Chocolate Frangipane Tart, Decadent and Delicious

Chocolate Frangipane Tart, decadent, satisfying, and rich.

This tart is a fantastic recipe for serving guests at a dinner or bring to someone’s house for a special treat. It can be dressed up or served plainly and still be the star of the show. If you love almonds and chocolate, this is the recipe for you. Using the food processor for the crust and then the filling makes this recipe easy. The recipe for the tart can be made over a couple of days or in a single afternoon.

Frangipane is a custard made with ground almonds, eggs, butter, and sugar, with a bit of vanilla for balance. The first mention of frangipane spelling is from a French cookbook in 1675. However, frangipane has been around much longer than that. It is rumored that a tart filled with frangipane was brought to St Francis when he was on his death bed in 1226. Frangipane is the basis for pastries and tarts in many European countries.  England’s Famous Bakewell Tart like the recipe I have posted using apricot jam, or here with a blackberry version, are both frangipane tarts. And of course, the frangipane tart with fanned apples from France is just divine.

After making the traditional Bakewell tart several times, I decided to branch out and come up with a variation that is absolutely tasty and yet a bit elegant. I have used all sorts of fruit. But chocolate and almonds are a natural combination that is fantastic. Think of a giant almond chocolate chip cookie tart. There are some recipes out there for a chocolate frangipane tart. Still, most of them involve a thick layer of chocolate ganache which I found overpowering. I wanted the almonds to shine through and just have some chocolate as the supporting player. I think this chocolate Frangipane Tart is just the ticket.

Don’t be intimidated by the instructions. It is actually easy. I have tried to explain all the steps. To make this chocolate frangipane tart, you will need a food processor. I use this 11 cup one and it is my lifesaver in the kitchen. It is possible to do it by hand. But with a food processor, it takes all the hard work out of it. It does take some time with rest periods and cooling times, but with a food processor, the steps will easily be done quickly. It also needs an 11-inch tart pan. I was lucky to be given mine by a friend long ago when he went to Paris, and I treasure it as one of my favorite baking pans. But now you can easily find one on Amazon and many cooking stores. (Please consider using links on this page to help fund my blog, Thanks in advance!)

Be safe out there and think of others in your choices of what you do. We finally see our world start to come out of its dark times. We can do this. Till Next week!

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Chocolate Frangipane Tart

Chocolate Frangipane Tart is a decadent tart filled with ground almond custard and studded with chocolate chips, perfect for serving at any dinner party.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British, French

Keyword: almond tart, chocolate almond tart, frangipane, frangipane tart, sourdough starter

Servings: 12

Ingredients

For the crust

• 5 tablespoons butter cold cut into chunks. At room temperature, if making by hand
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons ice water

For the almond frangipane

• 12 oz blanched almonds whole or slivered. About 2 ½ cups
• 20 tablespoons butter or 2 ½ sticks butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate or chips ½ cup reserved. About 12 oz.
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

To Make The Crust

1. In a food processor, place the butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Process until the mixture is thoroughly creamed together.
2. To the creamed mixture, add the egg yolks and vanilla. Process until combined.
3. Add in the flour and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Try not to over mix.
4. Sprinkle the cold ice water over the flour and butter crumbs. Pulse just a few times to begin to combine. But do not process it into a ball. It should still be loose.
5. Turn the mixture onto a work surface and gather it into a ball, blending as you go to make a smooth dough. The key is not to overwork the dough, as it will become tough. Shape the dough into about a 2-inch-thick log shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour to relax.
6. Slice the dough into ¼ inch slices and press into an 11-inch tart pan with 1-inch sides and removable bottom. Press and smooth it out until you have a uniform smooth crust coming all the way up the side of the tart pan. Try not to have too thick of a bottom corner near the edge.
7. Prick a few places on the bottom of the crust with a fork.
8. Place the crust into the freezer and freeze for 1 hour, or even overnight.
9. To Make the Frangipane Filling and Finish the Tart
10. Preheat the oven to 350° for about 20-30 minutes.
11. When the oven has preheated, place the frozen tart shell directly from the freezer into the oven.
12. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is beginning to become lightly golden brown.
13. Remove the baked tart shell from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes on a rack. Meanwhile, make the frangipane filling.
14. Turn the oven down to 325°

Make the Frangipane Filling

1. Pulse the blanched almonds in a food processor until you have fine ground almonds. Be careful not to just continually process, as the ground almonds will become almond butter if you process too far.
2. Transfer the ground almonds to a mixing bowl and set aside. There is no need to clean the bowl of the food processor.
3. In the bowl of your food processor, add the butter and the sugar. Process until light and creamy. You want to create a bit of an emulsion, so process it for a few minutes. Scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
4. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Process until smooth and the eggs have been fully incorporated.
5. Using a spatula, fold the butter mixture into the ground almonds. Add 1 cup of the chopped bittersweet chocolate. Continue to fold until the almonds and chocolate are thoroughly incorporated.
6. Let the frangipane chill for 10 minutes to firm up slightly.
7. Carefully spread the frangipane over the cooled tart crust.
8. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top of the frangipane.
9. Bake the tart for 45 minutes, or until the tart is golden brown around the edges and is still slightly soft in the center.
10. Let the tart cool for an hour.

To finish the tart

1. Finely chop the remaining ½ cup of chocolate.
2. Heat the 3 tablespoons of cream in the microwave or on the stovetop until very warm but not boiling.
3. Transfer to a small bowl or measuring cup and stir in the ½ cup chocolate. Continue to stir until the chocolate has melted.
4. Drizzle the chocolate across the top of the cooled tart.