Raspberry Frangipane Tart - The Spirited Puddle Jumper

Key Takeaways

Frangipane is just ground almonds, butter, sugar and eggs – it’s far easier than it sounds and much more forgiving than you’d think
You can use shop-bought shortcrust pastry without shame (I often do) or make your own if you’re feeling fancy
Fresh or frozen raspberries both work brilliantly, making this a year-round bake
The tart tastes even better the next day once the flavours have settled, so it’s perfect for making ahead
Blind baking the pastry properly is the single most important step for avoiding a soggy bottom

At a Glance

Best for: Dinner parties, afternoon tea, showing off without actually spending hours in the kitchen
Not ideal for: Nut allergies (obviously), last-minute baking if you’re making the pastry from scratch
Time needed: 1 hour 15 minutes total (25 mins prep, 50 mins baking and cooling)
Cost range: £8-12 depending on whether you use shop-bought pastry and what raspberries cost
Difficulty level: Easier than you think – solid intermediate bake
What you need: Food processor makes life easier but not essential, 23cm tart tin, baking beans
Biggest mistake to avoid: Skipping the blind baking – I learned this the soggy way
Quick tip: Chill your frangipane mixture for 10 minutes before spreading – it’s much easier to work with
My honest take: This is my go-to recipe when I need to look like I’ve got my life together

Why This Raspberry Frangipane Tart Recipe Is Different

I’ve made approximately seventeen different versions of frangipane tart over the past five years. Some were disasters (the Great Pastry Collapse of 2022, anyone?), some were merely acceptable, and this one – this one actually works every single time.

The thing about frangipane tarts is they look incredibly sophisticated. They’re the sort of thing you see in proper French patisseries, all glossy and perfect. But here’s the secret nobody tells you: they’re actually one of the most forgiving bakes you can make. The frangipane puffs up and hides a multitude of sins. Your pastry cracked a bit? Frangipane’s got you covered. Raspberries aren’t sitting in perfect rows? Honestly, once it’s baked, who can tell?

This recipe is for anyone who wants to make something genuinely impressive without needing a degree in pastry arts. It’s for the parent who needs a decent dessert for Sunday lunch. It’s for the person who wants to bring something homemade to a gathering without spending the entire previous day in the kitchen.

It’s also specifically written for UK kitchens, UK ingredients, and UK tastes. I’m tired of American recipes that call for ingredients I can’t find in Sainsbury’s or measurements that require a conversion calculator.

What Actually Is Frangipane?

Right, let’s start with the basics because I spent ages being intimidated by the word “frangipane” before I realised it’s just fancy almond filling.

Frangipane is a sweet paste made from ground almonds, butter, sugar, and eggs. That’s it. Sometimes people add a splash of almond extract or a bit of flour, but fundamentally, you’re just mixing four ingredients together. The name sounds far more complicated than the reality.

The mixture bakes into a soft, slightly cake-like texture that pairs beautifully with fruit. It puffs up in the oven, creating these lovely golden peaks around the raspberries. When you cut into it, you get this perfect combination of buttery pastry, almond-flavoured filling, and sharp, fruity raspberries.

I’ve seen people get themselves in a right state over frangipane, convinced they need some sort of special technique. You don’t. If you can make a Victoria sponge, you can make frangipane. Actually, frangipane is easier because you can’t really overmix it the way you can cake batter.

The Ingredients You’ll Actually Need

Here’s what you need for a 23cm tart (serves 8-10):

For the pastry (if making your own):

200g plain flour
100g cold butter, cubed
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 egg yolk
2-3 tablespoons cold water

For the frangipane:

125g unsalted butter, softened
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs
125g ground almonds
1 tablespoon plain flour
Half a teaspoon almond extract (optional but recommended)

For the topping:

200-250g fresh raspberries (or frozen, defrosted and drained)
2 tablespoons flaked almonds
Icing sugar for dusting

A quick word about the raspberries: I’ve used both fresh and frozen with excellent results. Fresh obviously looks prettier if you’re serving it to guests, but frozen works brilliantly for family dinners and costs about half the price. Just make sure you defrost them completely and drain off any excess liquid, or you’ll end up with soggy patches in your frangipane.

The almond extract is technically optional, but I always use it. It deepens the almond flavour without making it taste artificial. Just don’t go mad with it – half a teaspoon is plenty. I once added a whole teaspoon and it tasted like amaretto had exploded in my tart.

Shop-Bought vs Homemade Pastry: The Honest Truth

Let’s address the elephant in the room: shop-bought shortcrust pastry.

