A classic bakewell tart without feathered icing on the top. Simple and easy! This bakewell tart is made in a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom.

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Need another way to use up your homemade raspberry jam?? Try this luscious Bakewell Tart! The perfect solution to what to make for dessert this tart is delicious and just different enough in the United States to spark everyone’s interest.

With layers starting with a sweet shortcrust pastry shell, then filled with raspberry jam, almond cream, frangipane, and a sprinkle of sliced almonds, this classic British dessert is a tart worth making.

Another GBBO-Inspired Recipe

We’re working our way through a list of the most requested GBBO Bakes in the GBBO Bake-Along this summer, of course you know we had to make the Classic Bakewell Tart.

A few others on our wild card bake-along this summer are French Macarons(up next!), American Fruit Pie (I made a Nectarine Slab Pie), Crumpets, Pork Pie, and so much more. Join us!

What is a Bakewell Tart

This dessert originated from a Bakewell Pudding in, funnily enough, Bakewell England. The Bakewell Pudding is roughly the same layers and flavors as the tart, just not as neat looking. In my opinion only!

The classic Bakewell tart consists of four basic layers:

a shortcrust base with egg and sugar baked in a tart pan
a layer of raspberry jam
frangipane filling, a filling made of sugar, butter, eggs, ground almonds, flour, and flavor, you can use
a layer of sliced almonds
*OPTIONAL TOPPING* an icing made of powdered sugar and poured over the top of the cooled tart instead of sprinkling on sliced almonds

a slice of a bakewell tart as seen from the side

That optional topping, for me, makes this dessert overly sweet without adding any flavor. I much prefer the sprinkle of sliced almonds, they add a little flavor and some textural interest.

What if I don’t like Almond Flavor?

The first time I made a Bakewell Tart I didn’t like it at all. It felt much too eggy for me and overall the almond flavor was intense. That was ten years ago and I remember making it because it took me all day to make it. For contrast, this easy recipe was whipped this one together in about an hour.

For some reason the recipe I was given to use the last time I made this tart it had a very intense almond extract flavored. And almond flavor, extract, and syrup all need to be used with extreme caution, using just a drop at a time to achieve the flavor you like.

This Bakewell Tart Recipe calls for ONE DROP of Almond extract. But personally, for me, that felt like too much. So I subbed in my good homemade vanilla. This Frangipane recipe also uses no almond flavor at all. Using vanilla extract instead of almond makes eating a Bakewell tart so much more pleasant because you’re not overwhelmed by almond extract flavor.

What do I need for this Tart?

all-purpose flour
granulated sugar
cold butter, not room temperature
eggs
lemon juice can substitute with water
cold water
finely ground almonds, use almond meal
almond extract or vanilla extract
raspberry jam or you can try different jams if you like!
sliced almonds not slivered almonds
food processor
tart pan with removable bottom
parchment paper
beans or pie weights (for blind baking)
plastic wrap or an airtight container for chilling
wire rack
large bowl
rolling pin

What Size Tart Pan Should I Use?

The best size for this Bakewell Tart is a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. You can ALSO use a larger tart pan but the tart will be thinner and bake more quickly. And likewise, you can also use a smaller tart pan but it will be a thicker tart and take longer to bake through.