Bakewell Tart — raspberry jam under almond frangipane

i. Origin & history

Bakewell lies in the Peak District of Derbyshire, and the town has been associated with a jam-and-almond dessert since at least the nineteenth century. The famous local story says that around 1820 the landlady of the White Horse Inn (now the Rutland Arms Hotel) asked her cook to make a jam tart with an egg-and-almond mixture stirred into the pastry; the cook instead spread the jam on the pastry and poured the egg mixture over the top. The result, the Bakewell pudding, was a success. It is a good story, and a well-loved one, but like many such tales it is impossible to verify, and similar puddings existed elsewhere.

The Bakewell pudding is still sold in the town by several bakeries, each claiming the original recipe. It has a puff pastry base, a layer of jam and a rich, set, custard-like filling of eggs, butter, sugar and almonds, with no flour. It is quite unlike the tart: wetter, eggier and more like a custard pie.

The Bakewell tart as most people know it developed later, in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It replaced the puff pastry with shortcrust and the custard with frangipane, a firmer almond sponge — a more stable, sliceable bake that suited home cooks and bakeries. Its popularity was boosted in the late twentieth century by mass-produced cherry Bakewells: small individual tarts with a thick white icing and a glacé cherry on top.

The name has become a flavour shorthand in Britain: 'Bakewell' on a cake, biscuit or ice cream means raspberry and almond. Within the family, the frangipane tart is closely related to the French tarte amandine and to other almond tarts across Europe, such as the almond tart and Spanish tarta de Santiago.

ii. How frangipane bakes

Frangipane is a creamed mixture of equal weights of butter, sugar, ground almonds and egg, with a little flour. It behaves like a dense sponge: the eggs set as it bakes, the butter keeps it moist, and the ground almonds give it a fine, tender, slightly crumbly texture. Because ground almonds contain no gluten and plenty of fat, frangipane is rich, moist and soft, but it needs a little flour to hold its structure when sliced.

The butter and sugar should be creamed until light, but not over-aerated. Too much air makes the frangipane rise dramatically in the oven and then sink and crack as it cools. Adding the eggs gradually prevents the mixture curdling; if it starts to split, a spoonful of the ground almonds brings it back.

The jam layer must be thin. Too much jam bubbles up through the frangipane and makes the tart wet and the base soggy. About 4–5 tablespoons, spread evenly and kept a centimetre from the edge, is enough.

Blind-baking the pastry is essential, as both jam and frangipane are moist. A fully baked, crisp shell holds up to the filling. The tart is baked at a moderate temperature so the frangipane cooks through before the top browns too much; if it colours quickly, it can be loosely covered with foil.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 10 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 200 g plain flour (pastry)
• 100 g cold unsalted butter, diced (pastry)
• 25 g icing sugar (pastry)
• 1 egg yolk (pastry)
• 2 tbsp cold water (pastry)
• 5 tbsp raspberry jam
• 150 g unsalted butter, softened (frangipane)
• 150 g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 150 g ground almonds
• 30 g plain flour (frangipane)
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 30 g flaked almonds
• 1 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting

Use a good raspberry jam with plenty of fruit; seedless is neater, but seeded is traditional. Ground almonds should be fresh — they go rancid over time. Use almond extract sparingly; a little gives the classic Bakewell flavour, too much tastes artificial. For the cherry Bakewell style, replace the flaked almonds with an icing glaze (150 g icing sugar mixed with 1–2 tbsp water) and top with glacé cherries.

iv. Method

1. Make the pastry: rub the butter into the flour and icing sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the yolk and water and bring together into a dough. Flatten, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 190 °C (170 °C fan, 375 °F). Roll out the pastry 3 mm thick and line a 23 cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill for 15 minutes.
3. Line with baking paper and baking beans and blind-bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for 5 minutes more, until pale golden and dry. Lower the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan, 350 °F).
4. Make the frangipane: beat the butter and sugar until pale and smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then fold in the ground almonds, flour and almond extract.
5. Spread the jam evenly over the base of the pastry case, leaving a 1 cm border.
6. Spoon the frangipane over the jam and spread it gently to the edges, taking care not to disturb the jam. Scatter with flaked almonds.
7. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the frangipane is golden, risen and springs back when pressed, and a skewer comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil if it browns too quickly.
8. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then remove and dust with icing sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Blind-bake properly. The jam and frangipane are moist; an underbaked base turns soggy.
• Use only a thin layer of jam. Too much bubbles up through the frangipane and makes the tart wet.
• Leave a border. Keeping the jam off the edges stops it leaking and burning between pastry and tin.
• Do not over-cream the frangipane. Too much air makes it rise and then sink and crack.
• Add the eggs gradually. Adding them all at once can curdle the mixture.
• Spread the frangipane gently. Dollop it in spoonfuls first, then smooth, so the jam stays in place.

vi. Variations

The cherry Bakewell is iced with white glacé icing and topped with a glacé cherry. Bakewell pudding uses puff pastry and a set egg-and-almond custard. Other jams, such as cherry, blackcurrant or apricot, are common, and fresh raspberries can be pressed into the frangipane. Bakewell slices are baked in a tray and cut into bars.

For other almond bakes see the almond tart, Italian sbrisolona and Austria's Linzer torte, another jam-and-nut tart. Other British tarts include treacle tart and the marzipan-wrapped Battenberg cake, another almond classic.

vii. Serving & storage

Bakewell tart is served warm or at room temperature, with afternoon tea or as a pudding with custard, cream or crème fraîche. Individual cherry Bakewells are a teatime and lunchbox favourite.

The tart keeps well, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days; the frangipane stays moist. Warm slices in a 160 °C oven for 10 minutes to refresh. The baked tart freezes well for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature. Frangipane can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for 3 days.

ix. More from British & Irish

• Treacle Tart — golden syrup tart
• Battenberg Cake — chequered marzipan cake
• Eccles Cake — flaky currant pastry
• Almond Tart — frangipane tart
• Linzer Torte — Austrian jam and nut tart
• Lemon Meringue Pie — lemon and meringue