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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
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.
Classic Bakewell Tart
Equipment
Ingredients
Short Crust
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 TBSP sugar
- 7 TBSP butter cold
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp lemon juice can substitute with water
- 2-3 tsp water cold
Bakewell Tart
- 7 TBSP butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup almond flour I used almond flour, you need finely ground almonds
- 1 drop almond extract or 1/2 tsp good vanilla
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Make the crust by combining the flour and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, cut up the cold butter and drop in the bowl
- hit pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs
- mix the egg with the lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of water
- pulse the egg mixture into the flour-butter mix, if the dough doesn't hold together add the last teaspoon of water
- remove from the processor and knead lightly to form a soft dough, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes
- preheat the oven to 395˚ F
- roll out the dough and line your tart pan with it, trim the edges
- refrigerate 10 minutes if your kitchen is really warm
- lay a piece of parchment paper over your dough, cover with dry beans to blind bake your pastry
- bake 10 minutes, then removed the beans, bake another 5
- once the tart shell is out of the oven start the frangipane filling of the Bakewell Tart
- beat the butter and sugar together, then beat the eggs in, if you're using a stand mixer use the paddle attachment
- stir the all-purpose flour and almond meal together, break up any large clumps of almond meal
- add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mix and stir to combine
- add the flavoring if using
- spoon the raspberry jam in the tart shell, spread to the edges
- spoon the frangipane filling over the top and spread evenly, covering the raspberry jam layer
- bake 10 minutes, and sprinkle on the sliced almonds
- bake another 15 minutes, if your crust starts to brown too quickly take a piece of foil, cut the center out, and lay it over the tart so the middle is showing but the crust is covered and it will not brown anymore
- cool before serving
Nutrition
- Blueberry Dump Cake
- Summertime Peach Crisp Recipe
- 2/1 Double Decker Carrot Cake Cheesecake
- Classic Bourbon Pecan Pie
- Old Fashioned Chocolate No Bakes
- Eggnog Cheesecake Squares
- Garibaldi Biscuits
- Easy Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Perhaps a foolish question, but what diameter of tart pan are you using? Cake tins come in different sizes; maybe tart pans do too?
Thanks in advance!
Not a foolish question! Put the Bakewell Tart in a 9 inch tart pan. Good luck and enjoy!
Hello! Your instructions for the filling say to add the eggs but they are not on the ingredient list. How many eggs? Thank you 🙂
2 eggs in the Bakewell Tart! Good grief! Thanks for letting me know!