Delicious Vegan Mincemeat Frangipane Tart: A Perfect Festive Christmas Dessert

Embrace the festive spirit with this absolutely delicious vegan mincemeat frangipane tart! It’s a delightful and unique alternative to traditional mince pies, bringing all the beloved flavours of Christmas in a stunning, shareable dessert. Imagine a crisp, orange-infused shortcrust pastry, generously filled with rich, fruity mincemeat, a tender, almond-rich vegan frangipane, and topped with delicate apple slices. This tart is truly a celebration of seasonal tastes and textures.

You simply can’t go wrong with the harmonious blend of a buttery, flaky crust, the moist and fragrant almond frangipane, and the sweet, spiced, and often boozy mincemeat. Each bite offers a burst of Christmassy flavour that will enchant your taste buds and impress your holiday guests. It’s a sophisticated yet comforting treat that perfectly captures the essence of the season.

This exquisite vegan mincemeat frangipane tart offers a wonderful change from the usual Christmas desserts, providing a fresh perspective on classic festive flavours. While it stands out from more common mince pies, it wholeheartedly retains that cherished, comforting Christmassy aroma and taste that everyone loves.

Versatile and satisfying, this tart is excellent served either warm or cold. Enjoy it chilled as a delightful mid-morning or afternoon treat alongside a comforting cup of tea or coffee. When served warm, it transforms into a decadent pudding, perfect with a dollop of vegan cream, a scoop of your favourite plant-based ice cream, or a generous pour of creamy vegan custard.

Essential Ingredients for Your Vegan Mincemeat Frangipane Tart

Crafting this festive tart requires a selection of quality ingredients that come together to create its signature flavour and texture. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need:

• Mincemeat: For those unfamiliar outside the UK, mincemeat is a delightful, sweet, spiced fruit preserve, traditionally used for mince pies around Christmas. Despite its name, it contains no actual meat in modern recipes. However, it’s crucial to always double-check the jar for vegan-friendly ingredients, as some brands might still use beef suet or butter. Many supermarket varieties are perfectly vegan; I personally find the one from Morrison’s to be a great choice. Alternatively, for an extra special touch, you can use your own homemade mincemeat, which allows you to control the exact flavour profile and booziness!
• Plain Flour: Regular plain (or all-purpose) flour is essential for both the pastry and the frangipane, providing structure and lightness. Please do not substitute it with wholemeal flour, as this will significantly alter the texture of the pastry and frangipane. While I haven’t specifically tested a gluten-free version, a good quality plain gluten-free flour blend should work well for the frangipane. For the pastry, you would need to find a dedicated gluten-free shortcrust pastry recipe.
• Vegan Butter: This is a key component for achieving that perfect crisp, flaky pastry and a rich frangipane. For the best possible results, especially for the pastry, it is absolutely vital to use a block-style vegan butter or margarine. Avoid the spreadable varieties that come in tubs, as their higher water content can make the pastry less crisp and harder to work with. Brands like Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Butter are excellent choices.
• Sugar: You’ll need two types of sugar for this recipe: icing (powdered) sugar for the pastry, which helps create a tender crumb, and either caster or granulated sugar for the frangipane, providing sweetness and structure. This recipe relies on the specific properties of these sugars and cannot be successfully made with artificial sweeteners or liquid sugars.
• Vodka: My not-so-secret weapon for incredibly crisp pastry! The science behind it is simple: vodka has a lower water percentage compared to water itself. By using a small amount of vodka instead of just water to bind the pastry, the alcohol evaporates more rapidly during baking, resulting in a wonderfully crispier crust without any residual alcoholic taste. It’s completely undetectable in the final product. If you prefer, or don’t have vodka on hand, you can certainly use cold water, but I highly recommend trying the vodka trick if you have it lurking in your cupboard!
• Ground Almonds: These form the very heart of the frangipane, giving it its characteristic moist, tender, and nutty texture. I also incorporate a small amount into the pastry, which contributes to a lovely crisp and slightly flaky consistency. In the United States, ground almonds are often referred to as almond flour.
• Cornflour (Cornstarch): A small addition of cornflour is essential for helping the frangipane to set properly, ensuring a firm yet creamy filling that holds its shape beautifully.
• Milk: For baking, I highly recommend using soy milk due to its higher protein content, which provides better structure and moisture retention in baked goods. However, any unsweetened non-dairy milk will work perfectly fine. Opt for unsweetened varieties whenever possible to avoid altering the tart’s overall sweetness.
• Baking Powder: Just a touch of baking powder is added to the frangipane mixture. This acts as a leavening agent, providing a subtle lift and lightness to the frangipane, replacing the aeration and structure that eggs would typically provide in a non-vegan recipe.
• Almond Extract: This is a non-negotiable ingredient! Without almond extract, the frangipane would lack that signature, intense almond flavour that makes this tart so irresistible. Do not omit it if you want an authentic taste experience.
• Apples: You’ll need two medium eating apples, such as Braeburn, which hold their shape well and offer a pleasant tartness. The apple topping is optional, but it adds a beautiful visual appeal and a lovely soft, slightly tangy contrast to the rich frangipane.
• Flaked Almonds: While entirely optional, scattering a handful of flaked almonds over the top of the tart before baking adds a gorgeous golden finish and provides a delightful textural crunch, contrasting beautifully with the soft filling. It also enhances the overall almond theme.
• Apricot Jam: After baking, a simple glaze made from apricot jam and a touch of water is brushed over the warm tart. This creates a stunning, glossy finish, making the tart look incredibly professional and adding a subtle hint of fruity sweetness. This step is completely optional, but highly recommended for presentation.
• Orange Zest: For an extra layer of bright, zesty flavour in the pastry, I love to add the finely grated zest of one orange. This is an optional addition but truly elevates the overall aroma and taste of the tart, making it even more festive.

