Ingredients
Pastry
- 200 gplain flour
- 100 gcold unsalted butter, cubed
- 40 gicing sugar
- 1egg yolk
- 2–3 tbspvery cold water
- a pinch of salt
Frangipane
- 150 gunsalted butter, softened
- 150 gcaster sugar
- 3eggs
- 150 gground almonds
- 40 gplain flour
- 1 tspalmond extract
To assemble
- 200 graspberry jam
- 30 gflaked almonds
Icing, for the Cherry Bakewell version
- 150 gicing sugar
- 1–2 tbspwater
- 8glacé cherries
Directions
- Rub the butter into the flour, icing sugar and salt until it looks like breadcrumbs, then bind with the yolk and just enough cold water. Bring together without kneading, flatten to a disc, wrap and chill 1 hour.
- Roll out and line a 23 cm tart tin, pressing well into the corners. Leave the excess overhanging and chill another 20 minutes — pastry shrinks away from the sides if it goes into the oven warm.
- Blind bake at 190°C (375°F) with paper and beans for 15 minutes, remove the beans and bake 8 minutes more until the base is dry and pale gold. Trim the overhang now, while it is crisp.
- Beat the butter and sugar until pale and light, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the ground almonds, flour and almond extract.
- Spread the jam over the cooled base in an even layer, right to the edges but not thickly — too much jam boils up through the frangipane and burns at the rim.
- Spoon the frangipane over and level it carefully without dragging the jam up into it. Scatter the flaked almonds over.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30–35 minutes, until risen, golden and firm to a light press in the centre. Cover loosely with foil if the almonds colour early.
- Cool completely in the tin. For the Cherry Bakewell version, leave off the flaked almonds, mix the icing sugar with just enough water to make a thick pourable glaze, spread it over the cold tart and set a cherry on each slice.
Technique
- Blind bake properly. Frangipane is wet, and a pale under-baked base gives the soggy bottom the tart is notorious for.
- The frangipane rises and then settles slightly as it cools; a slight dip in the middle is normal, not a fault.
- The Bakewell pudding, the older Derbyshire original, is a different thing entirely — puff pastry, jam and an egg-and-almond custard, with no frangipane.
Substitutions
- Cherry or apricot jam in place of raspberry.
- Shop-bought sweet shortcrust, which is what most people use.
Variations
- Cherry Bakewell, iced and topped with a glacé cherry, the packaged-cake version.
- Individual Bakewell tarts baked in a bun tin.
History
Named for Bakewell in Derbyshire, developed from the older Bakewell pudding recorded in the town in the nineteenth century.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bakewell tart?
Bakewell tart is a dessert from United Kingdom: shortcrust pastry with jam and frangipane, sometimes iced with a cherry. Named for Bakewell in Derbyshire, developed from the older Bakewell pudding recorded in the town in the nineteenth century.
How long does Bakewell tart take to make?
Bakewell tart takes 35 min plus 1 hr chilling of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Bakewell tart?
Yes, within limits. Cherry or apricot jam in place of raspberry. Shop-bought sweet shortcrust, which is what most people use.
