Rhubarb Tart with Frangipane
Here’s a traditional French recipe for Rhubarb Tart with Frangipane made with a pretty geometric pattern. The sweetness of frangipane (aka almond cream) goes perfectly with the tanginess of rhubarb.
Table of contents
What I love about this recipe!
- Quick: No need to peel or soak the rhubarb! So you save lots of time compared to other recipes.
- Frangipane : If, like me, you love almonds, you’ll love the addition of frangipane to this rhubarb tart.
- Pretty: This rhubarb tart always makes an impact when I serve it to friends, thanks to the beautiful geometric pattern on top.
If, like me, you’re a fan of rhubarb, you’ve got to try this Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake with a pretty pattern on it too, or this recipe for Vanilla Milk Rice with Rhubarb Compote.
What is frangipane ?
Frangipane is an almond-based filling or sweet cream used in pastries and desserts, often made with ground almonds, sugar, butter, eggs, and sometimes flavored with vanilla or rum.
It is commonly used in tarts, galettes and cakes, such as the traditional Galette des Rois in French cuisine.
Ingredients
shortcrust pastry (pâte sucrée)
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour. A gluten-free flour mix will work too.
- Butter: Unsalted butter at room temperature
- Icing sugar: Using icing sugar allows the sugar to blend perfectly with the rest of the ingredients. If you use caster sugar if will caramelize during baking and make the dough browner and more crumbly.
- Ground almonds: To add some flavor.
- Egg: I use a medium egg.
Note: Pâte sucrée is the base of many French fruit tart recipes. It’s perfect for fruits that tend to release lots of water during baking such as rhubarb.
Frangipane
- Ground almonds: The base of frangipane. I use store-bought ground almonds, but you can simply blend your almonds until you obtain an almond powder.
- Brown sugar: To sweeten the frangipane, you can use caster sugar.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter at room temperature.
- Egg: To bind the ingredients together.
- Vanilla extract: Can be replaced with a dahs of rum if you prefer!
rhubarb
- Rhubarb stalks: Choose rhubarb stalks of equal size and, if possible, bright red
Preparation
1. Rhubarb
I recommend you not to peel the rhubarb, to preserve its red color and make the tart looks pretty after baking.
Note: Having tried this recipe several times, I’ve never had the problem of stringy rhubarb. If you’re a little reluctant to leave the rhubarb unpeeled, you can peel just the bottom of the stalk.
Next, cut the rhubarb on the bias into 2 cm sections to form rhombuses of equal size. You can then test the geometric pattern before placing the rhubarb on the tart. Here’s my technique:
And if you’re looking for more pattern inspiration, here are three more ideas for graphic rhubarb pie geometric patterns:
- Geometric tart with three colors by Gourmandiseries.fr
- Geometric tart by Blogdechataigne.fr
- Geometric Tart with squares by Telegraph.co.uk
2. Shortcrust pastry (pâte sucrée)
In a large bowl, mix the flour, icing sugar, ground almonds and butter until you obtain a sandy texture. Then add the egg and continue mixing until the dough is smooth.
Form into a ball, cover with cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 °F (175°, fan oven).
Then roll out the shortcrust pastry to form a circle larger than your tart tin. Place the shortcrust pastry in a buttered or parchment-lined tart tin. Remove excess dough and prick with a fork.
Lay out a sheet of baking paper, cover with weights (e.g. raw beans) and blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes.
3. Frangipane
Meanwhile, prepare the frangipane. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs, then add the butter and vanilla extract.
4. Baking
Once the shortcrust pastry is pre-baked, start by spreading in the frangipane on the bottom and then layering the rhubarb pieces to form a geometric pattern (see above).
Place the rhubarb tart in the oven for a further 30-35 minutes, until it begins to brown and the frangipane is no longer runny.
Géraldine’s tips
- Choose rhubarb stalks that are bright red and preferably thin.
- Practice the pattern beforehand.
- Make sure to leave no space between the rhubarb pieces, as they tend to reduce in size when baked.
More French fruit tart recipes
- Apricot Tart with Almond Cream
- Sweet Cherry Galette
- Strawberry Tartelettes with Crème Pâtissière
- Plum Tart with Almond Cream
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Recipe card
Rhubarb Tart with Frangipane
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Equipment
- 1 tart pan, 10 '' (26 cm)
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry
- 2 cups flour (240 g)
- 1/2 cup soft butter (125 g)
- 1/2 cup icing sugar (60 g)
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp ground almonds
- 1 egg
For the almond cream
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (70 g)
- 1/4 cup soft butter (60 g)
- 1/2 cup ground almonds (70 g)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the rhubarb
- 5 rhubarb stalks
Instructions
- Slice the rhubarb on the bias into 1” (2 cm) sections, forming uniform rhombuses.
Shortcrust pastry
- Combine flour, icing sugar, ground almonds, and butter in a large bowl until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the egg and continue mixing until a smooth dough forms.
- Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film, and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C for fan oven).
- Roll out the pastry into a circle larger than your tart tin. Line the tin with the pastry, trim excess, and prick the base with a fork.
- Place parchment paper over the pastry, fill with weights (such as raw beans), and blind bake for 10 minutes.
Frangipane
- Whisk together sugar and eggs in a small bowl, then add butter and vanilla extract.
Baking
- Once the pastry is pre-baked, spread the frangipane evenly over the base. Arrange the rhubarb pieces in your desired pattern on top.
- Bake the tart for an additional 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and the frangipane is set.
