This is a must-make dessert when figs are in season! The flaky and buttery shortcrust pastry is filled with homemade fig jam, velvety frangipane and topped with fresh figs and flaked almonds. This delicious tart makes the perfect treat for any occasion!
If you’ve seen my last post you’ll know how obsessed I am with figs! A few days ago I purchased a huge crate of figs so I had enough to create a lot of my favourite fig recipes. I made two batches of the most delicious fig jam: one to have as a condiment, and the other to use for this fig and frangipane tart recipe.
How Does Fig and Frangipane Tart Taste?
A flaky shortcrust pastry case is filled with homemade or shop-bought fig jam, and a velvety frangipane made of ground almonds. This tart is topped with fresh fig slices and baked until the top is golden and the figs have caramelised. The fig jam adds a lovely sweetness, and the velvety frangipane balances out the sweetness of the jam.
What is Frangipane?
Frangipane is a variation of soft, spreadable custard that bakers commonly use as a filling in tarts, galettes, and puff pastries. Frangipane is a mixture of butter, eggs, ground almonds and sugar. I created an egg-free frangipane for this recipe, and it turned out just as delicious!
How to store Fig and Frangipane Tart
The tart is best eaten on the day its baked, as the crust will lose its crispness the longer it’s left to wait. If you’re not eating it right away, you can store it for 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Can this tart be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze this tart, but as I’ve mentioned before, this tart is most delicious when it’s served fresh. If you’re going to freeze it, then wait for it to cool down completely after it’s been baked, then place it in a container or wrap in in cling film, and store in the freezer for up to a month. To thaw the Fig and Frangipane Tart, remove it from the freezer and leave out room temperature for around 4 hours, or until it’s thawed. If you’d like to serve the tart warm, then place it in the oven to bake at 180C for 10-15 minutes.
Can I Use Store-Bought Shortcrust Pastry for this Tart?
Yes, ready-to-roll shortcrust pastry can be used instead of making your own. If you want to save even more time, you could use a ready baked pastry crust, but I promise you it won’t taste as good as a homemade pie crust.
Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need for this recipe – consider it your shopping list!
For the Shortcrust Pastry:
Plain flour – Used to make the vegan shortcrust pastry.
Sugar - The sugar will give the shortcrust pastry a subtle sweetness. You could use caster sugar instead of granulated sugar, but I wouldn't recommend using brown sugars as they'll change the colour of the crust.
Vegan block butter – I used the Flora vegan butter block, but any plant-based butter will do. using a block butter will give the shortcrust pastry a light and crumbly texture. I wouldn’t recommend using margarine as it won’t create the same outcome.
Sunflower or Vegetable oil – I find that adding a bit of oil to the dough helps to give to shortcrust pastry a flaky texture.
For the Filling:
Homemade or shop-bought fig jam – I’ve used my homemade fig jam in this recipe (see recipe), but if you don’t want to make your own, you could use any shop-bought fig jam or preserve.
Ground Almonds – the ground almonds are what gives the frangipane a velvety and light texture.
Baking powder - additional raising agents will lighten the texture of the frangipane.
Plain flour – flour is added to the bind the ingredients in the frangipane and to give it a firmer texture.
Unsweetened Almond Milk- Unsweetened almond milk is my favourite plant-based milk, so I tend to use it in my recipes. Depending on which brand you use, the taste is quite mild so it’s great for both sweet and savoury dishes. You could substitute almond milk with other neutral tasting, unsweetened plant-based milks such as oat or soy milk.
Maple Syrup – used to sweeten the frangipane. I wouldn’t recommend substituting the maple syrup with granulated sugar or fruit syrups.
Vanilla extract – the vanilla extract adds a lovely flavour, but it is optional. You could use almond extract instead.
For the Toppings:
Fresh Figs – not only do the fresh figs look beautiful on top of the tart, but they also add extra sweetness and a lovely texture when baked.
Flaked Almonds - the flakes almonds add a delicious nutty taste and crisp texture to the tart.
How to Make Vegan Fig and Frangipane Tart
STEP 1:
To make the shortcrust pastry, place the flour, sugar, salt, vegan butter, sunflower oil and 2-3 tbsp cold water in a large bowl & mix until the ingredients start to come together. Knead the dough for a few minutes until a smooth dough has formed. Cover the dough with cling film & place in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
STEP 2:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Lightly dust a clean surface or a large piece of baking paper with flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to create a ½ cm thick circle big enough to fit a 20cm (8 inch) tart tin. Lift away the dough and place into the tart tin. Don’t worry if the dough breaks apart – just use leftover pieces of the dough to fill in any cracks. Press edges down and trim away the excess dough. Prick the base of the pastry shell with a fork. Line the pastry case with a large piece of baking paper – to make it easier to remove the baking beans, make sure the baking paper is large enough to extend out from the sides of the pastry case. Fill the lined pastry case with baking beans, and then place in the oven to bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the baking paper and baking beans, and bake for 5 more minutes until lightly golden.
STEP 3:
Remove the shortcrust pastry from the oven, and let it cool down for 10 minutes. Once the crust has cooled down, evenly spread 9-10 tbsp of fig jam along the base.
STEP 4:
To make the frangipane, combine the ground almonds with the plain flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, maple syrup and almond milk. spoon the frangipane on top of the fig jam layer and spread it evenly. Start by filling the edges of the tart with frangipane to prevent the fig jam from moving around too much. Scatter the tart with flaked almonds and place the fig slices on top.
STEP 5:
Bake the tart at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4, for 30-35 minutes until the filling has set and the top is lightly golden. Allow to cool down for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes and Tips
I’d recommend you use a tart tin with a removable loose bottom so that the tart is easier to remove once it’s baked.
I'd recommend using the gram measurements rather than the cup conversions. When it comes to baking, accuracy is key, and cups conversions are never as accurate as grams.
For the best, crispy pastry, make sure that you don’t overwork the dough. Before rolling the dough out, place in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
When rolling out the dough, make sure to keep it about ½ cm thick – if the pastry is too thick, it won’t cook through, and it’ll be hard to slice.
Make sure your vegan butter and milk are chilled when preparing the shortcrust pastry as it’ll give it a crisper texture when baked.
Roll the dough out onto a large piece of baking paper to make it easier to transfer into the tart tin.