had invented a scent made from almonds that bakers of that time used to flavor when they invented this almond cream.

Frangipane vs. Marzipan

Though both are made with almonds and sugar, they are quite different.

Frangipane, or almond cream, is a creamy mixture, as you can see in the pictures. It is coarser or smoother depending on how it is processed, and it has butter and egg among its ingredients.
Marzipan, also called almond paste, is made with almonds and sugar and has added honey or egg whites or some syrup, like fructose, to help it come together and form a semi-solid paste. It is more a confection and is mostly used to mold fruits or animals or other figures, especially during the holiday season.

I used to make almond paste on my own years ago because the one I could buy was too artificial for my taste.

From there I went on to make almond cream (frangipane) from almond paste (marzipan) by adding butter, egg and more almonds. It is explained in the post for the most amazing Lemon Almond Bundt Cake.

Steps for making frangipane, or almond cream:

The processor is the perfect small appliance to make this almond cream.

Put almonds and sugar in the bowl of the processor (image above, left).
Process until almonds are broken and very coarse (image above, right). You can process them longer at this point. But take into account that they will be processed again with the rest of the ingredients.
Add room t° butter pieces and egg (image below, left).
Process until you have a paste and make sure you clean the sides with a spatula so that everything is well mixed (image below, right).

The final mixture is thick, creamy, buttery and has bits of almonds. It is spreadable but mounds well on a spoon.

Tips & tricks for making this recipe.

Processor: it is essential for making the cream. This recipe is not large so a regular-sized one works well.
Almonds: use any type you like. They will be processed so you can use broken ones.
Almond meal or flour: you can start directly with almond flour, the same volume, that is 7/8 of a cup (or scant 1 cup)
Mixture: I like it to be on the rustic or coarse side because I like the almond crunch. But you can process it more, especially the first part with the sugar, to achieve a smoother frangipane.
Flavorings: I add some pure almond extract, but it is not part of the original recipe. The same with vanilla extract, a few drops might work for you. I don’t use it. You can also add some liquor like Amaretto.
Keeping: it keeps well for a week at least in the refrigerator in a container with a tight-fitting lid. It can be frozen for a few weeks. Defrost in the refrigerator.
Variations: I use walnuts sometimes and make walnut cream. Most nuts work well in substitution of the almonds.

Uses in baking

So, now that we have our homemade almond cream, what do we use it for?

As mentioned above, fruit tarts and pastry filling are one of the most common ways to use this recipe. Here are some links:

Apricot Frangipane Tart

Strawberry Almond Danish Braid

Raspberry Graham Cracker Skillet Rolls

Lemon Almond Bundt Cake

Pear Almond Tart

I sometimes make walnut cream, substituting walnuts for almonds, and it works very well.

Fresh Fig Walnut Pie

Chocolate Walnut Pound Cake

Let me know if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it.

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