The Bakewell Tart Experience

A very classic British dessert and a favourite of mine, although it has fallen out of favour due to the sickly sweet or bland tarts commercially mass produced by the large bakeries/supermarkets.
The original tart comes from the Derbyshire town of Bakewell, hence the name, although the recipe and what constitutes as the perfect bakewell tart have lead to many a discussion into the early hours of the morning!!
Bakewell Tart is made using short pastry with a layer of jam, covered with a ground almond sponge (known as a frangipane) and topped with flaked almonds
Bakewell Pudding is made using flaky pastry with a layer of jam covered with a egg and almond filling.
Cherry Bakewell is a tart covered with a layer of fondant icing and topped with a cherry

Bakewell Tart

Bakewell Pudding

My preference is towards the classic and simple tart, served warm with homemade custard. This is the recipe I use,
Pastry
I make a sugar pastry which has a slightly higher fat content but you get a sweeter flavor and softer texture.
8oz Plain/all purpose Flour
5oz Unsalted soft Butter
2oz Caster sugar
1 Egg
Pinch of Salt
Pre-heat your oven at 190c (170c fan)/gas 5

Sift the flour and salt together in a bowl. Rub in the butter til you get a breadcrumb like mixture, mix in the sugar. Add in the whisked egg and bring together to make a smooth soft dough. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
You can roll out the pastry but being a soft pastry it tends to tear and crack easily, therefore I pat it into to a greased and floured tart/flan pan using my hands. Once you have a even layer along the bottom and sides, prick the bottom with a fork and blind bake for about 15 minutes. Leave to cool for a minute or two then remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for a about 5 minutes til the pastry is golden brown.

Meanwhile make your frangipane
4oz Butter
4oz Caster sugar
2 Eggs
4oz Ground almonds
1/2oz Flour
1/2tsp baking powder
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
Cream together butter and sugar, gradually adding the eggs while continuously whisking. Add the lemon zest and then fold in the ground almonds along with the sifted flour and baking powder.

For the fruit filling I prefer to use seasonal fruit compote, although raspberry jam is considered to be the classic filling. I would urge you to experiment with your favorite fruits but store cupboard jam is an acceptable alternative.
At the moment cherries and raspberries are in season so I will be using raspberry compote.
8oz Raspberries
1-2oz Caster sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Put all the ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil, leave to simmer for about 10-15 minutes til thickened. Allow to cool slightly.

Pour the compote into the pastry case spread over the base, top with the frangipane and level to get an even bake.
Place in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes until well risen and golden brown. You can add flaked almonds during the last 5 minutes of the cooking time.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from the tart pan. Place on a serving plate and dust with icing sugar (optional)

I like mine with custard but you can serve with pouring cream, vanilla flavored ice cream, creme fraiche or serve cold with your choice of beverage.

Happy Baking