Betty's Raspberry Frangipane Tart (Betty's Kitchen Fare)

The recipe that follows is about the sixth version of this tart.  The first one had too much butter in the pastry so it leaked out all over the place; the second had a filling which was too light so that puffed up and then cracked when it cooled.

A third try didn't have enough frangipane.  I was on the way to the right crust and the right filling, but the raspberry flavor didn't "pop".  

The solution was to add a thin layer of raspberry jam on the crust before adding the frangipane filling.  Finally, just what I was looking for.

Of course, you can vary the fruit - blueberries work well as do fresh or canned apricot halves.  Just be sure to drain and dry canned apricots really well.

Be sure to follow the instructions to press the pastry slight over the top of your tart pan so that it doesn't shrink down the side of the pan.

Any problems, just contact me. (bbusciglio@gmail.com)

Raspberry Frangipane Tart

Sweet Pastry

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

1 large egg yolk

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons cold water

Raspberry Almond 

1 cup ground almond meal

½ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

¼ cup raspberry jam

6 oz. fresh raspberries, washed and dried

⅓ cup sliced almonds, more or less to your preference

First, make the pastry. Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.. Add butter and pulse until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Beat together yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and water with a fork and pulse until combined.  

Turn out onto a sheet of waxed paper or work surface and gently knead until a dough forms. Form dough into a ball, then flatten into a disk and chill, wrapped in waxed paper, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

Take the pastry out of the fridge. Roll out the dough between two sheets of waxed paper until it is about 11 inches in diameter.  Line a 9-inch tart tin with the pastry, making sure the edges are higher than the tart tin, as the pastry shrinks while baking. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Place a sheet pan or cookie sheet in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.

Prick the bottom of the pastry lightly with a fork, line the tart with lightly buttered foil and fill with pie weights (dried beans/rice).  Blind bake the tart shell for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and the foil and bake for 5 minutes, until the pastry is cooked but still very pale. Let it cool completely.

For the almond cream, add all ingredients to food processor and process until well combined.  Coat the bottom of the cooled tart with the raspberry jam and top with the almond cream, smoothing it out with a small offset spatula.  Arrange the raspberries over the top of the almond cream. There is no need to push them down as the almond cream will rise while baking and the raspberries will sink in a little bit. Scatter the sliced almonds over the raspberries. 

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake the tart for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Dust with icing sugar just before serving if you wish.

        Watch the video:

Peach Torte

I first tasted this lovely torte at my friend Flora's house.  It's a recipe that has been around for ages and was originally made with Italian prune plums cut in half.  I have changed it a bit, replacing some of the flour with almond flour, adding almond extract and using sliced peaches in place of the plums.  Of course the original is good too!  You can also use any plum, sliced, or pears.  In the winter, I have used canned apricot halves well drained and placed on paper towels to dry further.

Note: If you cannot find almond flour, simply place 1/4 cup of sliced almonds in a food processor with the sugar and process until finely ground. Otherwise, just use an additional 1/4 cup of plain flour.  I particularly like the texture the almond flour gives.


¾ cup (145g)  plus 1 or 2 tablespoons sugar
1 stick (112g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (120g) unbleached flour   
¼ cup (20g) almond flour       
1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder          
2 eggs
1 teaspoon (5g) almond extract
Pinch of salt
2 or 3 ripe peaches
sliced almonds

Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven.  Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, cream the ¾ cup sugar and butter.

Add the flour, almond flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt and beat to mix well. Place in a 9  ungreased cake pan lined with parchment paper.  Cover the top with the sliced peaches.

Mix the sliced almonds with the remaining 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the center tests done with a toothpick.  Remove and cool to room temperature or serve warm.  Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream.

Note:  Cake freezes well.  To serve, return to room temperature and reheat at 300° until  warm.

Variations:  I have made this with Italian plums cut in half or regular plums cut in quarters omitting the sliced almonds and substituting a teaspoon of cinnamon.  Canned apricots very well drained also work as do canned pears. This recipe will also make two 6” cakes.

WATCH THE VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: