This French almond cream (or crème d'amande) is the base for so many French pastry recipes. From frangipane tarts to almond croissants, this 5 ingredient filling is so quick to make, is highly customizable and pairs well with a variety of flavours.
Try this pistachio frangipane too!
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Why you'll love it
- Just 5 basic ingredients
- Quick and easy to make - ready to use in 10 minutes
- Nutty, sweet and rich in flavor
- Use in tarts, pastries, croissants and cakes!
What is almond cream
Almond cream (or crème d'amande in French) is a classic French filling for pastries, breads and cakes. At it's most basic it is almond flour, butter, eggs and sugar in a 1:1:1:1 ratio. However, it's very easy to customize and, if you love French pastries and croissants, it's an essential to master.
Luckily, it's very easy to master as the ingredients are essentially just beaten together in a bowl. You then add it to your pastry and bake.
Is almond cream the same as frangipane?
The answer is, it depends but not really. Technically speaking;
- almond cream = 1:1:1:1 ratio of almond flour, butter, eggs and sugar.
- frangipane = almond cream + pastry cream.
The "however" here is that in most countries around the world outside of France, almond cream is more commonly called frangipane and true fragipane is not widely used.
Ingredients & substitutions
Jump to the recipe card for full quantities and instructions.
- Almond meal / almond flour is finely ground almonds. It's best to use blanched amond flour but you can also use natural almond flour (which contains bits of the almond skin). You can also use other types of nuts and blend them to a fine flour yourself but be very careful not to push them so far that they turn into nut butter.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter and one without added water.
- Eggs: Stick to large eggs here to get roughly the right weight. You can go to the lengths of weighing out the eggs but I find it doesn't make a huge difference.
- Sugar: You just need white granulated sugar or caster sugar. You can use other types of sugar to change up the flavor profile.
- Flour: Just a little plain flour / all purpose flour is commonly added to provide structure and to bind the other ingredients together. It also prevents too much spreading.
How to make almond cream
All you need is a mixing bowl and a hand held electric beater and, in 10 minutes, your almond cream / frangipane filling is ready to use.
Jump to the recipe card for full quantities and instructions.
Cream butter & sugar
Start by beating the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
Add eggs & vanilla
Add the eggs, one at a time and mix each one in using low speed until it's fully incorporated. You'll need to get your spatula in and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Dry ingredients
Fold in almond meal and flour and it's done.
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Bake
Almond cream must be baked before consuming. Add it to your favourite pastries or tarts and bake for a minimum of 15 or up to 40 minutes depending on the dessert.
Almond cream must be cooked before eating.
Tips and tricks
- Room temperature butter and eggs - this helps them easily blend together.
- Mix on low speed - bringing the mixture together slowly prevents splitting.
- Add the eggs one by one - this also helps everything to blend together properly.
Variations
French almond cream is very easy to customize and flavor.
- Citrus: Add the finely grated zest from your favourite citrus fruits like lemon, orange and lime.
- Coffee: Add a little instant coffee powder to the mixture when beating.
- Chocolate: Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder.
- Other nuts: Try using pistachios, walnuts or hazelnuts. Process them to a fine powder by pulsing and be careful it doesn't get too warm or the oils will release.
- Extracts: Add flavour extracts to taste like orange or lemon, or almond extract for more nuttiness.
- Lightly toast the almond flour in the oven for an extra nutty flavour. Let it cool before adding it to the butter.
- Gluten free: You can swap the flour for a gluten-free flour blend (one that contains xanthum gum). Make sure to let the frangipane cream sit for 20-30 minutes before use which will improve the texture of the GF flour.
- Dairy free: Swap the butter for a plant-based spread.
- Nut-free: Try swapping the almond meal for sunflower seed meal.
How to use almond cream
Almond cream must be baked before eating and can be added to many a pastry for a sweet, nutty filling. It can be baked as little as 15 minutes (for instance, inside croissants) but up to 40 minutes (this would be for large tarts where you have not blind-baked the tart shell).
- Large elegant tarts or mini tarts made with pate sablée, pate sucrée or pate brisée - top it with fruit like sliced apples, poached pears, plums or cherries and they'll sink into the almond filling as it bakes.
- Make a bakewell tart (with jam in the base or swap the jam with lemon curd for a lemon tart).
- Inside croissants (hello almond croissants and why not try a pistachio croissant).
Yield and storage
This almond cream recipe makes around 2 ½ cups and is enough to fill a 10 inch tart shell.
Fridge
Store your French almond filling in an airtight container or bag in the fridge for up to 3 days before use.
Freezer
Frangipane cream freezes well too. Store it in an airtight bag with excess air pressed out for up to 3 months.
FAQs
Make sure your eggs and butter are room temperature so they can become homogeneous. Make sure to beat the eggs in until fully combined and scrape the bowl from time to time. The flour will often help to bring it back together and stabilise but if it still looks split at that point, it can't be fixed.
Yes. If you like a stronger almond flavour, feel free to add a little almond extract.
No and they are not interchangeable. Frangipane is a batter that requires baking. Marzipan is more solid and a candy that does not require baking but can be baked.
Yes. You can try other nuts too and process them until they're a fine powder. Be careful when doing this as blended too far or if the nuts get too hot, they can turn into a nut butter instead of a ground nut flour.
If you made this almond cream recipe,
be sure to leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you!
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French Almond Cream (Frangipane)
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
Ingredients
- 150 g unsalted butter softened (5 ½oz)
- 150 g white granulated sugar (¾ cup / 5 ½oz)
- 3 large eggs (~150g / ~5 ½oz)
- 150 g almond meal (almond flour) (1 ½ cups / 5 ½oz)
- 50 g plain flour (all-purpose flour) (1 ¾oz)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment or large bowl using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
- One at a time, add the eggs beating on low each time until each one is fully incorporated. Add the vanilla with the last egg.
- Fold in the almond meal and plain flour with a spatula.
- Almond cream must be baked before consuming - 15 minutes or up to 40 minutes depending on what you're using it in. Use it to fill tart shells or croissants.
- The almond cream can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Try other nuts like pistachio, walnut or hazelnuts. Process in a food processor giving them time to cool every so often or you'll accidentally make nut butter instead.
- Yield: Makes 2 ⅔ cups
- This recipe can be easily scaled to double or half. Two thirds of this recipe works well for a 9 inch tart (depending on it's depth).
- Allergens: Nuts, eggs, dairy, wheat, gluten.
- Nutrition information shown is for a full batch.
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