Bakewell Tarte (Bakewell tart)
The English original, a thin layer of raspberry jam under a proper frangipane, ground almonds creamed with butter, sugar and eggs rather than a plain sponge, so the filling stays dense and moist rather than cakey. Freshly ground almonds make a real difference in a filling this simple.
Prep35 min
Cook40 min
Rest30 min
Oven180°C
Servings12
Christoph's Bakewell tart, keeping the frangipane properly dense with freshly ground almonds rather than an easier, cakier filling.
Ingredients
Written for a 24 cm round tin
Units
Temperature
Servings
Base
- 200 g flour rounded
- 50 g sugar rounded
- 1 g fine salt rounded
- 110 g cold butter, cubed rounded
- 1 egg yolk rounded
- 15 ml cold water rounded
Filling
- 150 g raspberry jam rounded
- 150 g whole blanched almonds rounded
- 150 g butter, softened rounded
- 150 g sugar rounded
- 3 eggs rounded
- 30 g flour rounded
- 5 ml almond extract (optional) rounded
- 25 g sliced almonds, for the top rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Rub the cold butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it looks like coarse crumbs, then work in the egg yolk and water just until a dough forms. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
- Roll out the dough and line a 24 cm tart tin. Prick the base, line with baking paper and baking beans, and blind bake at 200°C for 12 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake 5 more minutes, until pale gold. Reduce the oven to 180°C.
- Grind the almonds finely in a food processor, in short pulses, stopping before they turn to paste.
- Spread the jam evenly over the base.
- Beat the softened butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the ground almonds, flour and almond extract, if using.
- Spread the frangipane evenly over the jam, right to the edges, and scatter the sliced almonds over the top.
- Bake at 180°C for 35 to 40 minutes, until deep golden and a skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the tin before slicing.
Method in the Thermomix
Written for a TM5 or TM6, 2.2 litre bowl. This covers grinding the almonds; the frangipane and baking are the same as the hand method.
- Almonds into the dry bowl. Grind 8 sec / speed 8, stopping before they turn oily and clump.
- Continue mixing the frangipane by hand or with a stand mixer, folding the ground almonds through as in the hand method; the dense butter and sugar mixture is too stiff for the machine’s blades once the eggs are worked in.
Notes
- Freshly ground almonds are the whole point of this tart. Pre-ground almond meal from a packet has usually lost much of the oil that carries its flavour; a food processor gets there in seconds.
- Spread the jam right to the edges under the frangipane. A jam layer that stops short leaves an obvious ring of plain frangipane with no fruit note at the rim.
- The frangipane should stay dense, closer to a firm cake than a light sponge. This is correct and traditional; do not whip extra air into it expecting a lighter result.
- It keeps for 4 days at room temperature, covered, and the flavour if anything improves on day two.
Ingredient substitutions
- Raspberry jam is the traditional filling; a good cherry or apricot jam both work well as alternatives.
- Almond extract is optional but reinforces the almond flavour; a few drops go a long way, so do not overdo it.
- For a glazed finish, whisk 80 g icing sugar with 15 ml water and drizzle over the cooled tart in thin lines.
- Whole blanched almonds can be swapped for ground almonds from a packet if pressed for time, though the flavour is noticeably milder.
From Christoph Mayer