Irresistible White Peach Frangipane Tart: Your Perfect Summer Dessert
Welcome to the epitome of summer baking: the White Peach Frangipane Tart. This exquisite dessert is a true celebration of seasonal flavors, combining the delicate sweetness of fresh white peaches with the rich, nutty notes of a perfectly baked almond cream, all nestled within a crisp, buttery sweet pastry crust. More than just a treat for the taste buds, this tart is a visual masterpiece, designed to impress at any gathering, from casual afternoon teas to elegant dinner parties. Imagine slicing into a golden crust, revealing a soft, aromatic frangipane studded with vibrant peach slices – it’s a dessert that speaks of warmth, sunshine, and culinary artistry. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or looking to elevate your dessert repertoire, this White Peach Frangipane Tart promises a baking journey filled with delight and delicious rewards.
Why You’ll Adore This White Peach Frangipane Tart Recipe
There’s a symphony of textures and flavors that makes this White Peach Frangipane Tart utterly irresistible. It starts with a base of incredibly crisp Pâte Sucrée, a sweet shortcrust pastry that shatters delicately with every bite. This firm foundation cradles a luxurious, melt-in-your-mouth Almond Cream, known in French pâtisserie as Frangipane. Finally, the star of the show: beautifully ripe, sweet, and slightly tangy White Peaches, artfully arranged on top. While each of these components is a classic in French baking, their combination in this tart creates a truly magical dessert experience.
For me, nothing signals the peak of summer quite like fresh, juicy peaches. When these stone fruits are at their absolute best, I’m constantly seeking new ways to incorporate them into my baking. The natural sweetness and delicate aroma of peaches pair exquisitely with the nutty undertones of almonds and the buttery crunch of the pastry. If you enjoyed my Peach Galette with Almonds, you’re in for an even more refined treat with this elegant tart.
Historically, I wasn’t always the biggest fan of frangipane. Sometimes it can be too dense or overly sweet. However, this particular recipe completely changed my perspective! The secret lies in a perfectly balanced, super-light baked almond cream that achieves an ethereal texture. It acts as the ideal counterpoint to the vibrant, juicy peaches, preventing the dessert from becoming too heavy and instead offering a delightful freshness. It’s a revelation that truly elevates the frangipane to a new level.
This tart stands proudly alongside other beloved frangipane creations, such as my Pear Frangipane Tart, Apricot Frangipane Tart, French Almond Tart, and Apple Frangipane Tart. What makes all these recipes so delightful is the consistent excellence of the crust – that incredibly crunchy and utterly delicious ‘Pâte Sucrée’ which serves as the perfect vessel for its delectable fillings.
It’s always a joy to be pleasantly surprised by a recipe, and this White Peach Frangipane Tart certainly delivered. It’s a harmonious blend of three core components, each contributing uniquely to the final dessert:
- A buttery, crisp ‘Pâte Sucrée‘ tart pastry, providing the essential structure and a sweet crunch.
- A smooth, aromatic baked Almond Cream, universally known as Frangipane, offering a rich, moist filling.
- Juicy, beautifully sun-kissed White Peaches, bringing a burst of fresh, fruity flavor and a stunning visual appeal.
Mastering the Pâte Sucrée: The Perfect Tart Crust
To truly appreciate this Peach Frangipane Tart, it’s essential to understand its foundation: the Pâte Sucrée. As I’ve discussed in my Apricot Tarte Tatin recipe, French pastry boasts four fundamental types of dough used for tarts: Pâte Brisée, Pâte Feuilletée, Pâte Sablée, and the star of our show, Pâte Sucrée. Each serves a unique purpose, contributing distinct characteristics to the final dessert.
The lack of direct English translations for these traditional French pastries often leads to confusion. For instance, Pâte Brisée, a simple shortcrust pastry made primarily with flour and butter (typically a 2:1 ratio), is a versatile dough I frequently use for many of my tarts, offering a more savory or neutral base. However, for a sweet dessert like our Peach Frangipane Tart, Pâte Sucrée is the superior choice.
