The ultimate bakewell tart

The ultimate bakewell tart
  • Serves icon Serves 8
  • Time icon Takes 25 minutes to make, 55-60 minutes to cook, plus chilling and cooling time

A proper bakewell tart recipe, as it should be, with crisp sweet shortcrust pastry, a layer of strawberry jam, a generous frangipane filling and flaked almonds.

If you fancy something a little different, try Nathan Outlaw’s bakewell tart made with apricot preserve and amaretto liqueur.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
618kcals
Fat
42.7g (19g saturated)
Protein
11.8g
Carbohydrates
50.3g (28.7g sugar)
Fibre
1.1g
Salt
0.1g
Calories
618kcals
Fat
42.7g (19g saturated)
Protein
11.8g
Carbohydrates
50.3g (28.7g sugar)
Fibre
1.1g
Salt
0.1g

Ingredients

  • 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • 100g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
  • 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
  • Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
  • 4 tbsp strawberry jam
  • 2 tbsp flaked almonds

Method

  1. 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 and 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 chill, wrapped in cling film, for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4 along with a baking sheet. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a pound coin. Use to line a 23cm fluted, loose-bottomed tart tin. Try not to stretch the pastry when tucking it into the edges. Trim the excess and prick all over with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes.
  3. Line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Place on the pre-heated baking sheet and blind-bake (see our how-to video below) for 15 minutes, then remove the beans/rice and paper. Cook for a further 5 minutes until pale golden and dry on top.
  4. Make the filling. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a little at a time, then fold in the ground almonds and lemon zest.
  5. Spread the jam evenly across the base of the pastry case, then spoon over the sponge mixture, levelling the surface with the back of the spoon. Scatter over the almonds and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden, well risen and just set in the centre. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then lift onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

delicious. tips

  1. If you have warm hands, cool them under cold water before rubbing in the butter. If it begins to melt from over-handling, the finished pastry won’t be as light. If you’re not confident about making pastry by hand, you can use a food processor – but pulse the mixture gently. Don’t overwork it.

    Learn how to line and blind bake a tart tin below…

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Read what others say...

  1. 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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