Bakewell Tart

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •23cm loose-bottomed tart tin
• •Rolling pin
• •Baking parchment and baking beans
• •Mixing bowls
• •Wooden spoon or electric whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pastry

   Tip the flour, icing sugar and salt into a bowl. Add the cold butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Work quickly. Warm hands are the enemy of good pastry. Stir in the egg yolk and just enough cold water to bring the dough together into a rough ball. Stop the moment it holds. Flatten into a disc, wrap, and chill for at least half an hour.

   If your kitchen is warm, run your hands under cold water and dry them before you start. The butter wants to stay cold until it hits the oven.
2. 2

   Line the tin

   Roll the chilled pastry out on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a pound coin. Lift it carefully into a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin, pressing it gently into the corners. Leave a little overhang. Don't trim it yet. Prick the base with a fork and chill again for fifteen minutes while the oven heats to 180C/160C fan.

3. 3

   Blind bake the case

   Line the chilled pastry with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or dried pulses. Bake for fifteen minutes, then lift out the parchment and beans and bake for another five minutes until the base looks dry and just turning the colour of pale straw. Take it out and trim the overhang flush with the rim using a sharp knife. Leave the oven on.

   Trim the pastry after the blind bake, not before. It shrinks as it cooks, and a clean edge afterwards looks better than a wonky one cut cold.
4. 4

   Make the frangipane

   While the case is baking, beat the softened butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. This takes a few minutes. Don't rush it. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in the ground almonds and the almond extract. The mixture should be soft and droppable, like a thick batter. If it looks split, give it another minute and it will come together.

5. 5

   Spread the jam

   Spoon the raspberry jam into the cooled tart case and spread it across the base in an even layer. Right to the edges. This is the heart of a Bakewell. Don't be shy with it. A good homemade jam is best if you have one, but a decent shop-bought one with real fruit will do the job.

6. 6

   Top with frangipane and bake

   Spoon the frangipane over the jam and spread it gently to cover. Try not to drag the jam through it. Scatter the flaked almonds over the top. Bake for thirty to thirty-five minutes, until the frangipane is golden brown, set in the middle, and springs back when you press it lightly. Trust your nose. When the kitchen smells of toasted almonds and warm butter, you're close.

   If the almonds on top are darkening faster than the frangipane is setting, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the tart for the last ten minutes.
7. 7

   Cool before serving

   Let the tart cool in its tin for at least twenty minutes before lifting it out. The frangipane needs that time to firm up into something that will cut cleanly. Serve in generous wedges, slightly warm or at room temperature, with cold double cream poured over or a jug of proper custard alongside. Both, if it's that kind of evening.

Chef Tips

• •The jam matters more than you'd think. A decent raspberry jam with real fruit and a bit of tartness cuts through the richness of the frangipane. The cheap, oversweet sort makes the whole tart cloying. If you have homemade, use it. If you don't, read the label and choose one with fruit at the top of the list.
• •Ground almonds go stale quickly and turn flat and dusty. Buy a fresh bag for this and smell them before you use them. They should smell faintly sweet and nutty, never musty. If they smell of nothing, they'll bake into nothing.
• •Bakewell tart is actually better the day after it's made. The jam settles into the pastry, the frangipane firms up, and the flavours come together. Make it in the morning if you're serving it for pudding. Or make it the day before and trust it to be even better tomorrow.
• •A spoonful of cold double cream is the right partner here. Not whipped, not sweetened, not flavoured. Just cold cream poured from a jug, pooling around the warm tart on the plate. That contrast is the whole point.

Advance Preparation

• •The pastry can be made up to three days ahead and kept wrapped in the fridge, or frozen for up to a month. Let it soften slightly before rolling.
• •The blind-baked tart case can be made the day before and kept in an airtight tin at room temperature.
• •The whole tart keeps for three days in a tin, and is arguably better on day two as the flavours settle. Warm individual slices briefly in a low oven if you want them slightly warm again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 135g)