Almond slices are a variation on traditional frangipane slices and have a shortbread style base instead of pastry making them quicker and easier to prepare.
They have a delicious marzipan flavour and are perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. They are also great for adding to lunch boxes, taking on picnics or served as a dessert or a teatime treat.
One good thing about this almond slice recipe is that there is no need to roll out pastry. And another good thing is that this also reduces the amount of clearing up! Simply pack the base into a tin, top with frangipane and flaked almonds and bake
If you are looking for other ways to use frangipane you may like to bake a Cherry Bakewell tart or make a batch of frangipane mince pies. Or even try this popular recipe for pistachio frangipane.
For this traybake recipe I have included quantities and baking instructions for both an 18 cm by 18cm (7') square tin and a 23cm by 33cm (9" by 13") rectangular tin. The smaller tin will make around 8 slices and the larger tin will make around 12 slices.
The nutritional information in the recipe card below is based on the quantities of ingredients for the 18cm square version.
Ingredients for the base
18cm by 18cm tin
- 100g plain flour
- 75g chilled butter
- ½ teaspoon of baking powder
- 50g caster sugar
23cm by 33cm tin
- 150g plain flour
- 113g chilled butter
- ¾ teaspoon of baking powder
- 75g caster sugar
Ingredients for the frangipane topping
18cm by 18cm tin
- 100g butter (at room temperature)
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- 100g ground almonds
- ½ teaspoon of almond essence
- 50g flaked almonds
23cm by 33cm tin
- 150g butter (at room temperature)
- 150g caster sugar
- 2 small eggs
- 150g ground almonds
- ¾ teaspoon almond essence
- 75g flaked almonds
How to make almond slices
To prepare the base - weigh the flour and butter into a large baking bowl and rub the butter and flour together.
Add the baking powder and caster sugar and mix together well.
Place a sheet of non-stick baking parchment in the bottom of the loose bottomed cake tin. Spoon the mixture into the tin and press into place with the back of a dessert spoon until it is an even thickness and is fully compacted. Place in the fridge until you are ready to add the frangipane topping.
To prepare the frangipane - place the butter and caster sugar into a baking bowl.
Cream the butter and sugar together using a wooden spoon.
Add the ground almonds, almond essence and the egg/s to the butter/sugar mixture and beat with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes. The frangipane mixture will be a stiff consistency.
Spread the frangipane mixture evenly over the base and then sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top.
How to bake almond slices
18cm square cake - preheat the oven to 170oC, 325oF, gas mark 3. Place in the centre of the oven and bake until the cake is firm in the centre (about 35 to 45 minutes)
23cm by 33cm cake - preheat the oven to 150oC, 300oF, gas mark 2. Place in the centre of the oven and bake until the cake is firm in the centre (about 45 minutes).
Place the cake tin on a wire cooling rack to cool for around 30 minutes and then carefully remove the cake from the tin and leave to cool on the rack.
Cut into individual slices when the cake has fully cooled.
To store
- Store in an airtight tin where your frangipane slices will stay fresh for around 3 days.
- They are also suitable for freezing. Defrost at room temperature and then store in an airtight container.
Tips
- Make sure the butter for the frangipane (not the base) has softened before starting to cream together the butter and sugar. This can be done by removing from the fridge ahead of starting to prepare the frangipane. If the butter is used straight from the fridge it will be too hard to mix.
- This recipe is not suitable for doubling the quantities as it will affect the baking time. If you would like to bake a larger quantity then I recommend baking in separate batches.
- When you check whether the cake is cooked try to do this as quickly as possible so that the oven does not lose too much heat.
Other frangipane recipes
- Cherry Bakewell tart (frangipane)1 Hours 55 Minutes
- Pistachio frangipane2 Hours
- Frangipane mince pies1 Hours
- Raspberry frangipane tart (with sweet shortcrust pastry)1 Hours 55 Minutes
Almond slice recipe (frangipane cake slices)
Ingredients
For the base
- 100 g flour
- 75 g butter
- 0.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 50 g caster sugar
For the frangipane
- 100 g butter (at room temperature)
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 100 g ground almonds
- 0.5 teaspoon almond essence
- 50 g flaked almonds
Instructions
To prepare the base
- Weigh the flour and butter into a bowl and rub together.
- Add the baking powder and caster sugar and mix well.
- Line the base of the tin with non stick baking parchment.
- Spoon the base mixture into the tin, spread to an even thickness and compact with the back of a spoon.
- Place in the fridge until you are ready to add the frangipane topping.
To prepare the frangipane
- Weigh the butter and sugar into a bowl and cream together using a wooden spoon.
- Add the ground almonds, almond essence and egg and beat with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes.
To assemble
- Remove the cake tin from the fridge and spread the frangipane over the base to an even thickness.
- Sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly over the frangipane.
