Cherry Galette Recipe with Honey Walnut Frangipane

Cherry galette with walnut frangipane topped with two scoops of vanilla ice cream.

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Cherry Galette Recipe with Honey Walnut Frangipane

My Cherry Galette Recipe with Honey Walnut Frangipane is a sweet, easy-to-prepare mid-summer treat. It’s rustic yet impressive, sweet yet earthy. It’s inspired by the flavor profile of baklava with walnuts, honey, cinnamon and cardamom. As it bakes, the filling becomes jammy and the crust turns beautifully golden and crisp.

Prep Time1

Cook Time45

Chill Time2

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Seasonal

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Slices

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $20

Equipment

Small food processor

Ingredients

For the Dough

1½ cups All-purpose flour - 186 grams
1 tbsp Sugar - 13 grams
½ tsp Kosher salt
½ cup Unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes - 113 grams
5 tbsp Cold water - 71 grams
1 tsp Apple cider vinegar

For the Walnut Frangipane

½ cup Walnuts, chopped and divided - 56 grams
3 tbsp All-purpose flour
2 tbsp Unsalted butter, room temperature - 28 grams
¼ cup Honey - 82 grams
1 Large egg - 50 grams
½ tsp Vanilla extract
¼ tsp Almond extract
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Cardamom
¼ tsp Kosher salt

For the Filling

4 cups Fresh cherries, pitted - 680 grams
¼ cup Sugar - 50 grams
3 tbsp Cornstarch - 24 grams
1 tsp Vanilla extract
¼ tsp Almond extract
¼ tsp Kosher salt

For the Crust

Egg wash (1 large egg with 1 tbsp water)
Turbinado Sugar

Instructions

Prepare the Dough. Prepare the pastry dough by combining the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the cold butter (using a pastry cutter) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir the apple cider vinegar into the cold water, then gradually add the liquid to the flour mixture until a shaggy dough forms. Shape into a disc, cover well with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Grind Walnuts. While the dough chills, prepare the walnut frangipane. Finely grind half of the walnuts in a food processor with the flour until the mixture resembles almond meal.
Make Frangipane. Beat together the butter, honey, egg, vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and the walnut-flour mixture until smooth. Fold in the remaining chopped walnuts and refrigerate until needed.
Roll Dough. Roll the chilled dough into an 11 to 12-inch circle on lightly floured parchment paper. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet or sheet pan and refrigerate while preparing the filling.
Prepare Cherry Mixture. Toss the pitted cherries with sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, almond extract, and salt until evenly coated.
Spread Frangipane. Spread the chilled frangipane over the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge.
Dress and Crimp. Spoon the cherry filling over the frangipane, leaving about 1½ inches around the outside. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, pleating as needed.
Chill and Preheat Oven. Chill the assembled galette while preheating the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Bake. Brush the crust with egg wash, sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar, and bake on the lower oven rack for 45 to 50 minutes until the crust is deeply golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking for even browning.
Cool. Allow the galette to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of honey.

Notes

Refer to the post above for step-by-step recipe photos.

Key Ingredient Notes:

Fresh Cherries: Fresh sweet cherries work best. Bing cherries work best. Sour Cherries can also be used, but you will need to add more sweetener. Rainier cherries will also work, but they tend to be juicier and sweeter, so you will need to cut the sugar and drain them before adding them to the galette. You will need a cherry pitter. Frozen, pitted cherries can also be used if thoroughly thawed and drained, and even patted dry with paper towel.
Walnuts: I was going for a baklava feel with this dessert, so walnuts were a natural choice. But you can also use pecans or almonds. Almonds would give you a more traditional frangipane flavor.
Honey: Keeping with the baklava theme, honey adds both sweetness and flavor. You could use brown sugar if you prefer, but I recommend honey.
Ground Spices: I am using ground cinnamon and ground cardamom. More baklava flavor.

Tips for Success:

Keep every ingredient for the crust as cold as possible. Cold butter creates steam during baking, resulting in flaky layers.
Chill the assembled galette before baking to help the crust maintain its shape.
Don't skip the cornstarch. It thickens the cherry juices and helps prevent a soggy crust.
Bake the galette on the bottom oven rack to ensure the bottom crust cooks through and becomes crisp.

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