Mini Plum Tarts filled with a layer of creamy frangipane and slices of fresh ripe plum is as delicious as it is cute. The best part is you don’t even have to share, but share if you must. Each of these mini tarts is perfect for one or two!
Plums, pluots and plucots (plum-apricot hybrids), they come in lots of pretty colors, different sizes and shapes, but they are all equally delicious in these mini plum frangipane tarts. It only takes three large ripe plums to make six of these plum tartlets.
How to make Plum Tart
How to prepare the plums?
Picking ripe plums
Similar to peaches and other stone fruits, when plums are ripe, they should smell delicious, sweet and fruity. And when you give them a gentle squeeze they would give just a little. For this plum tart recipe, you’ll want them ripe but firm, so skip over the one that are really soft.
To prepare the plums, slice the plums in half, twist to separate. Then use the tip of your knife to pry the pit off, cut into ¼” thick slices. The plum slices will go on top of the tart just before baking.
How to make frangipane or almond cream filling?
What is Frangipane?
Frangipane is a sweet creamy filling, typically made with butter, sugar, egg and almond. It is delicious in pies and tarts. It is different from almond paste, which only has egg white and no butter.
I’ve experimented with non-traditional frangipane using pistachio and coconut. They were both delicious and just as easy to make.
How to make frangipane?
I use a food processor to make frangipane, this is especially useful if you’re making your own almond meal/flour. But if you don’t have a food processor, you’ll need to use packaged almond meal/flour, and simply use the mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Allow butter to soften at room and blend it with the sugar.
- Whisk together almond meal, all-purpose flour, and salt. Add to butter mixture and blend again.
- Lightly beat eggs with almond extract, add to food processor.
- Blend until creamy.
Transfer the frangipane to a bowl. This is now ready to rest in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can make this a few days in advance.
How to make mini pie crust for plum tartlets?
I used my go-to all-butter pie crust which comes together quickly in a food processor. For this particular plum tart recipe, I increase the amount of ingredients for the pie dough so it will fit 6 mini pie tins comfortably.
Logistically, I usually make the pie dough first, then without washing the food processor, I would make the frangipane. This way I only need to wash once.
- Divide the pie dough into 6 balls and roll each one out about 1.5” larger than the pie tin.
- Place the pie dough over the tin and lightly press it into the pie tin so it sits right against the wall. Flute the edges. Keep in the freezer until ready to fill and bake.
- Divide frangipane evenly among 6 pies, and place half a plum, already sliced, on top. Use a small strip of foil to cover the edges so they don’t burn.
- Bake until the filling is puffy and the top is light brown. Remove the foil strips during the last 10 minutes of baking to allow the edges to brown.
Do I have to blind bake the shell?
No, you don’t need to blind bake the shell for this tart since the fruits sit on top of the frangipane, the crust won’t get soggy
Where can I find mini pie tins?
Apparently, these mini pie tins were harder to find than I thought. I bought these on Amazon, here. I got two of the 5-in set. When I first made these plum frangipane tarts back in 2015, I used disposable pie tins we had available at the time.
For a while, I keep seeing mini pie tins at TJMaxx. But their stock is not consistent so grab them right away if you see them, they might be a little cheaper there. Otherwise, they are available online.
Plum Tart Recipe Variations and Other Tips
Can this be made in a regular size tart pan?
Yes, you can make this in a large tart pan or a large pie plate, but don’t use the deep dish one. If using a larger tin, you can actually cut down the pie dough ingredients. This pie dough recipe is enough to fill the large tin.
You may need an extra plum to fill the space in a large tart pan. You’ll also need to lengthen the baking time, approximately 60 minutes or so until the top of the filling is light brown.
How to make these ahead of time?
The shell can be made ahead days in advance, and stored in the freezer. This is especially convenient when you’re using metal tins because they can be baked straight from frozen. Ceramic or glass can crack when going from freezer to hot oven.
The frangipane filling can also be made separately in advance. They will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.
When you are ready to bake, just add the frangipane to the frozen pie crust, add the fruit on top and bake.
Other fillings or fruits
- Besides plums, you can try apricots, and peaches on top.