I make my own pastry about 60% of the time. The other 40%, I buy a block of Jus-Rol all-butter shortcrust from Tesco and get on with my life. Both versions taste excellent. The homemade pastry has a slightly better texture and you get that smug feeling of having made everything from scratch, but honestly? Most people can’t tell the difference once the tart is assembled.

If you’re making this on a Tuesday evening after work, use shop-bought pastry and save your energy for the frangipane. If you’re making it for a special occasion or you genuinely enjoy making pastry (I find it quite therapeutic), make your own.

The only rule I’d suggest: if you’re buying pastry, get the all-butter kind. The stuff made with vegetable fat tastes fine but doesn’t have quite the same richness. It’s worth the extra 50p.

How to Make the Pastry (If You’re Going Homemade)

Making shortcrust pastry isn’t difficult, but it does require cold hands and a bit of patience.

Put your flour, sugar, and cubed cold butter into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. This takes about 3-4 minutes of actual rubbing. Some people use a food processor for this step, which works fine, but I quite like doing it by hand. It’s oddly satisfying.

Once you’ve got breadcrumb consistency, add your egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Mix it with a knife until it starts coming together. Add the extra tablespoon of water if it’s still too dry. You want it to form a dough without being sticky.

Tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together into a disc. Don’t knead it like bread – you’re just bringing it together. Wrap it in cling film and stick it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This bit isn’t optional. Cold pastry is much easier to roll and less likely to shrink in the oven.

Rolling and Lining Your Tin

Take your chilled pastry (homemade or shop-bought straight from the fridge) and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. You want it about 3mm thick and large enough to line your 23cm tart tin with some overhang.

Here’s my method for getting it into the tin without it falling apart: roll the pastry around your rolling pin, then unroll it over the tin. Gently press it into the corners and up the sides. Don’t stretch it or it’ll shrink back when you bake it. Let it overhang the edges – you’ll trim it later.

Prick the base all over with a fork. This stops it puffing up. Pop it back in the fridge for another 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to 200C (180C fan).

Blind Baking: The Step You Cannot Skip

Right, this is important. Blind baking means baking the pastry case without the filling first. It prevents soggy bottoms, which is exactly as grim as it sounds.

Line your chilled pastry case with baking parchment and fill it with baking beans (or dried rice, or ceramic baking beads – they all work). The beans weight down the pastry so it doesn’t puff up.

Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and parchment. Bake for another 5-7 minutes until the base looks dry and very lightly golden. It shouldn’t be brown – you’re just drying it out.

I learned about proper blind baking the hard way. My first attempt at this tart, I skipped it entirely because I was in a rush. The bottom never properly cooked and had this horrible, doughy texture. My husband gamely ate his slice but I could see the disappointment in his eyes.

Take the pastry case out and let it cool slightly while you make the frangipane. Turn your oven down to 180C (160C fan).

Making the Frangipane Filling

This is genuinely the easiest part of the whole recipe.

Beat your softened butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. I use an electric whisk for this because life’s too short, but you could do it by hand if you’re feeling energetic. It takes about 2-3 minutes with an electric whisk.

Add your eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Don’t panic if it looks a bit split – it’ll come back together when you add the almonds.

Fold in the ground almonds and flour. I use a spatula for this bit. Add your almond extract if you’re using it. The mixture should be thick but spreadable, sort of like very soft butter.

Here’s my tip that makes life so much easier: pop this mixture in the fridge for about 10 minutes before you spread it in the tart case. Chilled frangipane spreads much more easily and doesn’t drag at your pastry.

Assembling Your Tart

Spread the frangipane mixture into your blind-baked pastry case. I use a spatula to get it right into the edges and smooth the top. Don’t worry about making it perfectly level – it’ll even out as it bakes.

Now for the raspberries. You can arrange them in neat concentric circles if you’re feeling fancy, or just dot them randomly over the surface like I usually do. Press them gently into the frangipane so they’re sitting half-in, half-out.

Scatter the flaked almonds over the top. They’ll toast as the tart bakes and add this lovely crunch.

Trim off any overhanging pastry using a sharp knife.

Baking Your Tart to Golden Perfection

Bake at 180C (160C fan) for 35-40 minutes. You’re looking for the frangipane to be golden brown, risen, and firm to the touch. The flaked almonds should be toasted but not burned.

My oven runs a bit hot, so I usually check mine at 30 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly but the centre isn’t quite set, cover it loosely with foil and give it another 5-10 minutes.

The tart is done when a skewer inserted into the frangipane comes out clean. Don’t test it through a raspberry though – they’ll always be a bit wet.

Let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer it to a wire rack. I use a loose-bottomed tart tin which makes this much easier – you just push up from the bottom.