Pâte Sucrée, which charmingly translates to ‘Sweetened Dough,’ is indeed a richer and sweeter pastry. Unlike Pâte Brisée, it incorporates confectioners’ sugar and eggs in addition to the classic butter and flour. This combination results in a remarkably tender, crisp, and crumbly texture that beautifully complements fruity fillings. Its delicate sweetness makes it perfect for recipes such as my Strawberry Tartlets with Custard or French Orange Tart, where the pastry itself enhances the sweetness of the fruit rather than just acting as a container.
Key Ingredients for Pâte Sucrée:
Crafting this delightful Sweet Shortcrust Pastry requires a few essential ingredients, each playing a crucial role:
- Unsalted Butter, at a perfect room temperature, ensures a smooth, creamy base.
- Fine Confectioners Sugar (also known as Icing Sugar or Powdered Sugar) provides sweetness and helps achieve that tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture without grittiness.
- A single Egg acts as a binding agent, contributing to the dough’s structure and richness.
- A small pinch of Salt is vital for balancing the sweetness and enhancing all the flavors.
- High-quality Plain Flour (all-purpose flour) forms the bulk of the dough, giving it body.
The Creaming Method: Achieving the Perfect Pâte Sucrée Texture
There are generally two methods for preparing Pâte Sucrée: the creaming method and the crumbling (or sablage) method. For this particular recipe, I highly recommend and utilize the Creaming Method. This technique begins by whisking the soft, room-temperature butter until it’s exceptionally light and creamy. Next, the confectioners’ sugar is incorporated, creating a wonderfully smooth, pale mixture. Once this paste-like consistency is achieved, the egg and salt are whisked in until just combined. Finally, the flour is added and mixed quickly until the dough comes together.
The creaming method yields a dough that is quite soft and pliable, which is why it absolutely needs sufficient chilling time before it can be rolled out. This chilling period is crucial for developing flavor, relaxing the gluten, and firming up the butter, making the dough much easier to handle and preventing it from sticking or tearing.
A Note on Confectioners Sugar:
It’s important to be mindful of the type of Confectioners Sugar you use. While often interchangeable with ‘Icing Sugar’ or ‘Powdered Sugar,’ many commercial icing sugars contain added cornstarch as an anti-caking agent. For this recipe, you want 100% fine sugar, without any added starches, as cornstarch can slightly alter the texture of the pastry. If pure confectioners sugar is hard to find, a simple solution is to make your own: just blend regular white caster sugar in a spice grinder or high-speed blender until it’s incredibly fine and powdery. This ensures the perfect tender crumb for your Pâte Sucrée.
For a comprehensive guide and more in-depth tips on perfecting this essential Tart Pastry, feel free to explore my dedicated article here!
Crafting the Perfect Frangipane Cream: A Delightful Almond Filling
The heart of our tart is the exquisite Frangipane, a luscious almond cream that transforms simple pastries into culinary masterpieces. Often mistakenly compared to Crème Pâtissière (pastry cream), Frangipane offers a distinctly different experience. While both are delightful fillings, Crème Pâtissière is custard-based, cooked on the stovetop, and generally thicker and smoother. Frangipane, on the other hand, is a baked almond-based cream that achieves a wonderfully light, moist, and slightly cake-like texture once baked. Its delicate sweetness and profound nutty flavor make it an ideal companion for a wide array of fruits and tart shells.
Essential Ingredients for Flawless Frangipane:
Creating this velvety almond cream involves a harmonious blend of simple ingredients:
- Perfectly soft Unsalted Butter, which forms the rich, creamy foundation.
- Granulated Sugar (Caster Sugar) to provide the necessary sweetness.
- Fresh Eggs, acting as emulsifiers and contributing to the structure and richness.
- Finely ground Almond Flour (or Almond Meal), which gives Frangipane its characteristic nutty flavor and texture.