To bake
- Preheat the oven to 170C, 325F, gas mark 3.
- Bake in the centre of the oven, with a tray below the cake tin, until the centre of the cake is firm (around 35 to 45 minutes). Check after 35 minutes to avoid overcooking.
Notes
-
- Store in an airtight tin where it will stay fresh for around 3 days.
-
- These almond slices are also suitable for freezing. Defrost at room temperature and then store in an airtight container.
-
- Make sure the butter for the frangipane (not the base) has softened before starting to cream together the butter and sugar. This can be done by removing from the fridge ahead of starting to prepare the frangipane. If the butter is used straight from the fridge it will be too hard to mix.
-
- This recipe is not suitable for doubling the quantities as it will affect the baking time. If you would like to bake a larger quantity then I recommend baking in separate batches.
-
- When you check the cake try to do this as quickly as possible so that the oven does not lose too much heat.
- When you check the cake try to do this as quickly as possible so that the oven does not lose too much heat.
Sue
So simple, yet so delicious!
Judith
Thank you for trying this recipe 🙂
Emily Flint
Oh boy, I love almonds and I'm so glad I found this recipe! It was so easy to make and delicious.
Bethany
This looks so amazing! I love the almonds on top. Will be making asap.
Judith
I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Judith
Judith
I'm pleased you found them easy to make and found them delicious 🙂
YVONNE DUNCAN
I'm glad I found this simple recipe with step by step pictorial method. I am an experienced Baker but never made frangipane before. I put seedless raspberry jam on tip of the shortbread base which is a Scottish recepie then topped with the frangipane and flaked almonds. it turned out beautifully and was very popular in our house. Thank you.
Judith
Hi Yvonne, thank you for trying this almond slice recipe and for taking the time to leave your feedback. The addition of raspberry jam sounds delicious! I'm pleased you enjoyed them, they are definitely a favourite with my family 😊
Jacqui
These are absolutely divine! I used a dairy-free butter and it worked great. Thank you for sharing this tasty recipe.
Judith
Thank you for letting me know they work using dairy free butter to make a dairy free frangipane.
nancy
i couldn't believe how easy this recipe was to pull off! everyone loved it at dinner tonight when i took it out!
Judith
I'm pleased everyone enjoyed them 🙂
Shilpa
These almond slices were so delicious. Loved it!
Judith
It's great to hear you enjoyed them 🙂
Gina Abernathy
So simple and tasty!
Judith
Thank you for trying this recipe 🙂
Katie
Love these almond slices!! Perfect flavor and texture!
Judith
I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed them 🙂
Chef Mireille
I'm all about that frangipane. I love anything made with it and this came out so delicious!
Judith
Thank you for trying this almond slice recipe 🙂
Bobbie
Delicious and great step-by-step instructions!
Judith
I'm pleased you found them easy to make. Thank you for trying 🙂
Andrea
these almond slices turned out to be such a good snack! so healthy too!
Judith
Thank you for trying this recipe 🙂
Audrey
Simple but turned out so good
Judith
I'm pleased they turned out well 🙂
nancy
i loveeee FRANGIPANE slices - what a delicious and easy recipe to make at home. thanks for the useful tips
Judith
They are one of my favourites, thank you for trying them 🙂
Emily Flint
I LOVE almond anything and these were perfect for a sweet breakfast treat! YUM!
Judith
I love anything with almonds too! I'm pleased you enjoyed them 🙂
Sarah
I love anything almond and this did not disappoint. The crumble base was so easy, will be making this again 🙂
Judith
Good to hear you found them easy to make and enjoyed them. Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
Judith
It's good to hear you enjoyed them. Thank you for letting me know
Greta
I love how it came out! I'll do it again for the weekend. thank your recipe!
Shelby
These are my mom's favorite dessert! Such a delicious recipe.
Sue
Desperate to try this scrumptious looking recipe, but have been unable to find a 7” loose bottomed cake tin. (But have been looking for a brownie type tin.). Would this work in a non loose-bottomed cake tin?
If it must be a loose-bottomed cake tin, would a deep sided one (around 3” deep work?)
Hope you can advise - thank you - Sue.
Judith
Hello Sue. Yes, you could make this using a non-loose bottomed tin but I recommend lining both the base and two sides with a single sheet of lining paper (plus separate lining for the other sides) so that you can easily lift the cake out of the tin after baking. A deep sided tin 3" deep would be fine, in fact that is what I often use.
I have also made this many times using 1.5 times the ingredients baked in a 23cm by 33cm tin. For this size I use 2 small eggs in place of 1.5 large eggs and bake at 150 deg C for 45 minutes. If you have a tin this size that that would give you another option (plus extra cake 🙂).
Sue
Hello Judith - Thank you so much for so promptly sending me such helpful information; Sue.