What is frangipane and why do bakers love it so much? (2024)
Ever wondered what makes an almond croissant so wonderful, or some fruit tarts so magically delicious? The secret is frangipane.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Wildly versatile, aromatic, and rich, frangipane is one of the best (and easiest!) recipes in a baker’s repertoire. To make it, softened butter, eggs, sugar, almond flour, a bit of all-purpose flour, and almond extract (or emulsion) are beaten together into a golden, spreadable paste. It takes all of five minutes to make, which is good news because there are so many wonderful ways to use it that you may find yourself wanting to make it all the time.
How to bake with frangipane
Because it contains raw egg and flour, frangipane is always baked before eating. It has a tendency to spread because of its high ratio of fat, so it’s typically used in applications where that’s limited, such as in a filling or topping. Frangipane is often used as a layer in fruit tarts; it puffs and browns beautifully as it bakes, swaddling the fruit, and I’m hard-pressed to think of a single fruit that isn’tenhanced by the almondy-whisper of frangipane, from cherries and peaches to apples and pears.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Frangipane is also a key component in Bakewell Tart, where it teams up with jam as a filling between layers of pastry. And it’s imperative in Bostock, a breakfast pastry made by saturating slices of day-old brioche with sugar syrup, then slathering on frangipane and baking until golden. (Bostock are usually, though not always, topped with fruit; a showering of toasted slivered almonds and confectioners’ sugar are typically added as finishing touches.) And this Almond Galette (aka Galette des Rois), a traditional French dessert typically served on Epiphany, is made with puff pastry and an almond cream filling that’s similar to frangipane; if you have some frangipane handy you can use it instead.
For a frangipane-forward non-recipe, try spreading it in a thick layer on puff pastry, then adding whatever fruit you have lying around (sliced nectarines, halved apricots, pitted cherries, blueberries or raspberries, thinly sliced apples or pears) and baking until the pastry and frangipane are golden brown and the fruit is tender. Or make your own ersatz almond croissants by splitting day-old plain croissants (homemade or storebought), spreading them with frangipane, and baking them a second time until crisp.
Photography by Mark Weinberg; Food styling by Liz Neily
Should you be wondering, frangipane isn’t the same as marzipan, which is a denser, stiffer paste made primarily from almonds and sugar (no butter or eggs), that is often colored and formed into decorative shapes, and the two cannot be used interchangeably.
And while frangipane is typically made with ground almonds, it can be made with other ground nuts instead. Using pistachios will give you a verdant spread, while toasted and ground pecans yield a frangipane with a toffee-like flavor. Hazelnut frangipane pairs nicely with chocolate.
Frangipane keeps well, too: It will last a week in the refrigerator or up to two months frozen, so there’s no excuse for not always having some on hand, ready to dress up your next dessert.
Frangipane, a spreadable paste made from almond flour, sugar, eggs, and almond extract, is a baker's secret weapon. Wildly versatile, aromatic, and rich, frangipane is one of the best (and easiest!) recipes in a baker's repertoire.
Frangipane is a pastry filling made with finely ground almonds or almond meal. It is sometimes referred to as almond cream. And, being more or less like a pie filling, frangipane is never consumed raw because it contains raw eggs.
You can store a pear frangipane tart at room temperature or in the fridge. Just note that if you refrigerate it, the crust will soften much quicker. I prefer to store it covered at room temperature for 3-4 days. It's possible to store the tart for a week, but the quality of the dessert diminishes as it softens.
Frangipane is a mixture of butter, eggs, ground almonds, sugar, and usually a small amount of flour. It's hardly a delicate procedure; making frangipane is more like making a simple cookie batter.
Frangipane is a simple custard, made in a food processor from nuts, butter, sugar, and eggs. The resulting gloop is slightly runnier than a paste but not so loose that it spills all over the place; you can easily spoon and spread it without making a mess.
Etymology. The word frangipane is a French term used to name products with an almond flavour. The word comes ultimately from the last name of Marquis Muzio Frangipani or Cesare Frangipani.
Marzipan and frangipane are only similar in the fact that they use almonds and have very similar-sounding names. Their purposes and textures, however, are very different, making them unable to be substituted with one another.
As long as it has risen and browned slowly, you are near the end of the cooking time. How do you know when frangipane is cooked? The cream will have risen and puffed when properly cooked.It should have a nice golden color.
Frangipane is a rich, cream-based filling, while marzipan is a thick paste mostly used for decorative purposes. The main thing they have in common is the almonds required to make each one, but beyond that, they're wildly different — especially in consistency — meaning you'll find them used differently, too.
Frangipane is fairly forgiving but like most things it does have a perfect point. It should rise in the oven and form a golden brown crust, with a just set centre. The main cause of undercooked frangipane is baking at too high a heat. The crust will brown too quickly, leaving a soggy centre.
Frangipane is not an alternative to Bakewell tart, but instead one of the ingredients in a Bakewell tart, used for the filling. Frangipane is an Italian word, recorded in a confectioners dictionary as far back as 1732 and is thought to have come from Marquis Muzio Frangipani or Cesare Frangipani.
Frangipane is an almond filling that is usually made with butter, sugar, eggs, and, of course, ground almonds. It has a creamy, paste-like consistency and a sweet nutty flavor. Though it can be used in a variety of ways, it's most associated with tarts.
Clafoutis is a cherry cake, and the crème frangipane is a crème pâtissière with almond cream (and some alcohol, as for me) that can be in the famous galette. The first is made of eggs, butter, a small amount of flour, sugar, milk and fresh cherries. Bake 40 minutes and eat it !
Italian: nickname, of uncertain application, from a phrase meaning 'break bread' (see Fragapane). Some characteristic forenames: Italian Salvatore, Angelo.
Their purposes and textures, however, are very different, making them unable to be substituted with one another. While marzipan is a thick and sweet icing dough, frangipane is a creamy and lightly-sweetened filling.
The tart shell of the Frangipani is always almond flavored by either using almond flour, ground or chopped almonds or using almond paste which is actually marzipan. It usually has a jelly-lined bottom tart shell and can be any flavor.
Frangipane [fʁɑ̃ʒipan] is a filling made of almond cream mixed with crème pâtissière, invented in 1746 in Italy, and named after Frangipani (first name unknown), parfumier of French King Louis XIII, who invented bitter almond based perfume.
Frangipane (/ˈfrændʒɪpæn, -peɪn/ FRAN-jih-pa(y)n) is a sweet almond-flavored custard, typical in French pastry, used in a variety of ways, including cakes and such pastries as the Bakewell tart, conversation tart, Jésuite and pithivier.
Introduction: My name is Edwin Metz, I am a fair, energetic, helpful, brave, outstanding, nice, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
