Bakewell Tart

5 from 3 votes

This is my version of the traditional British Bakewell Tart. It has an irresistible buttery crust that is filled with a delicious almond filling on top of a thin layer of raspberry jam and finally sprinkled with toasted almonds.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Chilling Time1 30

Total Time3

Course: Dessert, Pastries, Tart

Cuisine: British

Keyword: bakewell tart, frangipane, tart recipe

Servings:

Calories: 713kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For The Crust

2 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup icing sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter unsalted, cold and cubed
2 large eggs yolks beaten

Filling

10 tablespoons butter unsalted and softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
1¾ cups almond meal or ground almonds
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup raspberry jam
3 tablespoons sliced almonds

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Shortcrust

Combine flour, sugar and salt. Add the flour, icing sugar, and salt to a food processor and then pulse it until it is combined.
Make the shortcrust. Add the cold butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then add most of the beaten egg yolk and pulse until the dough starts to hold together. Finish by adding the remaining egg yolk and continue to pulse until the dough turns into a big clump. You can add a dash of water, if necessary. Note: if the dough is too dry it will be crumbly, it should hold together when pressed.
Chill the dough. Transfer the dough from the food processor to a clean work surface and use your hands to form into a ball then press down so it looks like a thick disc. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
Bring the dough to room temperature. You want to take the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for up to 10 minutes. You'll require this to soften the dough a bit, so that you can roll it out.
Roll the dough. Roll out the disc using a rolling pin. If your dough is sticking to the surface or to the rolling pin add a bit more flour as necessary. Roll it until it’s about ⅛ of an inch in thickness.
Place dough in tart pan. Place the dough lightly into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. I usually roll it on the rolling pin and unroll it over the tart pan. Cut off any excess dough (see Tips for an easy way to do this). Place the tart pan back in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Prick pastry and add pie weights. Remove the tart pan from the refrigerator and prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork. Place a piece of parchment paper onto the pastry and fill it with pie weights or dried beans.
Bake and remove pie weights. Transfer the tart pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper carefully and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Allow crust to cool. Remove the tart from the oven and let it cool.

Frangipane

Adjust oven temperature. Adjust the oven temperature to 350°F.
Cream butter and sugar. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of your mixer and mix until fluffy and light. Mix in the almond extract and salt.
Finish the almond filling. With the mixer on medium-low speed, gradually add the beaten eggs and mix until well combined. Fold in the ground almonds and flour using a spatula to form a thick batter.

Assemble The Tart

Fill tart with raspberry jam and frangipane. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spoon the almond mixture over the jam and gently spread it carefully to not mix it with the jam. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
Bake. Transfer the tart to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until it has lightly risen, the top begins to brown and is firm to the touch. If the almonds begin to brown too much, cover the tart with aluminum foil and continue baking until done.
Cool the tart and serve. Remove the tart pan from the oven and allow it to cool in the tart pan until cooled completely before unmolding from the pan. Lightly dust with icing sugar and serve.

Video

Notes

You can grind your own almonds if you prefer. This can be done using a food processor or even a clean coffee grinder.
If using almond flour, the texture may be a bit different since it is finer than ground. Also, you may need to add some additional moisture to the filling.
When cutting off excess dough from the tart pan, use a rolling pin. I simply roll and press down on top of the pan and the excess dough cleanly comes off.
If you don't have any pie weights, dried beans are a great substitute.
For the flakiest tart, make sure you don't overwork the dough.
You can store this tart in an airtight container for 2 days, for best results.
Make sure the tart is completely cooled before freezing. Wrap the first with plastic wrap, place it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition