SUMPTIOUS ALMOND FRANGIPANE AND MARZIPAN SLICES

 

LOVELY MOIST SOFT ALMOND FINGERS LAYERED WITH MARZIPAN & JAM

(makes 12 large fingers)

Ingredients
For the pastry (you can freeze what you don't use)
450g plain flour
110g butter cold & grated
100g lard cold diced
1 pinch salt
180ml ice cold water

For the almond butter
115g butter melted
115g caster sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
115g plain flour
75g ground almonds
toasted flaked almonds
1 tsp almond essence
2 tbsp raspberry jam
100g marzipan

METHOD

Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees/fan 180, beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together until thick, creamy and light in colour, slowly pour in the melted butter and mix in with the ground almonds and almond essence.

 

TO MAKE THE PASTRY

Place the flour in a large bowl with the salt, grate the butter into the flour and cut in with a knife.  Mix in the diced lard, then make a well in the centre and add the water, using your hand mix the water into the pastry to form a ball.  Turn out onto a lightly floured board and finish bring the dough together, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.  There is more pastry than you need for this recipe, so I like to roll out the spare pastry to a baking dish sizes, cover in baking paper and roll up and place in the freezer for when I need it next.  Roll out the pastry to cover just the base of your baking tin.  I used a 2lb loaf tin, greased with butter and the bottom lined with baking paper.

 

Place the pastry on the bottom of your lined tin, spread the jam evenly over the base.  My husband likes me to then place a sheet of rolled out marzipan on top of the pastry base, pour the almond frangipane on top and finish off with a generous handful of toasted almonds.  Bake  for approx 30 minutes until set and slightly springy.  Leave to cool and once cooled slice in to fingers and enjoy.