Berry Frangipane Cake

Berry Frangipane Cake

Almond-scented cake batter is swirled with traditional frangipane, which adds nutty flavor and tenderness to the crumb of this cake. Studded with berries and gently dusted with confectioners’ sugar, this Berry Frangipane Cake is simple but gorgeous. As a bonus, this recipe calls for frozen berries, meaning this recipe is always in season for baking.

5.0 from 8 reviews
Print

Berry Frangipane Cake

 
 
Makes 1 (8-inch) cake
Ingredients
  • Frangipane:
  • ⅔ cup (150 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1½ cups (144 grams) superfine natural almond flour
  • ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (31 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg (50 grams)
  • 1 large egg white (30 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon (4 grams) almond extract
  • Batter:
  • ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg (50 grams), room temperature
  • ¾ teaspoon (3 grams) vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon (1 gram) almond extract
  • 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon (3.75 grams) baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup (60 grams) whole milk, room temperature
  • ½ cup (120 grams) drained thawed frozen mixed berries (large berries halved if necessary), patted dry
  • 2 tablespoons (15 grams) sliced almonds
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Spray a light-colored 8-inch metal springform pan with baking spray with flour. Line bottom and sides of pan with parchment paper.
  2. For frangipane: In a medium bowl, stir butter until creamy. Add almond flour, sugar, all-purpose flour, egg, egg white, salt, and almond extract; stir until well combined. Cover and set aside.
  3. For batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Beat in egg; scrape sides of bowl. Add extracts, beating just until combined.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition and stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread 1 cup (about 238 grams) batter into prepared pan. Using a 1½-tablespoon spring-loaded scoop (see Notes), alternately dollop 1 cup (about 240 grams) frangipane and remaining batter in a checkerboard-like pattern onto batter in pan; layer some batter on top of frangipane dollops and vice versa. (It’s OK that dollops don’t go all the way to edges of pan.) Drag a butter knife through center of each dollop a few times to swirl together. Tap pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter several times to settle batter.
  5. Spoon remaining frangipane into a pastry bag; cut a ½-inch opening in tip. Pipe onto batter in pan, spreading with a small offset spatula. Press berries into frangipane; sprinkle with almonds.
  6. Bake until edges are golden brown, top feels dry and set, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 202°F (94°C) to 210°F (99°C), 52 minutes to 1 hour, loosely covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove sides of pan, and let cool completely on base of pan on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Notes
Make sure to clean your scoop as needed when scooping your batter and frangipane. Alternatively, use 2 (1½-tablespoon) spring-loaded scoops.
A wooden pick test does not work well for this cake; even when finished baking, the frangipane may still stick slightly to a wooden pick.

 

Previous articleBasic Bagels
Next articleMeyer Lemon Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

22 COMMENTS

  2. A video for this recipe would be helpful for me, particularly the part about the batter going into the pan in a checkerboard pattern, etc. I’m not sure if I did that part right. It tasted wonderful. No place here to share a picture or I would.

    • Hi Barbara,

      Thanks for your feedback! We are so glad that your Berry Frangipane Cake tasted wonderful. The video feedback will be noted, but the main goal is to disperse the frangipane throughout the cake batter in a more uniform manner (since the frangipane is a bit thicker than the batter). Happy baking!

  3. I mad this today and turned out perfectly….2/3 C butter is 11 T for those who don’t want to look it up. Also 1/4 C of fruit is not enough to match picture. I will use 3/4 C next time. I didn’t have a 8″ springform pan, but 8″ cakepan with 2″ side will work as recipe is written, but not for adding more fruit, so I am on the lookout for one tomorrow. BTW my last name is Frangipane

    • Hi Zara!

      We haven’t tested this recipe with a plant-based milk, but we think this might be a great candidate for the alternative! Please let us know if you do try it. Happy baking 🙂

  5. I made this in a cupcake tin with cupcake liners using fresh cherries and apricots. They baked for a very long time but came out very tasty. Thanks!

  9. I’ve made this cake twice now and all the family loves it. First time I made it with cherries; second time with apricots and raspberries. Both great! (Cooking time has been about 70 minutes to avoid an uncooked center.) Thank you!

    • Hello Corliss,

      Thank you for your question. This recipe first appeared in our January/February 2021 issue, page 83.

      Hope this helps, and happy baking!

  12. I made this WONDERFUL cake yesterday and it became really delicious!
    I didn’t have frozen berries, I used fresh strawberries and cherries instead.
    Thank you for this recipe I guess this is going to be my favourite one

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Rate this recipe:  

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.