This traditional Bakewell tart is deliciously British, with a buttery pastry crust filled with frangipane and, for a twist, four-fruit jam.
For those of you locals, Bakewell tart did not originate in Bakewell, TN, the pseudo-city to the north of my native Soddy-Daisy (no offense to anyone who lives there…they don’t have a post office anymore so it’s no longer considered a city…but to all of us who have been here for years, that little piece of land between Soddy-Daisy and Sale Creek will always be Bakewell). That would be a fun story to tell, but I am guessing that most of the tiny population of that town have never heard of it.
The truth is, I’d never heard of it until summer of 2011, when Chattavore was just in its infancy (I was still doing my photography with a crappy slide phone and a point & shoot camera that I had no clue about). Philip and I visited Disney World to celebrate our ten-year wedding anniversary (I know, that seems like an odd place to celebrate an anniversary sans children, but we got a fantastic deal). While there, we dined at the Rose & Crown Pub at Epcot, where our dessert choices included traditional Bakewell tart and sticky toffee pudding (a recipe that I will be revamping and rephotographing soon). At the urging of our server, I chose sticky toffee pudding (a decision I did not regret) but my curiosity was piqued about the tart.
Bakewell tart originated in a small town in Derbyshire, England named-you guessed it-Bakewell. It’s basically a buttery pastry crust spread with jam (traditionally raspberry) then filled with frangipane, which is made with ground almonds and butter (among other things). If you love pastry, jam (because let’s be real, you can use whatever flavor you like), and almonds, you’re in luck with this traditional Bakewell tart. This tart is just amazing, sweet but not overpowering, creamy and just a little fruity, and the crust is delicious. The first time I made it, I used a Pyrex pie dish, which worked just fine, because the tart pan I had was 11″ (9″ is standard), so I bought this America’s Test Kitchen recommended tart pan and set to work. I like Bonne Maman‘s Four-Fruit Preserves, which contains raspberries, strawberries, cherries, and red currants.
If you love all things British – or all things almond, fruity, or pastry – try this traditional Bakewell tart.
Mary
Yield: 1 9-inch tart
This recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen .
4 hrPrep Time:
1 hr, 10 Cook Time:
5 hr, 10 Total Time:
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 recipe single-crust pie dough (I used the)
- 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds (blanched are preferred, but I just used the skin-on sliced almonds I had in the freezer and they worked fine!)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1/2-1 teaspoon almond extract (I needed a full teaspoon of the alcohol-free brand I used)
- 1 Large egg
- 1 Large egg white
- 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup jam (raspberry is traditional, but you should use whatever sounds good to you!)
- powdered sugar (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Roll the pie crust out into a 12-inch circle. Press into the tart pan and trim the edges to 1/2-inch overhang. Turn into the tart pan and press into the sides. Freeze for at least an hour (I froze mine for several). Butter a sheet of aluminum foil on the shiny side and press it into the tart shell. Parbake on a sheet pan at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
- To make the filling, combine the almonds and the flour in a food processor and process until the almonds are finely ground. Add the butter, egg and egg white, sugar, and almond extract and process until smooth. Refrigerate for at least three hours.
- To make the tart, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the jam in the parbaked tart shell. Spoon the frangipane filling over the jam and carefully spread it, trying not to disturb the jam too much. Place on a sheet pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the tart on a cooling rack and serve, topped with powdered sugar if desired
Notes
The prep time includes time to make and chill the filling and the crust.
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