The ultimate bakewell tart recipe, as it should be, with crisp sweet shortcrust pastry, a layer of jam, a generous frangipane filling, white icing and glacé cherries. “This is a foolproof recipe for a classic bakewell,” says Head of food Tom Shingler. “It’s easy to see why it’s been a British favourite for over two hundred years.”
“If you ask me, frangipane is one of the greatest inventions within the world of sweet baking. I can take or leave ganache, I’m indifferent to buttercreams and I shrug my shoulders at sponges. But nutty, rich, almond-filled frangipane is something special. And it’s always best enjoyed in that icon of British baking – the bakewell tart.”
- The essential elements: “There are just three elements in a traditional bakewell tart – pastry, jam, frangipane – so you really have to nail each one,” says Tom. “I’ve kept the pastry simple, enriched with a tiny bit of milk, egg and sugar, but it’s easy to work with and rolled thick enough to accommodate the fillings. The frangipane is made with room temperature eggs and butter, which is key to stop it splitting and turning greasy.”
- Try different jam flavours: “The jam is where you can have the most fun, as there doesn’t seem to be a specific variety required for the traditional one (although it’s almost always raspberry). Any berry-based jam will be great, but in homage to the great Mr Kipling I tend to use a cherry jam, which has just the right amount of sweetness and tang.”
- Decoration ideas: “I turn to our main man Kipling once again for inspiration. Covering the entire thing in icing is a bit much, but a nice zig-zag of simple icing (along with, of course, some glacé cherries) brightens things up without creating an imbalance of flavours.” You could also leave plain or add flaked almonds – see below.
If you fancy something a little different, try Nathan Outlaw’s bakewell tart made with apricot preserve and amaretto liqueur.
Ingredients
- 200g plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 100g unsalted butter, chilled and chopped
- 1 large free-range egg, beaten
- 1 tbsp milk
For the filling
- 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 150g golden caster sugar
- 3 large free-range eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 150g ground almonds
- Finely grated zest 1 lemon
- 4 tbsp cherry jam (see Easy Swaps)
- 150g icing sugar
- Glacé cherries to decorate
Specialist kit
- 23cm fluted loose-bottomed tart tin
Method
- Sift the flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until it forms fine crumbs. Add the beaten eggs and milk, then lightly bring together to form a firm dough, taking care not to handle it any more than necessary. Shape into a disc (which will be easier to roll out later), then wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 with a baking sheet inside. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a pound coin, then use it to line the tart tin. Try not to stretch the pastry when tucking it into the flutes. Trim the excess and prick all over with a fork. Cover and chill for another 30 minutes.
- Line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Put it on the heated baking sheet and blind-bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans/rice and paper. Cook for a further 5 minutes until pale golden and dry on top. leave to cool.
- Make the filling. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a little at a time, then gently stir in the ground almonds and lemon zest.
- Spread the jam evenly across the base of the cooled pastry case, then spoon over the filling, levelling the surface with the back of the spoon. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden, well risen and just set in the centre.
- Meanwhile, make a simple water icing by mixing 1 tbsp warm water into the icing sugar. You may need a little more, but add a splash at a time (you want it thick enough not to run). Once the tart is cooked, leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then lift onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely before drizzling with the icing and decorating with glacé cherries.
Nutrition
- 532kcals Calories
- 32g (14g saturated) Fat
- 8.4g Protein
- 52g (37g sugars) Carbs
- 2.4g Fibre
- 0.1g Salt
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Reviews
Hi everyone Just wanted to pass on a very useful tip. I use one of the silicone baking sheets – I have found one that is fairly thin at Lidl – to line my pastry cases before adding baking beans. It is pliable, stays firm on the pastry, and just fits every part of the case with ease. One the case is blind baked, the silicone sheet and beans come away with no problems, and the pastry case is perfect. Just don’t do what I did and forget the beans, I had quite a surprise whan I opened the oven, a very puffed up pastry case. Good luck, give it a try
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