Bakewell tart

Serves: 8
Course: Dessert
Cooking Time: 0 hr 40 mins
Ingredients
  • For the pastry:
  • 200g plain flour
  • 100g cold butter, diced small
  • 50g icing sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp cold water, if needed
  • For the tart filling:
  • 150g butter, room temperature
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 150g ground almonds
  • 1 tsp almond essence
  • 60g good quality raspberry conserve (or jam)
  • 20g flaked almonds
  • To serve: freshly whipped cream

1 Preheat an oven to 180 degrees Celsius, fan, or equivalent. Grease a 20cm loose-bottomed tart tin.

2 To make the pastry, sieve the flour into a bowl. Add the diced butter and rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in icing sugar. With a dinner knife, work in the egg yolk then bring together to a firm dough (add a little water if it appears very dry to help the mixture come together). Shape into a flat disc. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes.

3 Roll the pastry out thinly (2mm) on a lightly floured work surface and use to line the greased tart tin. To bake the pastry blind, line with parchment paper and fill with baking beans (or uncooked rice or lentils). Place in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is light golden in colour. Remove the beans and paper and set aside.

4 For the tart filling, use an electric whisk to cream together the butter and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl. Set the whisk to a low speed and gradually add the eggs, one at a time, do not overmix.

5 Add the ground almonds and almond essence.

6 Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the base of the cooked pastry case.

7 Transfer the frangipane filling into the pastry case, levelling it with a spatula. Scatter flaked almonds over the top. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until the frangipane filling is set firm with a golden crust.

8 Serve warm with whipped cream, thick yoghurt or ice-cream.

Variation: Try other conserves to flavour the tart. Cherry, rhubarb or apricot are all good.