Classic Rhubarb Tart with Frangipane Filling

This rhubarb tart is layered with a buttery shortbread crust, rich almond frangipane filling, and finished with a perfectly sweet-tart rhubarb topping. A dessert that’s gorgeous and positively delicious, it’s perfect for summer entertaining. You’re going to love this rhubarb frangipane tart!

See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.

I’ve always loved rhubarb, but it took me a while to tackle cooking with it, as I’ve had a delicate relationship with this vegetable that acts like a fruit. I have this sort of anomalous aversion to celery, which you’ll notice on the blog, now that I’ve told you to look. And rhubarb, it just looks too much like celery, doesn’t it? It’s stringy stalks and sterile edges, seeing them only trimmed and stemmed in the grocery store in this part of the country, missing the bushes in the backyard, the fresh bundles at the farmer’s market.

But have you noticed? The Internet is in love with the pink stalks, and I’ve been positively immersed in gorgeous, creative concoctions presented by the painfully talented food bloggers surrounding me. From teacakes to crumbles to one-pan chicken dishes, rhubarb is all around.

And so, on a recent trip to Sprouts, I grabbed several stalks, not having a clue what to do with them. But as I perused rhubarb’s corner of the Internet, I decided to go classic and try a traditional rhubarb frangipane tart recipe. While there are plenty of incredible creations, I was more excited by that crumbly, buttery shortbread crust with a rich and heady frangipane (sweet almond) filling, finished with a sweetened rhubarb topping.

Why This Recipe is So Good

• This hits that sweet-tart perfection that makes you close your eyes and go “mmm” with every bite. The rhubarb gets all tender and jammy, while having just enough tartness to wake up your taste buds—it’s like summer decided to show off in dessert form.
• That shortbread crust! It’s buttery, crisp, and sturdy enough to hold all that tasty filling without turning into a soggy mess. Plus, it looks so fancy that people will think you’ve been hiding your pastry chef skills (but between us, it’s way easier than it looks).
• The best part? This rhubarb tart recipe comes together without any complicated techniques or equipment. No rolling pins, no fuss, just press and bake. You’ll look like a kitchen genius without slaving away for hours.
• Whether you’re grabbing rhubarb from your garden or scoring those beautiful pink stalks at the farmers market, this dessert is pure culinary magic for summer entertaining. It’s elegant enough for a swanky garden party but perfect for a casual weekend BBQ too!

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Chef’s Tips

• Definitely test-fit your rhubarb pieces in the empty tart pan before you do anything else. This little step ensures they’ll lie perfectly across that golden frangipane without any awkward overhang or crowding.
• I know it’s tempting to rush things (trust me, I’ve been there), but let that frangipane cool completely before adding the rhubarb. Your patience here is what keeps those gorgeous pre-cooked pieces from turning mushy and prevents the syrup from soaking in too much. If you’re worried about the rhubarb stalks losing their texture, you could try cutting them slightly smaller, but keep them uniform in shape.
• Here’s an insider tip: don’t toss that leftover poaching syrup! Reducing it down to a glossy quarter-cup creates this incredible, flavor-packed glaze that makes your tart look like it wandered out of a French patisserie. Seriously, this step is pure gold.

More Incredible Summer Treats

• Rhubarb Crumble
• Pineapple Smoothie
• Frozen Yogurt-Covered Grapes
• Easy Watermelon Juice Recipe (No Juicer!)
• POG Juice
• Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Easy 7 Layer Salad with Homemade Dressing
• Grilled Mango with Chili-Lime Salt

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

4.84 from 6 votes

Classic Rhubarb Tart With Frangipane Filling

Prep 35 minutes minutes

Cook 1 hour hour

Cool 1 hour hour

Total 2 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Layers of buttery shortbread crust, rich almond frangipane filling, and sweet, tart rhubarb topping create a divinely delicious summer dessert.

