A proper British classic! This Bakewell Tart combines buttery shortcrust pastry, a layer of sweet raspberry jam and a rich almond filling, finished with flaked almonds for a lovely golden crunch.
Perfect with an afternoon cup of tea or served as a dessert with a little cream. It's one of those traditional bakes that's always worth coming back to.
Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
For the pastry
250g plain flour
¼ tsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp icing sugar
140g cold butter, cubed
2 egg yolks, beaten
4 tbsp cold water
For the filling
100g butter, softened
100g caster sugar
150g ground almonds
1 tsp almond extract
2 medium eggs, beaten
3 tbsp raspberry jam
50g flaked almonds
METHOD
Prepare the pastry
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas Mark 6.
Place the flour, salt and icing sugar into a food processor and blitz briefly to combine.
Add the cold, cubed butter and pulse in short bursts until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Mix the beaten egg yolks with 4 tablespoons of cold water and gradually drizzle into the mixture, pulsing briefly until the dough begins to come together.
Tip the crumbly mixture onto a clean work surface and gently bring it together into a round disc. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Blind bake the pastry
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled pastry to approximately 25cm in diameter and the thickness of a £1 coin.
Carefully line a 20cm tart tin with the pastry, leaving a little overhang around the edges.
Line the pastry with a large piece of baking parchment and fill with baking beans to weigh it down.
Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the parchment and baking beans.
Return the pastry to the oven for a further 7–10 minutes, until the base is evenly cooked.
Once baked, carefully trim away any overhanging pastry using a serrated knife.
Make the almond filling
In a mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter and caster sugar until combined.
Add the ground almonds, almond extract and beaten eggs. Beat for a further minute until everything is well incorporated.
Assemble the Bakewell Tart
Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the base of the baked pastry case. Spoon the almond filling over the jam and gently spread into an even layer. Scatter the flaked almonds over the top.
Bake and serve
Place the tart in the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, until the almond filling is golden and firm. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before carefully removing and slicing.
Tip: No baking beans? Dried rice or lentils work just as well for blind baking your pastry. Just make sure the baking parchment covers the edges of the tart case to help protect the pastry while it bakes.