Common Frangipane Tart Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

Soggy pastry base
This happens if you skip the blind baking or don’t bake it for long enough. Always blind bake properly, and make sure your pastry case looks dry before adding the frangipane.

Frangipane sinking in the middle
Usually means it wasn’t quite cooked through. Give it those extra few minutes even if the top looks done. The centre should feel firm when you gently press it.

Pastry shrinking
This is from overstretching the pastry when you line the tin, or not chilling it enough. Always chill, never stretch.

Too much almond extract
Less is definitely more here. Half a teaspoon is plenty. I speak from experience.

Raspberries sinking completely
If your frangipane is too warm or too thin, the raspberries can sink. Chilling the frangipane slightly before spreading helps, and make sure you’ve got the right consistency.

Burnt almonds on top
If your flaked almonds are burning before the tart is cooked, cover the top loosely with foil. I learned this after serving a tart with what my daughter kindly described as “very crispy” almonds. They were black.

Quick Comparison: Fresh vs Frozen Raspberries

Factor	Fresh Raspberries	Frozen Raspberries
Appearance	Prettier, hold shape better	Can look slightly soft once baked
Flavour	Bright, fresh flavour	Just as good, sometimes sweeter
Cost	£2-3 per punnet (seasonal)	£2 for 300g bag (year-round)
Convenience	May need washing, checking	Defrost and drain, always available
Best for	Dinner parties, special occasions	Family dinners, everyday baking

My recommendation: Use fresh when you can get good quality ones at a reasonable price, especially if you’re serving it to guests. Use frozen the rest of the time without any guilt whatsoever. I’ve served frozen-raspberry frangipane tarts to friends who’ve raved about them, completely unaware they weren’t fresh.

Serving and Storing Your Tart

This tart is lovely served just warm with a dollop of creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream. The slight sharpness of creme fraiche particularly cuts through the sweetness of the frangipane beautifully.

It’s also excellent at room temperature, and honestly, I think it tastes even better the next day. The flavours settle and meld together, and the texture becomes slightly denser and more luxurious.

Dust it with icing sugar just before serving. I put icing sugar in a small sieve and tap it over the tart – gives you a much more even coverage than trying to sprinkle it straight from the bag.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temperature before serving if you’ve refrigerated it – cold frangipane loses some of its lovely soft texture.

What If Something Goes Wrong?

Pastry cracked while lining the tin?
Patch it with extra pastry. Press it together firmly and chill – it’ll be fine once baked and nobody will ever know.

Forgot to blind bake?
Right, this happened to me once. You can try baking it anyway, but expect a softer, less crisp base. It’s not ideal but it’s edible. Learn for next time.

Frangipane is too stiff to spread?
Stir in a tablespoon of milk to loosen it slightly. You don’t want it runny, just spreadable.

Don’t have almond extract?
The tart will still taste good, just less intensely almondy. You could add a splash of vanilla extract instead, or just leave it out entirely.

Raspberries are all frozen to my freezer drawer in one solid lump?
Run the bag under lukewarm water for 30 seconds. They’ll separate. This happens to me constantly.

Making It Your Own: Flavour Variations

Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe, you can play around with variations:

Raspberry and lemon: Add the zest of one lemon to your frangipane for a lovely citrus note that complements the raspberries beautifully.

Strawberry frangipane: Use halved strawberries instead of raspberries. They’re sweeter and less sharp.

Blackberry version: Blackberries work brilliantly and are much cheaper when in season. I make this version in September when the hedgerows are full of them.

Cherry frangipane: Use pitted cherries (fresh or tinned and drained). Absolutely delicious and very traditional.

Apricot and almond: Halved fresh apricots create a stunning tart that tastes properly summery.

The frangipane base stays the same for all these variations. It’s genuinely one of the most versatile recipes in my repertoire.

When to Serve Raspberry Frangipane Tart

This tart works for so many occasions:

Sunday lunch dessert: Make it in the morning, serve it after lunch. It sits happily for hours.

Afternoon tea: Cut into small slices, it’s perfect with a pot of proper tea. Very civilised.

Dinner parties: Looks impressive, can be made the day before, serves 8-10 people easily. Literally my go-to dinner party dessert.

Bake sales: Travels well, looks professional, always sells out quickly.

Showing off to your mother-in-law: I mean, we’ve all been there. This tart says “I’m a competent adult who has their life together” even if you’re still in your pyjamas at 11am most Saturdays.

Why Frangipane Tarts Are Secretly Easy

Can I be really honest with you? Frangipane tarts have this reputation for being difficult, but they’re actually one of the most forgiving bakes you can make.

