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One of my favorite French summer desserts to make is this classic apricot tart with almond frangipane. A golden, buttery crust filled with nutty almond cream and topped with sweet apricots, plus a few blackberries for color and tartness. I love eating it warm or cold topped with a dollop of crème fraîche.
Intro to French Fruit Tarts
French tarts are truly edible art. With their layers of texture, flavor, and color, I couldn’t help but fall even more in love with them while attending French pastry school. Rolling out sweet dough, lining pastry rings, and preparing the various fillings isn’t all that different from making American pies.
This apricot tart is a great beginner friendly recipe to begin making French tarts. Once you have a handle on making the dough and lining the tart pan you can make so many different types of tarts.
I like to make my tarts using either a perforated tart ring or a tart pan with a removable bottom. The tiny holes in the metal not only promote a more even bake, but also help keep the dough from slipping down the sides during baking. I also use a perforated silicone baking mat and perforated baking tray. All these little holes help to achieve a beautifully golden, crisp bottom crust. Of course, if you decide to use a regular tart pan, that will work too.
The dough is a simple pâte sucrée, more commonly known as sweet pastry dough. Almond cream is the filling, the same as in almond croissants. Top it with fresh seasonal apricots and blackberries, and you’ve got yourself a colorful fruit tart.
Key Ingredients & Test Notes
- Pâte Sucrée: Sweet pastry dough with a touch of almond flour that bakes into a sturdy, crisp tart shell. My recipe makes enough dough for two 9-inch (22 cm) tarts. So you can either make a half batch or divide the dough and keep the rest in the freezer for later.
- Test Note: I tested this recipe both with a par-baked tart shell and by baking everything at once. The par-baked crust produced a beautifully golden, crisp shell that was sturdy enough to hold a slice in your hands. When I skipped the par-bake, I had to increase the oven temperature by about 25 degrees to achieve a similarly crisp crust. However, I found that the higher temp cooked the filling a bit more than I personally preferred.
- Almond Cream: Often referred to as frangipane, though in France almond cream (crème d’amande) and frangipane are technically not the same thing. Almond cream is made with butter, sugar, eggs, and almond flour, while frangipane is a mixture of almond cream and pastry cream. Either way, it’s a lightly almond-flavored filling that starts out as a soft paste and bakes into a tender, cake-like texture.
- Test Note: I make mine a day ahead and keep it in the fridge. Before assembly, I’ll let it come to room temperature so it’s easier to spread.
- Apricots and Blackberries: If you’ve made any of my recipes, you know I’m a fan of fresh fruit over frozen or canned. I don’t love the extra liquid frozen fruit can release into baked goods. But, I still use it when fresh fruit is out of season and I’m craving a fruity bake.
- Choose apricots that are ripe but not overly soft. Avoid ones that feels rock hard or mushy. They should have just a little give when gently squeezed. There’s no need to peel them. I prefer the look of larger fruit chunks in the tart, so I cut the apricots into quarters and discard the pits.
- Same goes for the blackberries. Just ripened have the best flavor, neither bitter nor mushy. The fruit will shrink and take on a jammy texture in the oven. It will still hold it’s shape if not over ripened.
How to Make a French Apricot Tart
- Roll out the chilled pastry dough to 1/8- 1/4 inch (3-6mm) thickness. Line either a 22-cm tart ring or a 9-inch tart pan. Make sure the dough tucks into the corners and is pressed against the sides. Tips for lining a tart ring in the recipe for pâte sucrée. Dock the bottom with the tines of a fork. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes while you make the almond cream.
- Make the almond cream, cover with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to use.
- Line the frozen pastry shell with crinkled parchment paper for an easy fit.
- Fill with dried baking beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F (180C). Lift the parchment paper, removing it and the weights from the crust. Bake an additional 10 minutes to dry out the bottom of the pastry.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool completely. If there are any rough edges on the crust, I smooth them down with a microplane. Leave the tart shell in the pan.
- Fill the cooled tart shell with the almond cream. Spread the cream into an even layer using an offset spatula.
- Arrange the apricots and blackberries across the almond cream, gently pressing enough for them to stick. Leave a little space in between the fruit for the almond cream to puff up around it.
- Bake on the middle oven rack until the cream is puffed and golden. Cool the tart completely before lifting away the pastry ring or removing from a tart pan. Brush with apricot glaze and serve.
Jenn’s Fruit Tart Tips
- Make Ahead: Prepare the pastry dough and almond cream the day before baking. It’s not necessary, but it does make assembly much quicker. When you’re ready to bake, let the almond cream sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes to soften. It’ll be much easier to spread into the par-baked tart shell.
- Par-bake the Crust: Unlike a traditional fruit pie baked at a 400℉ (200℃), this tart bakes at a lower temperature of 350℉ (180℃) to keep the almond cream tender. Par-baking the crust helps ensure it bakes up golden and crisp without overbaking the filling.