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8 servings

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Equipment

• tart pan
• Large skillet with lid
• whisk
• Food processor
• rubber or silicone spatula
• Aluminum Foil
• Tongs
• Pastry brush

Ingredients

For the Rhubarb Topping

• ▢ 1 lbs. rhubarb, cut into equally sized diagnoal slices, about ½”
• ▢ ¼ cup powdered sugar
• ▢ finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• ▢ water added to juice of orange to make 1 cup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Shortbread Crust

• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar (powdered or icing sugar)
• ▢ ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

For the Frangipane

• ▢ 3 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ▢ ⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons white granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ¾ cup almond flour
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

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Instructions

 

Prep the Rhubarb Topping

• Cut 1 pound of rhubarb stalks into ½ -inch diagonal segments. Test the length by placing the cut stalks in an empty tart pan – the stalks should fit easily in the pan with space on all sides for the crust edges to fit.
• Add ¼ cup powdered sugar, finely grated zest, and the juice of 1 orange, plus water, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to a large skillet over medium heat. This should yield a total of 1 cup of liquid.
• Gently whisk the liquids until the mixture begins to simmer, then add the cut rhubarb stalks.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the skillet from heat and cover with a lid. Let the topping cool in a covered pan for at least 1 hour (overnight is preferred).

Make the Shortbread Crust

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees ℉ (220 degrees ℃) and place rack in the center of the oven.
• Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar to your food processor. Process ingredients to combine them.
• Add ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks to your food processor and pulse until the pastry starts to come together and form clumps.
• Transfer pastry to an 8 or 9-inch nonstick tart pan with a removable bottom. Using your fingertips, evenly press pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface of the pastry if needed.
• Gently pierce the bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork to prevent the pastry crust from puffing up while it bakes.
• Cover the tart pan and place the pastry crust in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill. This helps prevent the crust from shrinking while it bakes.
• Place tart pan on a larger baking sheet and bake crust until just barely golden brown on the edges, about 12 to 13 minutes.
• Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. The crust is now ready to be filled.

Make the Frangipane Filling

• Wipe out food processor bowl to remove any leftover crust crumbs. Add 3 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature, ⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons white granulated sugar, 1 large egg, ¾ cup almond flour, and ¼ teaspoon salt to your food processor. Pulse 2 to 4 times until the mixture is well combined.
• Transfer frangipane filling to tart pan with partially-baked tart crust. Use spatula to evenly distribute filling across crust and smooth top of filling layer.
• Cut one large sheet of aluminum foil and place filled tart pan in center of foil sheet. Bring sides of foil up, folding as needed so that foil just covers crust tart edges while leaving filling uncovered.
• Return tart pan to preheated oven. Bake 20 minutes or until filling is golden-brown and set. Check doneness by inserting knife in center of filling and removing – knife should come out of filling completely clean.
• When filling is set, remove tart pan from oven and set aside to cool completely.

Assemble the Rhubarb Tart

• Strain the rhubarb from the syrup and set it aside. Gently line rhubarb across the top of the frangipane filling.
• Return skillet with syrup to stovetop and warm it uncovered over medium heat. Let syrup come to boil, then continue boiling until syrup has reduced to approximately ¼ cup.
• Use a pastry brush to gently brush the reduced syrup over the rhubarb topping, then serve the tart immediately. Alternatively, cover the pan with foil and keep it at room temperature until ready to serve.

• Make it Keto: Replace the confectioners’ sugar in the crust with erythritol or monk fruit sweetener, and substitute granulated sugar with erythritol in the frangipane. For the rhubarb topping, use sugar-free maple syrup or monk fruit syrup instead of regular maple syrup.
• Make it Paleo: Swap out all-purpose flour with 2 cups of almond flour, plus 1 tablespoon each of coconut flour and tapioca flour. Use coconut sugar instead of confectioners’ sugar, and opt for ghee or coconut oil as a substitute for butter. For the frangipane, use maple syrup to replace granulated sugar. Set the oven temperature lower, to 350°F, and bake the crust for 11 to 13 minutes. Since almond flour crusts are more delicate, be sure to handle them carefully.  
• Serving: This tart is best served immediately. If you plan to serve it the same day you make it but not immediately after baking, cover the pan with foil and keep the tart at room temperature until ready to serve. If you plan to serve it the next day, you’ll need to refrigerate the tart in an airtight container until ready to serve.

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Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 326calProtein: 3gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 7gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 75mgPotassium: 13mgTotal Carbs: 30gFiber: 2gSugar: 15gSugar Alcohols: 0.2gNet Carbs: 28gVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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