- For Fall flavors, you can use apples and pears instead.
- Use different nuts in the frangipane if you’d like.
If you love pies (and I hope you do!), here is a round up of my favorite pies for you to peruse. You might find a new flavor you want to try.
Love almond? More almond treats this way
- Apple Tart with Almond Paste Filling
- Almond Scones
- Almond Shortbread Cookies
- Almond Spritz Cookies
- Almond Rugelach
Grab a few colorful plums from your farmer’s market and make these plum tarts now. Pack them with your lunch or enjoy them after dinner to satisfy your sweet tooth.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, send me a photo, rate it and don’t forget to tag me @wildwildwhisk on Instagram. I’d love to see what’s cooking up in your kitchen. Cheers!
📖 Recipe card
Mini Plum Tarts with Frangipane
Ingredients
Pie dough
- 2 cup all-purpose flour (240 g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (46 g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (4 g)
- 6 oz unsalted butter (cubed and cold, 170 g)
- 3 - 4 tablespoon cold water
- Extra flour for rolling
Filling
- 4 oz unsalted butter (room temperature, 113 g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (99 g)
- 1 cup almond meal (packed, 120 g)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (33 g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 medium plums (ripe but firm)
Instructions
Pie dough
- Add flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Then transfer to a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Cube the cold butter and add to the flour mixture. Pulse several times until butter is about pea and bean size, variation in size is okay but no smaller than a pea.
- Turn the food processor to “on” position and drizzle cold water over the dough mixture through the water hole, as soon as the dough starts to pull together turn the food processor off. You may need to stop the food processor in between and get a spatula to get the flour at the bottom to mix up.
- Turn the dough out on the counter or cutting board and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for an hour. This will yield about 17.6 oz (500 g) of dough.
- Take the pie dough out of the refrigerator and divide into 6 balls, about 2.9 oz (83 g). Roll each ball into a circle about 1.5” larger than the mini pie tin.
- Place the pie dough over the pie tin and lightly press it into the pie tin so it sits right against the wall. Flute the edges. Keep in the freezer until ready to fill and bake.
Frangipane
- In the same food processor, without washing, add soften butter and sugar, and process until combined.
- Whisk together almond meal, flour, and salt. Add mixture to the food processor and process until crumbs form.
- Lightly beat together the eggs and almond extract. Add egg to the food processor and process until creamy.
- Transfer fragipane to a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before using.
Assembling & Baking
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Slice the plums in half, twist to separate. Then use the tip of your knife to pry the pit off, cut into ¼” thick slices.
- Fill each tart with about ⅓ cup of frangipane. Place half a plum on top the filling. Use a small strip of foil to cover the edges so they don’t burn.
- Bake for 40 minutes until the filling is puffy and the top is light brown. Remove the foil strips during the last 10 minutes of baking to allow the edges to brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool to the touch on a wire rack. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar (optional). Store tarts in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
- To bake this recipe in a large tart pan or pie pan, increase baking time to approximately 60 minutes. You may need more plums.
Marie
I love frangipane and the flavour combo in these is calling my name. Plus, anything made miniature is totally adorable too.
Trang
Thanks Marie! Miniature desserts are the best 🙂
Kathleen @ yummy crumble
China?! How exciting! I’ve always wanted to visit. Not because of landmarks but the food. Thank you for the tips. I will stick with street food and hole in the wall joints ???? I’m currently living in Dubai and the food experiences are definitely one of my favorite things here. Traveling and seeing new cultures keep you alive!
Trang
Wow Dubai!! That’s awesome! If you do plan to visit China, make sure to learn a little bit of Chinese, the language barrier was the most difficult part of our trip, not knowing how to order in the restaurant was tough, usually if they don’t have pictures or English on the menu, we have to walk out. And everything Google is blocked in China, so no Gmail, no google translation app, also no Facebook, Instagram, etc… beware 😀 haha
Ken and Mai
Delicious looking? Glad to see your postings are back. P.S. How does one correctly pronounce “pluot”?
Trang
Haha! Thank you for reading! I always pronounce it the way it’s written, ploo-ot!