Description
This authentic British Bakewell Tart is a timeless classic that combines buttery shortcrust pastry, tangy raspberry jam, and rich almond frangipane filling topped with flaked almonds. Named after the town of Bakewell in Derbyshire, this elegant dessert strikes the perfect balance between sweet and tart flavors with a delightfully moist texture. While it requires a bit of patience with chilling and blind baking, the results are absolutely worth it for this show-stopping British teatime favorite.
Ingredients
- For the Pastry:
- 140g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 70g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 35g (3 tbsp) icing sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1–2 tbsp ice water
- For the Filling:
- 175g (½ cup) good quality raspberry jam
- 115g (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 115g (½ cup) caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 140g (1¼ cups) ground almonds
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- For Finishing:
- Flaked almonds for topping
- Icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Make the Pastry: In a food processor, pulse flour, cold cubed butter, and icing sugar until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add egg yolk and pulse until dough begins to clump. If too dry, add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough comes together.
- Chill the Dough: Turn dough onto floured surface, shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Roll out chilled pastry on floured surface and carefully line a 23cm (9-inch) tart tin. Trim excess pastry.
- Blind Bake the Pastry: Prick base with fork, line with parchment paper, fill with baking beans or rice, and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove paper and beans, bake 5 more minutes until lightly golden. Let cool slightly.
- Add the Jam Layer: Evenly spread raspberry jam over the cooled pastry base.
- Make the Frangipane: Beat softened butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides. Stir in ground almonds, almond extract, and flour until smooth.
- Assemble the Tart: Carefully spread frangipane mixture over jam layer. Sprinkle evenly with flaked almonds.
- Bake to Perfection: Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and springy to touch.
- Cool and Serve: Cool completely in tin before removing. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
Notes
Essential Tips: Keep butter cold when making pastry for the flakiest texture. Don’t skip the 2-hour chill time – it prevents shrinkage during baking. Blind Baking: This pre-baking step ensures a crisp bottom crust that won’t go soggy under the jam and frangipane. Quality Matters: Use good quality raspberry jam for the best flavor balance. Seedless jam works well for a smoother texture. Storage: Keeps covered at room temperature for 3 days or refrigerated for up to 1 week. Variations: Try strawberry or apricot jam for different flavor profiles, or add lemon zest to the frangipane for extra brightness.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8th of tart)
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
Keywords: bakewell tart, british dessert, almond tart, frangipane, raspberry jam tart