Frangipane is a cream of ground almonds with sugar, eggs, and butter, and is a common ingredient in cakes. In the Netherlands strawberry cakes are often made in an elongated shape, are made with frangipane, and then called “aardbeienslof”. They can also include a vanilla pastry cream and whipped cream, but here I just used strawberry jam. This recipe is for 4 single serving cakes with a diameter of 10 cm (4 inches), or 1 cake with a diameter of 24 cm (9 inches). The base of this cake includes egg and is therefore not flaky/crispy like the shortcrust pastry of these strawberry tartlets. In French this type of pastry with egg is called pâte à foncer. You can use strawberries that are not as nice looking to make strawberry jam for the topping by yourself, or use store-bought strawberry jam.

Ingredients

For 4 small cakes (10 cm/4 inches) or 1 large cake of 24 cm/9 inches

350 grams strawberries + 40 grams sugar (or 250 grams strawberries + 4 Tbsp store-bought strawberry jam)

icing sugar

For the pâte à foncer

125 grams pastry flour

62 grams sugar

62 grams butter + more for greasing the pan(s)

about 1/2 egg

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

For the frangipane

100 grams blanched almonds

100 grams sugar

50 grams butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 eggs (1 egg + what remains of the egg used for the pastry)

grated zest of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp almond extract

Instructions

Combine 125 grams flour, 62 grams sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse a few times until mixed.

Beat 1 egg with a fork in a small bowl.

Add 62 grams butter in pieces and half of the egg to the bowl of the food processor.

Process, adding a bit more of the egg if needed…

…until the dough just comes together.

Grease 4 pie shapes with a diameter of 10 cm (4 inches) or 1 pie shape with a diameter of 24 cm (9 inches) with butter. It is best to use pie shapes with a detachable bottom or a springform pan.

Divide the dough until 4 equal balls if making 4 small cakes.

First flatten a ball of dough into a disc with your hands, then put it in the buttered pie shape and use your fingers to line the shape with a uniform thickness and with a depth for the filling of about 1 cm (half an inch).

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.

Repeat until you have lined all the shapes with dough, then refrigerate the pans.

To make the frangipane, combine 100 grams of blanched almonds with 100 grams of sugar and the grated zest of 1 untreated lemon in the bowl of the food processor.

Process until quite fine, but it does not need to become powder.

Add 50 grams soft butter, an egg and the egg that remains from the pastry.

Process until well mixed.

Pour the frangipane into the prepared pies.

Bake for 20 minutes at 190C/375F (not fan forced) or until golden brown.

Allow the cakes to cool. They will fall deflate a bit, that is normal.

To make your own strawberry jam, combine about 100 grams of hulled and chopped strawberries in a saucepan with 40 grams of sugar.

Bring to a boil, stirring, and allow to boil for 3 minutes, while you keep stirring.

Strain the strawberry jam through a fine sieve into a bowl…

…pressing down with a spoon.

Allow the strawberry jam to cool, as it it will be too runny when still warm.

Place a tablespoon of strawberry jam on the center of each cake. (Or spread out the strawberry jam onto the cake if you made one large cake.)

Then decorate the cake(s) with hulled and cleaned strawberries. For the small cakes I used one upright whole strawberry in the center with 6 half strawberries arranged around it.

Sprinkle with icing sugar (using a sieve) just before serving.

Wine pairing

This is great with many dessert wines, such as Sauternes, ice wine, or an Italian passito.

Flashback

These tortelli di verza are stuffed with savoy cabbage and pancetta.