Raspberry and Almond Pithiviers — golden, flaky pastries filled with almond frangipane and juicy raspberries. They’re delicious served warm or cold.
There’s a special kind of pleasure when you bite into a dessert and the first mouthful makes you want to stop everything and savour every tiny detail. That’s exactly the experience these Raspberry and Almond Pithiviers deliver: jammy raspberries wrapped in creamy almond frangipane, all encased in rich, buttery puff pastry.
These little pastries are intensely satisfying and slightly selfish-worthy — the kind you might be tempted to keep all to yourself.
I’ve been experimenting with frangipane recently while making almond croissant twists, and I kept finding myself with leftover frangipane I couldn’t waste. That led to a few other treats, including these pithiviers. Using ready-rolled puff pastry makes them quick and simple: cut four small circles (about 6.5cm/2½in) and four larger circles (about 11cm/4¼in). Any round object roughly that size will do as a cutter.
To assemble, spread a spoonful of frangipane on each small circle, leaving a narrow border. Mix a few raspberries with a little raspberry jam and half a teaspoon of cornflour to thicken, then pile three raspberries onto each frangipane base. Spoon another 1.5–2 teaspoons of frangipane over the berries so they’re covered — this helps stop the juices from leaking. Place a larger pastry circle on top, sealing the edges with your fingers; you can crimp or press a decorative pattern around the rim if you like.
Brush the pastry with beaten egg. If you want extra texture, add flaked almond pieces around the edge, placing one almond sliver into each pressed pattern. Make a small vent hole in the centre of each pithivier so steam can escape, and lightly score the top with curved lines for a classic look. Bake for about 20 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden.
The pithiviers can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature. If you can’t wait for them to cool, pour a splash of cold cream over the warm pastries to balance the heat and make each bite even more indulgent.
More Pastries
If you’re tempted to make more pastries, here are some ideas to try next:
Lemon Cream Cheese Puffs
Almond Croissants
Frangipane Mince Pies
Caramel Mille Feuille
Baked Churros
Cherry Pastry Hearts
Flaky Almond Croissant Twists
The Raspberry and Almond Pithiviers Recipe:
Raspberry and Almond Pithiviers
20
20
40
Ingredients
Frangipane:
- 60 g unsalted butter softened
- 50 g golden caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- 4 tbsp plain/all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 60 g ground almonds
- ½ tsp almond extract
Plus:
- 12 fresh raspberries
- 1 tbsp. raspberry jam
- ½ tsp cornflour/cornstarch
- 300 g ready-rolled puff-pastry
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 tbsp. almond slivers
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Make the frangipane: beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat for a minute. Stir in the flour, baking powder, ground almonds and almond extract, mixing for another two minutes. Set aside.
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Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface (or leave it on its packaging). Cut four small circles (about 6.5cm) and four larger circles (about 11cm).
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Place the smaller circles on the baking tray and spread about 1 teaspoon of frangipane on each, leaving a small border.
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Gently mix the raspberries with the jam and cornflour, then place three raspberries on each pastry base without covering the frangipane layer.
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Top each with 1.5–2 teaspoons more frangipane, spreading it to cover and seal around the raspberries.
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Place the larger pastry circles on top, seal the edges with your fingers and crimp if desired. Repeat for all four pastries.
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Brush each pithivier with beaten egg, make a small hole in the top to vent steam, score the tops for decoration and add almond slivers around the edges if you like.
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Bake at 200°C/400°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 180°C/350°F and bake for another 10 minutes until golden and puffed.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Nutritional information is per serving and should be treated as an approximation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.