Cherry Frangipane Tart

When I was a kid, I would try and emulate the same preferences as my dad. If he loved white chocolate and strawberries, so did I. Twizzlers? Yes, please. And cherries and almonds were no different. He loves cherries, so of course I love them too. Now that I think about it, if I didn’t love him so much, I probably wouldn’t love these types of food combinations as much as I do now. His favourite dessert was a cherry frangipane tart, with custard. So this winter, I decided to share my recipe with him. I knew he loved it as soon as he took a bite. It was difficult to take the plate away from him. He’s a diabetic, so he shouldn’t be eating anything too sweet. Which is why I try making desserts that are well balanced. 

This dessert made me so happy. And the fact that he loved it so much he was tempted to have another slice, was the icing on the cake. Sometimes, food just brings so much emotion and connection. And this was one of those times for me. 

Preparation Time 20 minutes 

Chill Time 1 hour 

Cook Time 1 hour 

Serves 12 

Ingredients 

Shortcrust Pastry 

125 grams butter- cubed 

50 grams icing sugar 

1 egg 

50 grams almond meal 

200 grams flour 

Frangipane 

100 grams butter- soft 

110 grams sugar 

110 grams almond meal 

35 grams flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

2 eggs- beaten 

500 grams black cherries- pitted 

Instructions 

1. For the shortcrust pastry: Use a paddle attachment to cream the butter and sugar together. Mix it through until smooth. Add the egg and half of the flour. Remove the paddle attachment then fold the remaining flour and the almond meal by hand. Do not over mix it. 

2. Wrap the pastry up in cling film and chill for 30 minutes to one hour. 

3. Grease a 10 inch/ 25 cm tart pan. 

4. Roll out the pastry between two sheets of parchment paper. The pastry should be a few inches larger than the pie dish and the thickness of a 1 pound coin. Line the tart pan with the pastry and cut off the excess pastry. 

5. Prick the pastry with a fork and then line the pastry with parchment paper. Top the parchment paper with pie weights. 

6. Bake the tart shell at 180c for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and the parchment paper then return the tart pan back to the oven to bake for 5 minutes more. 

7. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool. 

8. For the frangipane filling: combine all the ingredients and mix until smooth. 

9. Spread the filling over the baked and cooled base. Top with the pitted cherries, then bake at 200c for 25 minutes. Turn down the heat to 180c and bake it for a further 20 minutes until golden and cooked through. 

10. Allow the tart to cool to warm before serving. Serve with ice cream, heavy cream or even custard.