- A touch of Custard Powder (or Cornstarch/Potato Starch) helps to bind the mixture and ensures a smooth, stable cream.
- Optional additions: For an extra layer of complexity, consider adding a scraped Vanilla Bean for its aromatic essence, a splash of high-quality dark rum, almond extract, or a fruit liqueur that complements the peaches. These optional ingredients can truly elevate the flavor profile.
The Art of Mixing Frangipane:
The process for making the almond cream for Frangipane bears a striking resemblance to the creaming method used for our Pâte Sucrée, emphasizing gentle mixing. This particular technique, which I’ve adapted slightly by reducing the sugar content, is inspired by the authoritative “French Pâtisserie” textbook from the renowned Ferrandi Pastry School.
Begin by ensuring your butter is wonderfully soft and pliable, then cream it thoroughly with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Next, gradually incorporate the egg, whisking just enough to combine. The final step involves gently folding in the almond meal and cornstarch. A critical tip here is to avoid over-whisking the mixture. Introducing too much air into the frangipane batter can cause it to puff up excessively in the oven, only to collapse and become dense upon cooling. We’re aiming for a delicate, even bake, not a soufflé effect.
For a detailed, step-by-step guide on mastering this essential Almond Cream Filling, including troubleshooting tips, I encourage you to visit my dedicated article.
Assembling Your Masterpiece: The White Peach Frangipane Tart
With your perfectly chilled Pâte Sucrée pastry and your rich Almond Cream prepared, you’re now ready for the satisfying final stage: assembling your stunning White Peach Frangipane Tart with Almond Cream. This is where all your efforts come together to create a show-stopping dessert.
Choosing Your Tart Tin:
For this recipe, I find a small 20 cm (approximately 8 inches) tart tin with a removable bottom to be ideal. A removable bottom is a baker’s best friend, making it incredibly easy to unmold your beautiful tart without damaging its delicate crust. The provided quantities for both the Pâte Sucrée and the almond cream are precisely calibrated for this size. If you plan to use a larger tart tin, remember to adjust and increase all ingredient quantities proportionally to ensure a generous and well-balanced filling.
Blind Baking the Pastry:
The first critical step in assembly is blind baking your Pâte Sucrée. After lining your tart tin with the rolled-out pastry and pricking its base thoroughly with a fork (to prevent air bubbles), it goes into the oven for an initial bake of 10 to 15 minutes. This pre-baking step is essential for two reasons: it crisps up the base of the pastry, preventing a soggy bottom once the moist frangipane is added, and it helps the crust hold its shape. Once lightly golden and set, remove the tart shell from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack. A cool shell prevents the frangipane from melting prematurely.
Filling and Final Bake:
Once your pastry shell is cooled, it’s time to bring the tart to life. Evenly spread the luscious Almond Cream into the blind-baked shell. Next, wash your fresh White Peaches, carefully slice them in half, remove the pit, and then thinly slice each half. Arrange these vibrant peach slices artfully over the almond cream. You can create a beautiful fanned pattern or a rustic, overlapping design – let your creativity shine!
Return the assembled tart to the oven for its final baking phase. Keep a close eye on it as the almond cream bakes and transforms into a rich, golden brown Frangipane. The baking time will typically be another 15 to 20 minutes, but ovens vary. If you notice the edges of your tart pastry beginning to brown too quickly or look over-baked while the frangipane still appears undercooked, don’t panic! Simply reduce your oven temperature slightly, or loosely tent the edges of the tart with aluminum foil to protect them. For a perfect golden finish on top, especially if the frangipane needs a little extra color, you can briefly place the tart under your oven’s grill (broiler) for a minute or two – but watch it very closely to prevent burning!
Serving and Storage Suggestions:
Allow your beautiful White Peach Frangipane Tart to cool completely before slicing and serving. This allows the frangipane to fully set and the flavors to meld beautifully. It’s utterly delicious on its own, but a dusting of powdered sugar, a dollop of crème fraîche, or a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream can take it to the next level. Store any leftovers at room temperature for up to two days, or in the refrigerator for up to four days, covered loosely.
