Vegan Blueberry Frangipane Tarts
Vegan blueberry frangipane tarts - these delicious little eggless and dairy free blueberry bakewell tarts are a perfect Summer treat! Lovely for dessert or Afternoon tea.
Servings 8 people
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 200 g (1 +⅔ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 50 g (½ cup) ground almonds
- 50 g (⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp) icing (powdered) sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 150 g (5.3 oz / ½ cup + 2 Tbsp) vegan block butter (NOT the spreadable kind. I use Naturli Vegan Block) cold and diced
- 1 Tbsp cold vodka (or water)
Frangipane:
- 70 g (2.5 oz / scant ⅓ cup) melted vegan block butter (I use Naturli Vegan Block)
- 110 g (½ cup + 1 Tbsp) caster sugar
- 40 g (⅓ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 5 g (½ Tbsp) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) aquafaba or non dairy milk
- 175 g (1 + ¾ cups) ground almonds
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp almond extract
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
To Finish:
- about 8 heaped tsp blueberry jam
- about 110 g (4oz / ¾ cup) fresh blueberries
- large handful flaked almonds
Instructions
- To make the pastry, place the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add the diced cold butter and blend until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, gradually drizzle in the cold vodka (or water), until the pastry comes together into a ball.
- Shape the pastry into a disc, wrap in clingflim (or an environmentally friendly alternative) and place in the fridge for half an hour.
- Divide the chilled pastry into 6 even pieces and roll each one into a ball. Roll each ball out thinly on a floured surface so that it is large enough to line an 8-9cm/3.25-3.5in tart tin.
- Carefully lift the pastry into the tin and press it right into the corners and up the sides. Roll over the top with a rolling pin to trim off the excess pastry. Reserve the trimmings.
- Repeat with the rest of the balls of pastry then gather together the trimmings, divide in half and roll each into a ball. Roll out as before and line another two tart tins. You should get 8 tarts in total.
- Prick the pastry cases all over the base with a fork then place them in the freezer for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Line each of the frozen pastry cases with a square of tin foil, pressing it right into the corners. Fill each one with baking beans or dried rice then bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the tin foil and beans/rice and return the pastry cases to the oven for 5 minutes then remove and set aside.
- To make the frangipane, whisk together the melted vegan butter and the sugar then whisk in the flour and cornflour followed by the aquafaba. Finally, mix in the ground almonds, baking powder and almond and vanilla extracts.
- Spread a heaped tsp of blueberry jam over the base of each tart shell then spread a couple of heaped Tbsp of the frangipane over the top, making sure that the jam is fully covered. The frangipane will puff up a little in the oven so don't fill them more than ¾ full.
- Scatter some fresh blueberries over each one, making sure that they aren't too close to the edge as any juice that seeps out can cause the pastry to stick to the tin if it bubbles over.
- Finally, scatter over some flaked almonds then bake the tarts for about 30-35 minutes, until nicely browned.
- Leave to cool in the tins for 20 minutes before turning out. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
You will need 8 approx 8-9cm/3.25-3.5in tart tins.
For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.