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Almond cream is an easy French pastry filling that adds rich flavor to tarts and pastries. Made with just a handful of ingredients, it comes together in only a few minutes. I use toasted almond flour along with a touch of vanilla and almond extract to enhance this creamy, nutty filling.
If you’ve ever eaten an almond croissant, you’ve already tasted the magic of almond cream. Rich with butter and ground almonds, it bakes into a soft filling with a delicate, almost custardy texture. In classic French frangipane, almond cream is folded with pastry cream, but you can skip the pastry cream entirely to let the almond flavor shine. I love using it to fill tart shells with fresh fruit for a nutty elegant dessert.
Key Ingredients & Test Notes
This almond cream consists of equal parts almond flour, butter, sugar and eggs. I’ve also added a touch of flour for thickness. You can easily double or half the recipe for the amount of almond cream you need in your pastry recipe.
- Toasted Almond Flour: Blanched almond flour (without skins) or unblanched almond flour (with skins) can be used interchangeably in this recipe. I love to toast the almond flour for about 10 minutes in the oven for extra nuttiness.
- Unsalted Butter: I prefer to use cultured European style butter with 82% butterfat for added richness.
- Test Note: Swap for American style sweet cream butter at 80% butterfat.
- Granulated Sugar: Cream the sugar with the butter for a pale and fluffy texture.
- Eggs: Weigh out the eggs to be exact. Most of the time I crack eggs into a measuring cup, stir with a fork and then weigh out the total amount needed.
Pro-Tip
Make sure the butter and eggs are both at room temperature. This makes it much easier for them to blend together, avoiding over mixing when adding in the flours.
Hot to Make Almond Cream for Pastries
Emulsion is the technique that brings butter (fat) and eggs (liquid) together into one smooth stable mixture. In almond cream, it’s what creates that delicate, creamy texture that tastes so amazing in pastry.
Almond cream is baked inside desserts and not consumed raw. In the oven it puffs slightly, turning golden around the edges while maintaining a soft center. I love to press small chunks of nuts or fruit inside before baking.
Use as the filling in fruit tarts, almond croissants, laminated pastries and galette de rois (French King Cake).
- Start by adding softened butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. You can also use a hand mixer too.
- Cream for about 3 minutes on medium speed, until pale and fluffy.
- On slow speed, mix in half of the beaten eggs with vanilla, alternating with the almond flour and all purpose flour. The final cream will look like a light textured paste.
Frangipane
Frangipane and almond cream are closely related, but they’re not identical. French frangipane is made by combining almond cream with pastry cream, resulting in a filling that’s airier, creamier, and less dense. Almond cream is traditionally used in Epiphany Cake, Galette des Rois.
Storing Almond Cream
- Refrigerate: Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the cream in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Make sure its in either an airtight container or sealed plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
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French Almond Cream (Crème d’Amande)
Equipment
- electric stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
Frangipane Almond Cream
- 100 grams unsalted European style butter (82% butterfat), softened
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 100 grams almond flour
- 20 grams all purpose flour
- 100 grams (2 large) eggs, lightly beaten
- ¾ tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- ¾ tsp almond extract
Optional Flavoring
- 15 grams rum
Instructions
Toast Almond Flour
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Spread the almond flour in an even layer across the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, stirring the flour every 3 minutes with a spatula for an even toast. Set aside to cool completely (about 20 minutes).
Frangipane Almond Cream
- Stir the vanilla and almond into the beaten eggs. Whisk together the toasted almond flour and all purpose flour in a small bowl.20 grams all purpose flour, 100 grams eggs, ¾ tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, ¾ tsp almond extract, 100 grams almond flour
- Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed for about 3 minutes until pale and fluffy.100 grams unsalted European style butter (82% butterfat), 100 grams granulated sugar
- Mixing on low speed, add in a third of the flour mixture, followed by a third of the eggs. Repeat until all the flour and eggs have been incorporated. Scrape bottom and side of the mixing bowl as needed.
- To add rum, mix it in at the very end.15 grams rum
- Don't over mix. It should look like a soft textured paste.
- Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. Allow the frangipane to come back to room temperature for a spreadable consistency to fill and bake inside pastries.
Notes
- Almond cream is used as a pastry filling that must be baked. It is not for raw consumption due to the uncooked eggs.
