You won't believe how easy it is to make homemade frangipane and how well it complements fruit tarts, pastries and desserts. It has only 4 ingredients and comes together in less than 15 minutes! You can flavor it, it keeps well in the refrigerator for several weeks and can be frozen.
This is a very French recipe for frangipane, also known as almond cream or almond cream filling.
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.
Origin
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 to flavor when they invented this almond cream.
Uses for 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. In my opinion, 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 well known recipe that calls for frangipane.
Ingredients
The list of ingredients is short and pantry staples most of them (image below).
- 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: 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: 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 it might not work for you. You can also add some almond liquor like Amaretto.
Easy steps
The food processor is the perfect small appliance to make this almond cream.
Almond mix
- Put almonds and sugar in the bowl of the processor (image 1).
- Process until almonds are broken and very coarse (image 2). You can process them longer at this point. But take into account that they will be processed again with the rest of the ingredients.
Binding ingredients
- Add room temperature butter pieces and the egg (image 3).
- Process until you have a paste and make sure you clean the sides with a spatula so that everything is well mixed (image 4).
The final mixture is thick, creamy, buttery, and has bits of almonds. It is spreadable but mounds well on a spoon.
My expert tips
- Food processor: it is essential for making the cream. This recipe doesn't yield a large amount, so a regular-sized one works well. If you want to make double or triple the recipe, make sure you're 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, that is ⅞ 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. 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.
Frequently asked questions
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.
With this recipe! Frangipane is the French word for almond cream. Find the recipe below 👇🏻 in the recipe card.
The texture is thick and creamy but spreadable. It can be rustic also if you choose to use whole almonds with skin and don't process it too much, or it can be smoother if you use blanched almonds (without the skin) and process the mixture longer. The latter will also give a lighter colored almond cream.
The original recipe uses 4 ingredients and they are almonds, butter, sugar, and eggs. From there you can add flavorings such as vanilla, almond extract, or even citrus zest like orange.
Recipes with frangipane filling:
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.
Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it, and also if you had issues, so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here, it's much appreciated.
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Frangipane (Almond Cream)
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: About 2 cups 1x
- Category: Basic recipes
- Method: Processing
- Cuisine: French
Description
You won't believe how easy it is to make homemade frangipane and how well it complements fruit tarts, pastries and desserts. It has only 4 ingredients and comes together in less than 15 minutes! You can flavor it, it keeps in the refrigerator for several weeks and can be frozen.
Ingredients
- ⅞ cup (scant 1 cup) (125g) whole almonds (see notes below)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (125g) white sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon each pure almond and vanilla extracts (optional, see notes below)
Instructions
- Put almonds and sugar in the bowl of a food processor.
- Process until almonds are in coarse pieces.
- Add butter in pieces and egg.
- Process until it all becomes a cream.
- Add almond extract if using and process to mix.
- Transfer to a glass, ceramic or plastic container with a lid or cover it with plastic wrap.
- Keep refrigerated for a few weeks or up to a month frozen.
Notes
Food processor: it is essential for making the cream. This recipe doesn't yield a large amount, so a regular-sized one works well. If you want to make double or triple the recipe, make sure you're 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, that is ⅞ 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. 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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛
- Calories: 228
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 10.7 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.1 g
- Protein: 3.4 g
- Cholesterol: 53.8 mg
Keywords: frangipane, almond cream
Eliane says
I use this recipe for your lemon almond pound cake, it works so well!
I also like to make a king cake with this, just use a box of frozen puff pastry and this frangipane (sometimes I use a dash of orange extract along with the vanilla and almond when making it this way), make a few slit on the top crust, use an egg wash and a sprinkling of turbinado sugar and bake for 45min. So easy and delicious!
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
I had the intention of posting my king cake this year for carnival but it's still on the list. I like a lot the idea of using puff pastry. It sounds amazing. Thanks for your comments Eliane!
Madalina says
Hello! Can it be used as a cream filling without baking? Thanks!
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Madalina! I don't recommend it as it has raw eggs. It's meant to be baked. Have a great week.
Gabby says
Can I bake this alone and use it as cake filling?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Gabby, it's not meant to be baked alone but used as a base layer for fruit tarts or a filling for croissants, etc.