Vegan Peaches and Almond Cream Tart

Sweet, juicy peaches nestle into a layer of silky almond cream and are baked in a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust. This delicious tart is so easy to make and doesn’t require any pastry rolling!

There’s something about the flavor of almonds that really makes peaches even more delicious. I first experienced this with a peach pie I made years ago; the recipe called for a bit of almond extract tossed with the peach filling. Once the tart was baked and cool enough to eat, I had a slice and, oh my goodness! It was then that I knew that I needed more peach and almond in my life.

I’d been thinking about this flavor combo again since I first made a vegan Bakewell tart last spring. If you haven’t had a Bakewell tart before, it’s a tart filled with raspberry preserves and frangipane (with different variations out there.) The frangipane layer is like a thick almond custard. Traditionally, eggs are used in a custard or frangipane base but here I made it vegan with the use of some accidentally vegan custard powder. In a pinch you could use cornstarch but the flavor that the custard powder is so good and makes the filling indistinguishable from non-vegan versions.

The almond flavor comes from almond flour and almond extract. I experimented with almond meal and with finely ground almonds (almond flour), and definitely recommend using almond flour. Unlike almond meal, almonds are finely ground with their skins removed to get almond flour. This makes for a filling that will be lighter in a color and smoother in texture. You can see in the images for this post that I used almond meal so the filling is not white like it would be with almond flour. You can see in the Bakewell tart I’d made using almond flour how much whiter the frangipane is.

A note about the tart crust: be sure to use refined coconut oil. Refined coconut oil doesn’t have any coconut flavor – we really want the almond flavor to shine here, so the strong coconut flavor from unrefined coconut oil would really compete with the almond.

This is the kind of dessert you can whip up a few hours before company arrives and not totally destroy a tidy kitchen in the process. The shortbread crust is made in one bowl and par-bakes while you whip up the almond cream filling. The filling doesn’t get any simpler to make – you blend the ingredients and pour them into your prepared tart crust. From there, you place some sliced fresh peaches on top; I don’t even peel mine as the skin is pretty, but you could peel them if you prefer! Once it’s baked, let it cool completely to room temperature before serving. Easy, right?

Any tart leftovers can be kept in the fridge but be sure to have the tart come to room temperature before serving as the crust will harden when cold.

Vegan Peach and Almond Tart

Sweet, juicy peaches nestle into a layer of silky almond cream and are baked in a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust. This delicious tart is so easy to make and doesn’t require any pastry rolling!

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: Vegan Peach Tart

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 1 9″ tart

Author: Bronwyn

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup refined coconut oil
• ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• ¼ tsp salt

For the Filling:

• 1 ½ cups almond flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 4 tbsp refined coconut oil
• 3 tbsp vegan custard powder
• ½ tsp almond extract
• ⅛ tsp salt
• confectioner’s sugar for dusting
• 3-4 fresh free-stone peaches, cut into 3/4″ slices (skins on)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Sift the flour, confectioner’s sugar, cornstarch and salt into a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Using a fork or working it with your hands, mix in the refined coconut oil until the mixture is well blended. Don’t be alarmed that it is not holding together like other dough.
• Press firmly into a 9″ fluted flat tart pan; start with the sides and then finish with the base, making the crust as even as possible. I use my hands plus the back of a big spoon or a glass. Gently poke some holes into the crust sides and base using a fork about every inch or two. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is just becoming golden, turning once to ensure even baking.

For the filling:

• Place all of the filling ingredients EXCEPT for the peaches into a high-speed blender, and blend on high until smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally.
• Pour the almond mixture over the tart shell and smooth it with the back of a large spoon. Place the peach slices over the almond filling in a circular pattern. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden, turning half way through baking.
• Let the tart cool completely before removing the sides of the tin. Dust with confections sugar, and serve. Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
  

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