- Use Just Ripened Fruit: Choose fruit that’s fully ripe but still a little firm. Underripe fruit won’t soften into that jammy texture we’re after. While overripe fruit can break down too much and lose its shape during baking.
- Apricot Glaze: I love brushing the finished tart with a thin layer of warm apricot glaze. It adds a little extra apricot flavor and gives the fruit that beautiful bakery-style shine. Simply stir a spoonful of apricot jam with a splash of warm water until smooth. If glaze isn’t your thing, a light dusting of powdered sugar looks just as fancy.
- Serve: This French tart is delicious served chilled, at room temperature, or slightly warm. Pair it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of crème fraiche, or freshly whipped cream.
How to Store a Fruit Tart
Fridge: The baked apricot tart should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
Freezing: I’m not a fan of freezing fruit tarts. The texture of the finished tart will not be the same and the cooked fruit will become watery.
★★★★★ Please leave a star rating and review below if you make this recipe! THANK YOU!!
French Blackberry Apricot Tart
Classic French apricot frangipane tart made with sweet short pastry, almond cream frangipane, and topped with fresh fruit.
Click Here for Help with Ingredients in this Recipe
Equipment
- perforated silicone baking mat optional
- perforated baking tray optional
Ingredients
Tart Crust
- 1/2 batch Sweet Tart Pastry – Pâte Sucrée
Almond Cream Frangipane
- 1 batch French Almond Cream
Fruit Topping
- 8 medium fresh apricots, pits removed, cut into quarters
- fresh blackberries
Apricot Glaze
- 4 Tbsp apricot jam
- 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
Tart Crust & Lining Tart Pan
- Make the pâte sucrée dough, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. You will only need 1/2 the recipe for a 22cm tart ring. If using a bigger tart pan you can roll out as much as you need and save the rest.1/2 batch Sweet Tart Pastry – Pâte Sucrée
- Roll out between two layers of parchment paper to a thickness of 1/8-1/4 inch (3-6mm). If the dough feels a little soft chill for about 10 minutes before lining your tart ring or tart pan.
- If using a tart ring, very lightly coat the inside with cold butter. (You can skip this step of your ring is non-stick) Place the tart ring on a perforated silicone mat and perforated pan. For tart pans with removable bottom simply place on work surface.
- Place the tart ring on the rolled out dough and cut a circle that is 1.5 inches wider than the ring. Carefully lower the dough into the center of the prepared tart ring.
- Gently guide the dough into the corners of the ring or pan, working quickly until it becomes flush with the silicone mat or bottom of the pan. Make sure there are no gaps. Use the bristles of a pastry brush to gently press the dough into the corners. Then a flat fingertip to press it softly against the sides with flattening the dough.
- Take a small knife and trim away the overhanging dough. Smooth the edges with your fingertip.
- Place the pan with the dough lined tart ring in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to firm before baking.
Par-Baking the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). If using convection or fan oven, reduce the temp by 25℉ (20℃).
- Take a sheet of parchment paper and crinkle it in your hands so that it will easily fit inside the frozen crust. Fill the paper with pie weights, dried beans, or rice.
- Place the perforated pan with the tart ring on the middle rack of the oven. If using a tart pan with removebable bottom you can place it on a baking sheet and also bake on the middle rack.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights by lifting up on the parchment paper and setting them aside. Return the empty tart to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes. It should have a very light golden hue. Place the pan on a wire rack and let it cool completely.
- Don't remove the tart ring. If you see any uneven edges on the crust you can gently file them with a microplane.
Almond Cream (Frangipane)
- While the crust is cooling, make your almond cream if you haven't already done so.1 batch French Almond Cream
- Fill the cooled tart shell with the almond cream. Spread it into an even layer using an offset spatula. It should almost comlpletely fill the tart with just a little room for adding fruit and puffing.
Top with Fruit & Bake
- Arrange the apricot quarters across the almond cream, leaving little spaces for the filling to bake around the fruit. The apricots will shrink slightly in the oven, but having too much fruit will make it the tart hard to slice.8 medium fresh apricots
- Add blackberries between the gaps of the apricots.fresh blackberries
- Place the tart back in the oven and continue to bake at 350℉ (180℃) for an additional 50-55 minutes. Since all ovens are different start checking your tart around the 45 minute mark. The frangipane shouls be puffy, dark golden around the edges of the tart and lightly golden on the spots in the middle.
- Remove the tart from the oven and slide the silicone mat with the tart ring directly onto a cooling rack. Or transfer your tart pan from the baking sheet directly onto the cooling rack. This prevents further cooking of the bottom tart crust due to a hot pan.
Apricot Glaze
- While the tart is cooling and still a little warm I like to paint on a thin layer of apricot glaze.
- Combine the apricot jam and water in a small bowl. Microwave about 15 seconds until warm and stir with a fork.
- Take a pastry brush and gently paint a shiny coating of glaze across the top of the tart.
- Serve slightly warm, room temp, or chilled.
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