Bakewell Tart

Bakewell tart is one of the earliest desserts that I remember from my childhood. I absolutely adore the almond flavour and this tart has so many different layers and textures that it really is the treat that just keeps on giving.

You don't need to make home made jam to complete this tart. Shop bought jam will work just as well but if you want to be really adventurous and make your own raspberry jam, then I will give you instructions on how to do that as well.

I will actually start with the jam so that your jam can be setting while you get on with the rest of the tart.

Here goes....

Ingredients

Sweet shortcrust pastry

225g plain/all purpose four

150g butter, chilled

25g icing sugar

1 large beaten egg

Filling

150g butter, softened

150g caster sugar

150g ground almonds

1 large beaten egg

1 teaspoon almond extract

50g flaked almonds

Jam

4 tablespoons of raspberry jam
OR
100g Raspberries

125g jam sugar

Icing

80g Icing sugar

1/4 teaspoon (a drop) almond extract

2 tablespoons water

Method

Jam

1. Put your raspberries into a small saucepan and crush them with a masher. 

2. Add the sugar and bring to a boil over a low heat stirring occasionally until the sugar has melted. Please make sure that you use jam sugar as that type of sugar has pectin in it to ensure that your jam sets to the right consistency.

3. Increase the heat and boil for 4 minutes ensuring that you stir occasionally so that your jam does not burn.

4. Remove from the heat and place your jam in a shallow dish to cool and set.

Sweet shortcrust pastry

1. Grease either a loose bottom 9 inch tin or a ceramic 9 inch flan dish well with butter. Be very generous with the butter and make sure to get it well into all the grooves so that your pastry does not stick.

2. Next sieve your flour into a mixing bowl. Add your butter in cubes and start to rub your butter into the flour using your finger tips. Most bakers will tell you to make sure that your butter is chilled before you rub it in (and they are right) but as I have carpal tunnel syndrome, I find that a little difficult and so my butter is usually at room temperature and I just make sure to chill the pastry really well afterwards before I roll it out. That method has never yet failed for me so if you too find rubbing butter into flour difficult then try using that method too.

3. When your mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs stir in your icing sugar

4. Now add your egg and 2 table spoons of cold water and mix it together until it forms a soft dough.

5. Cover your pastry with cling film and if you have used chilled butter to make your pastry then chill your dough for 15 minutes. If, like me, you have used butter at room temperature then chill your dough for 1 hour.

6.Now sprinkle flour on either a baking board like I have or a clean surface like your table or counter top. Unlike bread that needs lots of handling and kneading to develop the gluten, pastry is quite the opposite and your aim is actually to restrict the development of gluten so it should be handled as little as possible. Only do the slightest bit of kneading if necessary  to ensure it is smooth.

7. When I roll I tend to roll my pin forward over the pastry and then I lift and turn my pastry 90 degrees and roll again. Keep, rolling and turning. This roll and turn technique helps your pastry to achieve a more even thickness across it and also helps it to not stick to your surface. It you feel it sticking, just lift it up and sprinkle a little more flour underneath it.

8. Place your tin or dish on your pastry to check that it is wide enough remembering that your pastry must also come up the sides of your dish.

9. Now roll your pastry over your rolling pin as demonstrated in this picture to help you lift it into the tin.

10. It may crack and tear a little and if it does, just patch it with some excess pastry. The patching will not be visible in the final pie.

11. I also take another piece of excess pastry and use it to gently press my pastry into the grooves around the side of the pan.

12.Shortcrust pastry tends to shrink while it is being baked so leave around 1 cm of pastry overhang at the edge of your pie case to accommodate this shrinking. You can trim off the excess when the pastry is baked.

13. Chill your pastry in the fridge for 30 minutes.

14. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees or 180 degrees for a fan oven. Cover your pastry with baking parchment and fill your case with baking beans and spread them across your pie crust evenly. If you don't have baking beans then you can use dried beans or rice or lentils. You can even use old coins provided you have thoroughly cleaned them. Bake the pastry case in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove the baking parchment and baking beans (or whatever alternative you chose) and cook for another 5 minutes until crisp.

15. Remove your pastry from the oven and allow to cool. When it has cooled, take a very sharp knife and trim the excess pastry.

16. Now fill your pie crust with either your home made raspberry jam or your shop bought alternative. Spread it evenly across your base.

Filling

1. Cream your butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

2. Add your ground almonds, egg and almond extract and mix together.

3. Spoon your mixture into your pastry case and smooth with a palette knife (use a spoon if you don't have a palette knife).

4. Sprinkle your flaked almonds over the top. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees or 160 degrees if you have a fan oven. My oven is not the most reliable so I always find it cooks best at 165 degrees for me. It is important when baking that you know your own oven.
Bake for between 35 and 45 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven when it is golden brown on top and when you put a skewer or cocktail stick

in the centre of your tart, it comes out clean.

TIP If you find it is browning a little too quickly and your filling is not yet cooked, cover the top with some tinfoil loosely so that your filling does not brown any further.

Icing.

1. Mix your icing sugar and water and drop of almond essence together to make a smooth, fairly thick icing. If it is too thick add a little more water but only do so a drop at a time as it really does need very little.

2. You can pour your icing into a disposable icing bag in you have one and decorate the top of your tart in a zig, zag, informal manner.

 You can also just use a spoon and spoon your icing onto the top of your tart in wavy lines. this really does not need to be done neatly at all. In fact I think the more rustic looking, the better.

And you are done - enjoy!