The frangipane puffs up and covers mistakes. Your pastry cracked a bit? The filling hides it. Your raspberries aren’t in perfect rows? Once it’s baked and golden, it looks artfully rustic. Forgot to brush the pastry with egg wash? Honestly, nobody will notice once the frangipane is there.

Compare this to something like a Victoria sponge, where if your cake sinks or doesn’t rise evenly, everyone can see it. Or macarons, which are basically designed to make you cry. Frangipane tarts are your friend. They want you to succeed.

The other brilliant thing is you can make both components in advance. Pastry case? Blind bake it in the morning, or even the day before. Frangipane? Make it up to 2 days ahead and keep it in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, just assemble and bung it in the oven.

The Full Recipe

Raspberry Frangipane Tart

Equipment:

23cm loose-bottomed tart tin
Baking beans or dried rice
Food processor or electric whisk
Rolling pin

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

200g plain flour (or 1 x 320g block shop-bought shortcrust)
100g cold butter, cubed
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 egg yolk
2-3 tablespoons cold water

For the frangipane:

125g unsalted butter, softened
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs
125g ground almonds
1 tablespoon plain flour
Half teaspoon almond extract

For the topping:

200-250g raspberries
2 tablespoons flaked almonds
Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

Make the pastry by rubbing butter into flour and sugar until breadcrumb consistency. Add egg yolk and water, bring together, chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out pastry and line your tart tin. Chill for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 200C (180C fan).
Blind bake: line with parchment and baking beans, bake 15 minutes. Remove beans and parchment, bake another 5-7 minutes. Cool slightly. Reduce oven to 180C (160C fan).
Make frangipane: beat butter and sugar until fluffy, add eggs one at a time, fold in almonds, flour, and almond extract. Chill for 10 minutes.
Spread frangipane in pastry case. Dot with raspberries, scatter with flaked almonds. Trim excess pastry.
Bake 35-40 minutes until golden and firm. Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze raspberry frangipane tart?
Yes, it freezes brilliantly. Freeze the whole tart (once completely cool) wrapped well in cling film and foil for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving. I’ve also frozen individual slices successfully – wrap each one separately and they defrost in about an hour at room temperature.

Do I have to use a tart tin or can I use a pie dish?
A proper fluted tart tin with a removable base gives you the best presentation and makes it much easier to serve neat slices. You could use a pie dish in a pinch, but you’ll need to serve it straight from the dish as you can’t remove it. Also, the baking time might need adjusting slightly depending on the depth of your dish.

Can I make this dairy-free?
Honestly, it’s difficult. The butter in both the pastry and frangipane is pretty essential to the texture and flavour. You could try using a good quality baking margarine, but I haven’t tested this myself so I can’t guarantee the results. If you do try it, let me know how it turns out.

Why did my frangipane mixture split when I added the eggs?
This usually happens if your butter wasn’t soft enough or if you added the eggs too quickly. It looks scary but it’s not a disaster – it’ll come back together when you fold in the ground almonds. If it’s really split, add a tablespoon of the ground almonds earlier and beat it in before adding the rest.

Can I use this recipe to make individual tartlets?
Absolutely. Use small tart tins (about 10cm diameter), reduce the baking time to 20-25 minutes, and watch them carefully. You’ll get about 6-8 individual tarts from this recipe. They’re brilliant for afternoon tea or packing in lunchboxes (yes, my kids are spoiled, I know).

What’s the difference between frangipane and marzipan?
Marzipan is ground almonds and sugar, much denser and sweeter, often used for covering cakes. Frangipane includes butter and eggs, giving it a lighter, cake-like texture when baked. You can’t substitute one for the other – they’re completely different things despite both being almond-based.

Final Thoughts

This raspberry frangipane tart has become one of my absolute staples. It’s in my regular rotation alongside things like Mary Berry’s chocolate cake and my go-to lemon drizzle. It’s the recipe I turn to when I need something reliable that makes me look like I’ve spent hours in the kitchen, even when I haven’t.

The beauty of it is that it scales up beautifully for occasions but works just as well for a quiet weekend treat. I’ve served it to friends at dinner parties and I’ve made it on a rainy Tuesday just because we fancied something nice for pudding.

Give it a go. Your first one might not be perfect (mine certainly wasn’t), but it’ll definitely be delicious. And by your third or fourth attempt, you’ll be turning them out like a proper baker.

For more of my baking recipes, have a look here

For another delicious summer dessert recipe you can try Helen’s Homemade Banana Ice Lollies Recipe with Crunchie Chunks – yum!

Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.