How To Master the Mincemeat Frangipane Tart

(For precise measurements and detailed step-by-step instructions, please refer to the complete recipe card located at the bottom of this page.)

The journey to creating this magnificent tart begins with the perfect pastry. You’ll start by combining your dry pastry ingredients – flour, ground almonds, icing sugar, and a pinch of salt – in a spacious bowl. Once thoroughly mixed, cold, diced vegan butter is added and meticulously rubbed in with your fingertips. This process, crucial for a tender pastry, continues until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, with no visible lumps of butter remaining.

Next, introduce the cold vodka (or water) to the mixture. Gradually add just enough additional cold water to bring the dough together, forming a cohesive ball. Handle the pastry minimally to avoid overworking it. Shape it into a disc, wrap it securely, and then refrigerate for approximately an hour. This chilling period is vital; it allows the gluten to relax and the butter to firm up, making the pastry much easier to roll and ensuring a wonderfully crisp texture.

Once your pastry is perfectly chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a circle large enough to elegantly line a 25cm round tart tin. Carefully press the pastry into all the corners and sides of the tin to ensure an even shell, then use a rolling pin to trim away any excess pastry from the edges. Prick the base of your pastry shell all over with a fork – this prevents it from puffing up during baking. For an extra crisp base, place the tart shell in the freezer for about 20 minutes until it’s thoroughly solid. While it chills, preheat your oven.

To blind bake the pastry, line the frozen shell with baking parchment or tin foil, making sure to press it firmly into the corners and allowing a slight overhang. Fill this with baking beans or dried rice, ensuring the sides are well-supported. Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully remove the foil and beans. Return the tart shell to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, allowing it to turn a pale golden hue. This crucial step ensures a fully cooked and crisp base before the filling is added.

With the pastry shell ready, it’s time to prepare the luscious frangipane. In a bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, plain flour, cornflour, baking powder, and sugar until well combined. Then, incorporate the non-dairy milk, melted vegan butter, and almond extract. Whisk thoroughly until you achieve a wonderfully smooth, creamy frangipane mixture, free of any lumps.

Now, for the assembly! Spoon an even layer of your rich mincemeat over the blind-baked pastry base. Don’t be shy – a generous layer ensures every slice is packed with festive flavour. Carefully spread or pipe the prepared frangipane mixture evenly over the mincemeat, creating a smooth, inviting surface.

