Description
You’ll have a new love for almond frangipane after 1 bite of this cranberry-bejeweled tart! Naturally gluten free, this recipe combines an almond crust with a soft almond cream filling and plenty of juicy tart cranberries. You can enjoy this dessert warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup (145g) whole almonds* (I recommend roasted salted)
- 1 cup (100g) almond flour or almond meal (spooned & leveled)
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted
Frangipane Filling
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/3 cup (133g) almond flour or almond meal (spooned & leveled)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 and 1/4 cups (125g) fresh cranberries (or frozen & thawed)
- optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling
- optional: sugared cranberries for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the crust: Using a food processor, pulse the almonds, almond flour, sugar, and salt together until almonds are finely chopped. Add the melted butter. Pulse/process until the mixture is combined and crumbly.
- Press the dough evenly into a 9-inch tart pan or 10-inch tart pan. Mixture will be crumbly at first, so press it in with medium pressure so it stays together.
- Bake crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes as you prepare the filling.
- Make the frangipane: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until combined and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. The mixture will look separated and chunky at this point—that’s ok. Add the almond flour, salt, vanilla and almond extracts, and lemon juice and zest, and beat on medium speed until combined. Spread the frangipane into the slightly warm crust. A small offset spatula is helpful for this.
- Dot the filling with the cranberries, lightly pressing them into the frangipane. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar, if desired.
- Bake for 38–40 mins, or until the edges of the filling are lightly browned and the cranberries look juicy. During bake time, if the tart is browning too quickly on top and around the edges, tent with aluminum foil.
- Carefully remove the tart from the oven and let cool for at least 20 minutes before removing the rim of the pan. I like to garnish the tart with sugared cranberries, but this is optional. Slice and serve while the tart is still warm or wait for it to cool completely at room temperature.
- Cover and store leftover tart at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can prepare and assemble the tart through step 6, then cover and refrigerate up to 1 day ahead of time before baking. Bring to room temperature before baking. This is not the best tart to freeze because the cranberries separate from the filling a bit as it thaws. However, if you have leftover slices and aren’t concerned as much about the appearance, you can freeze leftover tart for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | 9-inch Tart Pan | Cooling Rack | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Small Offset Spatula | Coarse Sugar
- Pie Dish: If you don’t have a tart pan, you can make this in a regular 9-inch pie dish. The slices may not be as neat, so try your best to pack the crust into the dish as tightly as possible.
- Almonds in Crust: Taste testers and I prefered this tart with roasted salted almonds in the crust. You can use raw instead, if needed. If using unsalted almonds, increase the salt in the crust to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Lemon: Lemon really balances the flavors in this sweet tart, and I do not recommend leaving it out. If desired, you can use orange juice & zest instead.
- Smoother Filling: If you aren’t concerned with the recipe being gluten free, you can replace 3 of the Tablespoons of almond flour in the filling with all-purpose flour. This smooths out the filling a bit more.
- Dried Cranberries: I do not recommend dried cranberries in this recipe, as they are much too sweet for the sweet almond filling. Use fresh or frozen (thawed).
- Other Fruits: Instead of cranberries, try this with blueberries or raspberries.
- Sugared Cranberries: A fun and tasty optional garnish pictured on this tart! Learn how to make sugared cranberries.
Keywords: cranberry frangipane tart