More Delightful Tart Recipes to Explore
If you’ve fallen in love with the artistry of tart making, or are simply looking for your next baking adventure, here are more exquisite tart recipes to inspire you:
- Apricot Tarte Tatin with Lemon Caramel
- Spiced Pears Tarte Tatin
- Rich Chocolate Cherry Tart
- Decadent Triple Chocolate Tart
- Easy French Apple Tart
- Classic Chocolate Ganache Tart
- Fresh Strawberry Custard Tart
- Caramelized Peach Tarte Tatin
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Recipe
White Peach Frangipane Tart
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Pate Sucree
- 1/4 cup (50gr) Soft Butter
- 1/4 cup (25gr) Confectioners Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 cup (125gr) Plain Flour
Almond Cream
- 1/4 cup (50gr) Soft Butter
- 1/4 cup (25gr) Caster Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 cup (50gr) Almond Meal
- 1 teasp. Cornstarch
Other
- 4 White Peaches
Instructions
Pate Sucree
- Using a hand mixer or a whisk, cream the soft Butter then add the Confectioners Sugar. When it resembles a light paste, add the Egg and Salt. Quickly mix until combined then add the Plain Flour.
- Transfer onto your kitchen bench and quickly combine the Flour into the rest of the dough. Try not to overwork it or knead it – it just needs to be homogeneously combined.
- Assemble into a ball and cover with cling wrap (or place inside a freezing bag). Gently press on it to flatten it, then place in the fridge for at least one hour (see note 1).
- Preheat your oven on 180’C.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry to fill your tart tin ( I used a 8 inch tart tin). Prick the pastry with a fork, making sure to cover the bottom and sides of the pastry. Place in the oven to blind bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool down.
Almond Cream
- While your Pate Sucree is cooling down, start preparing your Almond Cream for the Frangipane.
Cream the soft Butter and Caster Sugar with a hand mixer. When it resembles a light paste, gradually add the Egg while whisking.
- Add the Almond Meal and Cornstarch, and quickly whisk until combined.
Pour into the partially baked Pate Sucree.
To finish the White Peach Frangipane Tart
- Wash and slice your White Peaches in half, removing the pit.
Thinly slice each peach half and place them on top of the Almond Cream.
- Place the tart back in the oven to finish the baking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the Frangipane looks golden brown.
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Helpful Notes & Tips
- Chilling the Pâte Sucrée is Crucial: The Pâte Sucrée dough will be quite soft after mixing, which is perfectly normal for the creaming method. It absolutely requires a minimum of one hour in the refrigerator to firm up. This chilling period not only makes it easier to roll without sticking but also helps to relax the gluten, preventing the pastry from shrinking excessively during baking. If, after an hour, you still find the dough too soft or sticky to roll, simply return it to the fridge for an additional 30 minutes. Don’t rush this step for the best results!
- Preventing a Soggy Bottom: To ensure your tart crust remains perfectly crisp, make sure to blind bake it thoroughly until it’s lightly golden. You can also brush the blind-baked crust with a thin layer of egg wash (one egg yolk whisked with a tablespoon of water) immediately after removing the pie weights and before the final 5 minutes of blind baking. This creates an extra barrier against moisture from the frangipane.
- Perfectly Ripe Peaches: Choose peaches that are firm but yield slightly to gentle pressure and have a sweet aroma. Overly soft peaches can become mushy, while underripe ones lack flavor. White peaches are specifically called for due to their delicate sweetness and lower acidity, which perfectly complements the almond frangipane.
- Monitoring Your Oven: Ovens can vary significantly. Always keep a close eye on your tart, especially during the final bake. If the frangipane seems to be browning too quickly, you can cover the entire tart loosely with aluminum foil. If the crust edges are browning excessively, you can wrap just the edges with foil. The goal is a beautifully golden frangipane and a crisp, well-baked crust.
Nutrition (per serving)