To add a touch of elegance and a lovely textural contrast, arrange the thinly sliced apples decoratively over the frangipane. Finally, scatter a handful of flaked almonds across the top. This not only enhances the visual appeal but also provides a delightful crunch once baked.

Bake the tart for approximately 60-75 minutes, or until the frangipane is beautifully set and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Keep an eye on the top; if it starts to brown too quickly, you can loosely cover it with tin foil to prevent over-browning. Once baked, allow the tart to cool slightly in the tin before carefully transferring it to a wire rack. For that professional, glossy finish, prepare an apricot glaze by heating apricot jam with a tablespoon of water, then strain it for a perfectly smooth consistency. Gently brush this warm glaze over the cooled tart for a stunning shine.

Expert Tips for a Flawless Vegan Mincemeat Frangipane Tart

Achieving bakery-quality results with this tart is straightforward if you keep a few key tips in mind:

• Precision in Measuring: For all my baking recipes, including this tart, I cannot stress enough the importance of using metric measurements with a digital kitchen scale. While cup conversions are provided, they are inherently less accurate and can lead to inconsistent results. A scale ensures precise ingredient ratios, which is crucial for perfect baking, and it’s often less messy too!
• Chilling the Pastry is Essential: Do not skip the chilling step for the pastry. If the dough is too warm, the butter will melt, making it incredibly sticky and difficult to roll out evenly. Proper chilling firms up the butter and relaxes the gluten, leading to a much more manageable dough and a superior final texture.
• Avoid Overworking the Pastry: For the crispiest, most delicate pastry, it’s vital not to overwork the dough. Excessive handling develops the gluten, which can result in a tough, chewy crust instead of a light, flaky one. Work quickly and gently. Freezing the tart shell briefly before blind baking further helps to prevent shrinkage and ensures an extra crisp base.
• Make Ahead Options: To ease your holiday baking stress, the pastry can be prepared in advance. Simply wrap it tightly in cling film and store it in the refrigerator for up to two days. If it becomes too firm to roll out directly from the fridge, allow it to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften slightly before working with it.
• Storage of the Baked Tart: This tart is undoubtedly at its best when enjoyed on the day it’s baked, with its pastry at peak crispness. However, leftovers will keep beautifully in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. For longer storage, the baked tart can also be frozen. Wrap it well in plastic wrap and then foil to protect it from freezer burn.
• Time-Saving Shortcut: If you’re short on time but still want to enjoy this delicious tart, feel free to use shop-bought shortcrust pastry. Many brands offer vegan-friendly options; for example, Jus-Rol pastry (excluding their ‘all-butter’ variety) is suitable for vegans.
• Alternative Glaze: If you prefer a less shiny finish or don’t have apricot jam, a simple dusting of icing sugar over the cooled tart offers a beautiful, snowy aesthetic that is equally appealing for the festive season.
• Omit the Apples (If Preferred): The apple topping adds a lovely fresh element and visual appeal, but if you’re not an apple fan or simply prefer a simpler look, you can certainly leave them off without significantly impacting the core flavours of the mincemeat and frangipane.

More Vegan Christmas Dessert Recipes to Explore:

• Delightful Berry and Coconut Steamed Puddings
• Classic Vegan Christmas Pudding
• Luxurious Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake
• Comforting Vegan Steamed Maple Syrup Pudding
• Silky Vegan Chocolate Mousse
• Rich Vegan Steamed Chocolate Pudding
• Zesty Vegan Chocolate Orange Pots
• Elegant Vegan Tiramisu
• Whimsical Starry Mince Pie Tart (Vegan)
• Decadent No-Bake Chocolate Ginger Tart

If you’ve had the pleasure of trying this wonderful recipe, I’d love to hear about your experience! Please take a moment to rate it, leave a comment below, or share your creation on Instagram by tagging @domestic_gothess and using the hashtag #domesticgothess. Your feedback brightens my day!

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