Frangipane (almond cream) with video!

What is frangipane?

It's an almond-flavored spread-like cream or custard made with almonds, sugar, butter, and eggs. It sometimes includes some flour and other flavorings.

It goes back to 16th 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 for flavoring when they invented this almond cream.

Ingredients

The list of ingredients is short and mostly pantry staples.

• Almonds: I use whole nonpareil, which are easy to get and great if I want to remove the skins, but you can buy fancy like Marcona or any other you prefer. This recipe calls for ground almonds, so it doesn't matter if they are broken.
• Unsalted butter: 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: use fresh, grade A, large eggs whenever possible.
• Flavorings (optional): I add a few drops of vanilla and pure almond extract, but it is not part of the original recipe. I like them because they intensify the overall flavor, but they might not work for you. You can also add some almond liquor like Amaretto.

How to use frangipane

Traditionally it's used in fruit tarts (sometimes called frangipane tarts), the most classic being the French pear tart, but also with stone fruit - peach, apricot, plums, nectarines, cherries - and other fruit. I think it can be used with 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.

It's an exceptional filling for pastries (such as our beloved Strawberry Almond Danish Braid), rolls (Graham Cracker Skillet Rolls), the popular almond croissants, pithiviers (a puff pastry tart), galette des Roi (Easter puff pastry cake), and other yeasted bread such as babkas. Bakewell tart is another very famous recipe that calls for this almond cream.

About the almonds

Frangipane uses almonds, any type you like is fine.

• Ground almonds: if using a food processor, you can start with whole nuts and process them together with the rest of the ingredients. This is the way to go if you want a coarser frangipane mixture.
• Almond flour or almond meal: if making it by hand, you'll have to use already ground almonds. They can be labeled as flour (very finely ground) or meal that can be a little coarser, but basically the same thing. Use it if you want a smoother almond cream. Image below

How to make frangipane

• Food processor: it's the perfect small appliance to make this almond cream. I'm not talking about immersion blenders that can be used as such for certain recipes. You can buy a good food processor online or in the appliance section of department stores and some supermarkets.
• By hand: I recently added this way of making it because not everyone has (or wants to have) a food processor.

Put almonds and sugar in the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse until coarsely grounded. You don't need to finely grind the almonds at this point, though you can.

Add the wet ingredients, butter, and egg, and process again until thoroughly combined and creamy. Scrape the sides a few times.

The final mixture is thick, creamy but rustic, with bits of almond. It's spreadable but mounds well on a spoon.

Making frangipane by hand: in a large bowl stir almond flour with sugar. Add soft butter and egg and whisk enthusiastically until well combined and creamy. Add extracts and mix. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Vintage Kitchen tip: frangipane can be smoother or coarser, that depends on how ground the almonds are. Your food processor might not finely grind the almonds, so, if you want the result will be creamier with no larger pieces of nuts, use almond flour.

Kitchen notes

• Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperatures, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
• Food processor: it is essential for making the cream. This recipe doesn't yield much, so a regular-sized one works well. If you want to make the recipe double or triple, ensure your processor is large enough.
• Almonds: use any type you like. They will be processed so you can use broken ones. Use them with skin or blanched (click for the video tutorial on how to skin almonds)
• Almond meal or flour: you can start directly with almond flour, the same volume, ⅞ of a cup (or scant 1 cup).
• Mixture: I like it to be rustic or coarse because I like the almond crunch. But you can process it more, especially the first part with the sugar, to achieve a smoother frangipane. Some recipes call for a teaspoon or two of corn syrup, or sometimes an extra egg yolk, to make it smoother and richer.
• 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 to give it a boost.
• Storing: it keeps well for a week at least in the refrigerator in an airtight container or very well covered with plastic wrap. It can be frozen for a month. Defrost in the refrigerator.
• Variations: I use walnuts sometimes and make walnut cream. Most nuts work well as a substitution for almonds.