Pear Frangipane Tart
This elegant pear frangipane tart is a traditional french pastry turned vegan. A date walnut crust supports a creamy vegan frangipane filling. The tart is baked until the pears are caramelized and the frangipane is perfectly golden.
Tasting Notes
Cardamom | Earthy | Caramel
Pairing Suggestions
Hot Tea | Dinner Party | Whipped Cream
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Why you’ll love this pear frangipane tart
- It’s an easy introduction to baking classic french pastries
- A pear frangipane tart is elegant, sophisticated, and perfect for entertaining
- Vegan
- Gluten Free
- No sugars or syrups – this tart is sweetened naturally with whole fruits!
- Option to prep in advance
- Excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids
Ingredients to make this pear frangipane tart
Pears: these winter fruits are the star of the show, so be sure to select only the best, juiciest, most fragrant ones you can find. I used red d’anjou pears but the bosc variety would also work wonderfully in this recipe.
Walnuts: dry roasted walnuts are the main ingredients in the crust and frangipane filling. Typically, frangipane is made from almonds, but this recipe is Considered the healthiest nut out there, you’re doing your body a wonderful service by incorporating more of these into your diet. Read more about nuts and your health here.
Dates: to naturally sweeten and bind the crust of this tart, we’re calling on a tried-and-true fruit. Medjool dates are naturally fat free, full of fiber, and have wonderful caramel-like flavor.
Oat flour: you can either purchase gluten-free oat flour (use my amazon link) or save money by grinding your own at home with a high-speed food processor. Just add whole or quick-cook oats to the blender and process until you achieve a smooth, fine flour.
Aquafaba: another name for the liquid from a can of chickpeas – this ingredient serves as an emulsifier in the creamy frangipane layer.
Tapioca starch: a touch of starch is necessary to get a perfectly golden brown top on the frangipane. It also thickens the cream.
Baking soda: this leavener is responsible for lifting the frangipane as it bakes.
Salt: it adds a nice little touch of flavor balance by cutting away any bitterness from the walnuts.
Almond extract: optional but highly recommended – almond extract has a very unique, bakery-like aroma and is an essential component of the more traditional almond-based frangipane.
Vanilla extract: another lovely aromatic to deepen the flavor complexity of this pear frangipane tart.
Cardamom: pear and cardamom go together like chocolate and peanut butter. Cinnamon is an option, but I find it to be quite harsh and overpowering in this particular recipe. Cardamom is a gentler, cooler, almost minty version of cinnamon.
How to make vegan frangipane tart
This tart has two main components: a walnut date oat crust and a creamy frangipane filling. After combining and assembling these two components in the baking dish, the last step is halving and then thinly slicing the pears.
You’ll need a high speed blender or food processor to make this recipe. I organized the process so that there is no need to clean out the blender between the two layers.
Note that this recipe calls for blending the walnuts in three stages, removing portions from each stage of blending. The three textures we need are:
(1) a dry, fine walnut flour
(2) a sticky walnut paste
(3) a thin walnut butter
The Walnuts
Dry roast the walnuts before starting to enhance their rich, nutty flavor. This step is optional but highly recommended.
Add the lightly roasted walnuts to the blender and pulse until they resemble a fine flour. Remove half of the nut flour (150 grams).
Continue blending in short intervals until the walnut flour becomes thick and starts to stick together. This can be likened to a paste or a tacky, play-dough-like texture. Remove 50 grams and set aside.
Blend the remaining walnut paste until it turns into a smooth, runny butter. Remove all the walnut butter from the blender and set aside.
The Crust
Starting with the same blender that the walnuts were just in (no need to wash). Add the oat flour, walnut flour, walnut paste, salt, dates, and vanilla. Blend until a dough forms. If your dates were super dry, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to help the blending process. We’re looking for a nice, thick, sticky dough.
Transfer the dough to a tart pan or pie dish. For this recipe, I used an 8” round tart pan with ridged edges and a removable bottom (purchase one here), which is super helpful because it allows you to get a clean finish with minimal effort and eliminates the need for parchment paper. Press the sides together first, then spread the rest of the dough to evenly cover the bottom of the pan.
The Frangipane
Using the same blender, wipe away any leftover bits of the crust – you want this frangipane filling to be smooth.
Slice your pears lengthwise, on either side of the stem, to get two large halves and save these halves for decorating the top. Slice away the remaining sides on the pears (see photos) and add these to the blender. You’ll need 6 of these smaller sections, or two each from three pears total.
Add the aquafaba, walnut butter, almond extract, and vanilla extract and blend on high for about two minutes. The mixture will expand from the whipped aquafaba and appear opaque white when finished. Make sure the pears are fully blended and there are not large chunks remaining.
Pour the frangipane filling on top of the crust in your tart pan. Use a spatula to even it out.
Pears
After the frangipane filling is leveled out in the tart pan, top with pears.
Starting with the pear halves we set aside earlier – cut the pear halves into thin, 1/8″ thick slices. Hold the halves together with your hands as you slice so that the sliced pear half can be placed on the frangipane as one “piece.”
Gently place the sliced pear halves on top of the frangipane. Point the thinner tops toward the center with the broader ends closer to the tart edge.
Bake and enjoy!
The tart needs 25-30 minutes at 350 in a preheated oven. Watch to be sure the frangipane turns a light golden color. The filling will expand, lifting and then falling again while baking – this is normal!
Recipe Tips
Picking out your pears
The pears you choose can truly make or break this recipe. The pear is responsible for sweetening the frangipane filling and creating a stunning visual end result. When picking pears, look for the ones that have started bruising (think of it like a banana). It should have some give when you press your thumb against the skin. You do not want to use rock-hard pears for this recipe. I personally love the flavor of red d’anjou pears, or use your personal favorite- the variety is much less important than the level of ripeness!
The right baking dish
Part of what makes this tart look so elegant is the dish it was baked in. The ridged sides and removable bottom are essential if you want to replicate the look and feel of a bakery-style frangipane tart. Purchase here with my amazon link!
Slicing the pears
The thinner the slices, the more delicate and easy to slice the pears will be in the final baked tart. This is one of those seemingly small details that really makes a big difference!
FAQs
Recipe Card
Pear Frangipane Tart
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Dry roast the walnuts on a baking sheet for about 8-10 minutes at 350. You'll know they're ready when they start to "sweat" – this is just the heat bringing out their natural oils.
- Add the toasted walnut halves (or pieces) to a high speed blender. Pulse into a fine flour. Remove 150 grams of the walnut flour and reserve for later.
- Continue processing the walnut flour until it resembles a thick paste. This should only take another minute of processing. Remove 50 grams of the walnut paste and set aside.
- With the walnut paste that is still left in the food processor, continue blending on high until a smooth, runny walnut butter forms. This may take up to 5 minutes. Remove the walnut butter and set aside.
- Add the oat flour, walnut flour, walnut paste, salt and medjool dates to the food processor. Blend until a dough forms. The dough should be moderately tacky and stick together when pressed. If your dough is on the dry side, add water 1 tablespoon at a time while the blender is running until you reach a tacky consistency.
- Press the crust in an even layer into a small pastry dish. Start with the sides, then level out the bottom.
- Slice each of the pears vertically into two halves, leaving space on either side of the stem to avoid the seeds. Reserve these halves for decorating the top. Cut off the remaining two smaller sections from the side of each pear – add these smaller sections to the food processor.
- To the food proce
Notes
Nutrition Data
Key Macros
327 kcal
6.6 grams
5.9 grams
