What Is Frangipane and Why Do Bakers Love It So Much? (2024)

FAQs

What Is Frangipane and Why Do Bakers Love It So Much? ›

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.

It's difficult to describe concisely but I describe frangipane as a creamy, velvety smooth filling with a rich, nutty, lightly sweet, FABULOUS flavor.

In essence, frangipane is an almond filling, sometimes called frangipane cream. It isn't the same as marzipan, which is an almond-sugar paste that's so dense it can be formed into decorative shapes and painted in bright colors.

Because it contains raw egg and flour, frangipane is always baked before eating.

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.

Frangipane is a classic French filling for cakes, tarts, and pastries. It's made with butter, sugar, eggs, and ground almonds, so it's pretty similar to an almond paste.

Another difference between frangipane and almond paste and marzipan is the ingredients. In addition to almonds and sugar, frangipane contains eggs, butter, and flour. French-style frangipane also requires milk to prepare a custard, which is then mixed with ground almonds. Frangipane has a very soft consistency.

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.

What is similar to frangipane? ›

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.

Try to avoid opening the oven before 15 minutes have passed, as the delicate structure of the frangipane means they have a tendency to sink. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Pipe each tart with a dab of buttercream, then top with a fresh cherry and some toasted flaked almonds.

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.

The meaning of Frangipane

Italian: nickname, of uncertain application, from a phrase meaning 'break bread' (see Fragapane). Some characteristic forenames: Italian Salvatore, Angelo.

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.

Almond paste is more similar to marzipan than frangipane, but it's still distinctly its own. It's made of the same ingredients as marzipan but it's less sweet and richer in almond flavor. It's a bit more crumbly and coarse-textured and is used in baked goods such as these pignoli cookies.

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.