Bakewell Tart

Bakewell Tart

A classic British tart from Derbyshire: a crisp shortcrust case spread with raspberry jam and filled with soft almond frangipane, finished with a pale icing and a glacé cherry.

Prep

25 min

Cook

45 min

Total

70 min

Serves

8

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (7 oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• •100 g (3½ oz) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• •25 g (1 oz) caster sugar
• •1 whole egg yolk, plus 1–2 tsp cold water if needed
• •120 g (4 oz) seedless raspberry jam
• •125 g (4½ oz) ground almonds
• •125 g (4½ oz) caster sugar, for the frangipane
• •125 g (4½ oz) unsalted butter, softened, for the frangipane
• •2 whole large eggs, lightly beaten, for the frangipane
• •15 g (½ oz) plain flour, for the frangipane
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) almond extract
• •100 g (3½ oz) icing sugar, sifted, for the icing
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice or water, to loosen the icing
• •1 whole glacé cherry, to finish, or a few, optional

Steps

1. 1 Make the pastry: rub the butter into the flour and sugar until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the egg yolk and just enough cold water (1–2 tsp) to bring it together into a soft dough. Flatten into a disc, wrap, and chill for 20–30 minutes.
2. 2 Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface and line a 22 cm (9 in) loose-bottomed tart tin, about 2–3 cm deep. Prick the base with a fork and chill for another 15 minutes.
3. 3 Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (fan 180°C). Line the pastry case with baking paper and baking beans and blind bake for 12 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake a further 5 minutes until the base looks pale and dry.
4. 4 Lower the oven to 170°C / 340°F (fan 150°C). Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the warm pastry base.
5. 5 Make the frangipane: cream the softened butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs a little at a time. Stir in the ground almonds, flour and almond extract until smooth.
6. 6 Spoon the frangipane over the jam and spread gently to the edges, smoothing the top.
7. 7 Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the frangipane is risen, set, and a deep golden brown on top; a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Cover loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly.
8. 8 Leave the tart to cool fully in the tin, then release it from the ring.
9. 9 Mix the sifted icing sugar with just enough lemon juice or water to make a thick but pourable icing. Drizzle or spread it over the cold tart, letting a little drip over the edges.
10. 10 Top with a glacé cherry in the centre (or a small ring of cherries). Slice and serve.