Peach Cherry Frangipane Galette

A galette is the no-fuss, no-drama counterpart to a traditional pie, but made with the same buttery, flaky dough. Instead of rolling the dough and then transferring it into a pie dish (the part that stresses me out the most), it’s simply rolled out, filled and folded to cover the filling, then baked directly on the tray. The filling here is summer’s next best offering (after mangoes!), peaches and cherries. With a layer of almond frangipane, this galette is absolutely flavour-packed and warm from the oven, at its absolute best. Let’s bake!

I made this galette for the first time six years ago with the dough from Sally’s Baking Addiction (I’d reduced the sugar then but Sally’s updated version now uses a reduced amount of sugar anyway) and this time, wanted to update it with fresh photos and decided to also add some frangipane after really liking it in this apple tart. I scouted around for a slightly simplified version of it not being a regular frangipane eater or maker and this one from The Spruce Eats was great. Frangipane sounds really fancy but it’s made with very basic ingredients and is like an almond paste that would be yum on desserts of so many different kinds!

The galette took longer to bake this time and I also found it spread more. The frangipane melts a bit and spreads out inside the dough and the fruit therefore spreads out as well. Absolutely no harm done and in fact it looks like a fruit pizza which can only ever be a good thing! A drizzle of cream was all I needed but vanilla ice cream would be great too!

The fruit is lightly sweetened and flavoured with some cinnamon and softens beautifully as it bakes, without becoming mushy. The crisp, flaky crust is the greatest contrast and the frangipane actually prevents the base from becoming soggy because of the fruit juices. All kinds of wins!

This galette is a fresh, seriously pretty dessert to serve and it would actually work well with various different kinds of fruit depending on what’s in season where you live. I hope you love it!

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Peach Cherry Frangipane Galette

Rustic, flaky free-form pie with peaches, cherries and almond frangipane filling

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Makes: 8 slices

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

For the dough

• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180 gms)
• 2 tbsps sugar
• Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces (115 gms)
• 1/4 cup ice cold water

For the almond frangipane

• 3 tbsps butter, at room temperature (45 gms)
• 1/4 cup caster sugar (50 gms)
• 1/2 cup finely ground almonds (40 gms) (from 1/3 cup whole almonds)
• 1 egg, at room temperature (see notes)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

For the filling

• 4 to 5 peaches, ripe but firm
• 200 gms ripe cherries (the darker the better)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsps cream mixed with 1 tsp water to brush on top
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds (20 gms)

Instructions

• First, make the galette dough. Stir together the flour, sugar and salt (if using) in a large mixing bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and using your fingers, rub it into the flour till the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with a few bigger pieces of butter in it.
• Add the ice cold water and quickly bring the mixture together with your fingers, It should form a smooth ball without sticking to the bowl and be quite soft. If it feels too wet, sprinkle on just a little more flour, if it feels dry add up to 1 tablespoon more water. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of clingfilm and chill for at least 1 hour. Dough can also be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days and frozen for a couple of weeks.
• Now make the almond frangipane. Beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer on low speed until light and creamy. Add the ground almonds and vanilla and beat briefly to combine. Finally, beat in the egg, followed by the flour. The frangipane might look a little soft at this stage since the butter would have warmed up. Keep refrigerated until ready to use so that it thickens (can be stored for 4 to 5 days although because it contains raw egg, I really prefer to use it the same day).
• Now make the fruit filling. Peel the peaches, slice them down the center along the stone, twist gently to pull apart, and slice evenly, making sure they're not too thin.
• Remove the stem from each cherry, slice around the stone with a sharp knife and again, gently twist and pull apart. Prise out the stone and add both halves to the peaches. Repeat with the remaining cherries. Alternately, if you have a cherry pitter, now is the time to bring it out!
• Top the fruit with the cinnamon and sugar, and mix well to coat. Cover and set aside to at room temperature till the dough is done chilling.
• Unwrap the dough and place on a lightly floured silicone mat (highly recommended for easy transfer and clean up). Place the clingfilm over the dough to prevent sticking and roll it out into a 12 inch circle. It doesn't have to be perfectly round (see photos below).
• Now keeping a roughly 2-inch border, spread the frangipane onto the center of the dough in an even layer. Then spoon the fruit over the frangipane, leaving behind the juices to avoid sogginess. Fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, overlapping and pinching as needed. You're not aiming for perfection, but it's important that there are no tears or cuts in the dough that you fold over (been there and I had some frangipane leak out!).
• Slide the mat onto a baking tray and refrigerate the unbaked galette for 30 minutes. This helps keep the dough from opening up or spreading in a wonky pattern. The galette will spread a little as it bakes though, but it will remain circular as long it's cold.
• Now preheat the oven to 190 C. Brush the edges of the galette liberally with the cream/water mixture (you could also brush with a little beaten egg), then sprinkle with the almonds, adding some to the top of the fruit too.
• Bake for an hour, keeping an eye on the galette after about 40 minutes and adding to the baking time as needed because ovens do vary a little bit. The galette is done when the fruit juices are bubbling and the dough itself is golden-brown. It will spread out a bit as the frangipane spreads and rises to the top of the fruit, so the final galette will look flatter than the unbaked version.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I loved it as is or with just a light drizzle of cream. Best eaten fresh in my opinion but can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and reheated in the oven to crisp it back up. Happy baking!

Notes

*Watch this galette come together on Instagram!

*If almonds and/or eggs are something you don't eat, you can simply skip the frangipane layer. I've made this galette both ways and it's delicious with or without the frangipane. Alternately, there are some eggless frangipane recipes online but I haven't tried it that way. The egg helps keep the filling moist and soft and rise well over the fruits.

*Prep-time does not include dough chilling time.

*Dough from Sally's Baking Addiction and frangipane from The Spruce Eats.