Frangipane tart delight

The frangipane tart, or delight cake, is a quite exquisite dessert that combines a layer of shortcrust pastry with a soft filling made of frangipane cream, often enriched with fruit such as pears or apricots. Here is a traditional recipe that pairs shortcrust pastry and frangipane with sliced pears, a very common variation in Italy.

Ingredients

For the Shortcrust Pastry:

• 250 g of plain flour
• 125 g of cold butter, cut into cubes
• 125 g of granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• Grated zest of 1 lemon (untreated)

For the Frangipane:

• 125 g of butter, at room temperature
• 125 g of icing sugar
• 125 g of finely ground almonds
• 2 large eggs
• 25 g of plain flour
• Vanilla extract or zest of 1 lemon (untreated)

For the Finishing:

• 2-3 ripe but firm pears, peeled, halved, and cored
• Icing sugar for dusting (optional)
• Apricot jam for glazing (optional)

Preparation

Shortcrust Pastry:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, put the flour and butter and process until you get a sandy mixture.
2. Add the sugar, the egg, and the lemon zest. Blend until it forms a ball.
3. Wrap the pastry in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. Roll out the pastry into an even layer and line a buttered and floured springform tin, creating a high edge. Prick the base with a fork.

Frangipane:

1. Beat the butter and icing sugar until soft and creamy.
2. Incorporate the ground almonds, then add the eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is well incorporated before adding the next.
3. Add the flour and the vanilla extract or lemon zest and mix until you get a homogeneous cream.

Assembly:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Pour the frangipane cream onto the shortcrust pastry base.
3. Slice the pears thinly and arrange them in a fan shape on the frangipane cream.
4. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the frangipane is golden and cooked.
5. Allow cooling slightly before removing from the mold.
6. Dust with icing sugar if desired and glaze with a bit of warmed apricot jam for shine.

Curiosity

The frangipane cream is often used in French and Italian patisserie, but it takes its name from an Italian, Marquis Muzio Frangipani, who in the 16th century created an almond-based perfume that was popular among the aristocracy. The cream named after him became famous for its intense almond aroma and for its wonderful texture when baked, particularly suitable for cakes and tarts.