Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
I made the classic British Bakewell for you!
I made the classic British Bakewell for you!
And guys, it is well worth the effort.
If you're on the lookout for a rainy weekend baking project, this it. Let's talk all things Bakewell tart, shall we?
If you're on the lookout for a rainy weekend baking project, this it. Let's talk all things Bakewell tart, shall we?
The tart starts with a homemade raspberry jam. Now, don't be scared. It is actually really easy to make and needs no thermometers. Just simple raspberries and jam sugar cooked for literally ten minutes before being left to set. I like to sieve mine because I am firmly in the seedless raspberry jam camp. Next, we focus on the case that will hold our Bakewell together - a sweet shortcrust pastry which I love making in my food processor. The pastry is blind baked to ensure a crisp finish and no soggy bottom.
The almond frangipane is next. Everything is thrown into a bowl and beaten together. So easy! Then, we layer. Onto the pastry case goes the jam and then the frangipane. The tart is baked until golden and left to cool completely.
Once cold, we make a white icing which is flavoured with this tart's signature flavour - almond. Most of it goes onto the tart and the rest is coloured pink, piped on and then feathered to get the classic Bakewell look. Another hour in the fridge to let it properly set and you, my friend, have one epic showstopper on your hands. Now, whose going to put the tea on?
Sweet Tarts, previously: treacle tart // mini manchester tarts // bakewell tart // orange meringue pie // no-bake nutella cream tart
Sweet Tarts, previously: treacle tart // mini manchester tarts // bakewell tart // orange meringue pie // no-bake nutella cream tart
A Simple List of Ingredients:
For the Raspberry Jam:
1. Raspberries
2. Jam Sugar
For the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry:
1. Plain Flour
2. Butter
3. Icing Sugar
4. An Egg
5. Cold Water
For the Almond Frangipane:
1. Butter
2. Caster Sugar
3. An Egg
4. Ground Almonds
5. Almond Natural Flavouring
For the Icing:
1. Icing Sugar
2. Almond Natural Flavouring
3. Cold Water
4. Pink Food Colour Gel
Bismillah, let's begin!
2. Jam Sugar
For the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry:
1. Plain Flour
2. Butter
3. Icing Sugar
4. An Egg
5. Cold Water
For the Almond Frangipane:
1. Butter
2. Caster Sugar
3. An Egg
4. Ground Almonds
5. Almond Natural Flavouring
For the Icing:
1. Icing Sugar
2. Almond Natural Flavouring
3. Cold Water
4. Pink Food Colour Gel
Bismillah, let's begin!
We start by making raspberry jam. It's so much easier than it sounds and you don't need a thermometer or any other fancy equipment. Of course, if you wanted, you could use your favourite ready-made raspberry jam.
Put 200g Raspberries into a deep saucepan. I found that using tarter raspberries as opposed to sweeter ones was best for this recipe.
Mash with a potato masher or fork.
Until crushed!
Then, grab some jam sugar. Most supermarkets sell this nowadays.
Add 250g Jam Sugar to the raspberries.
Stir to combine. The colour is already so beautiful.
Heat over a low heat until the mixture is looser and the sugar has dissolved.
Then, let the jam boil over a medium heat for 4 minutes.
Remove from the heat.
You may keep the jam as it is but because I prefer a seedless raspberry jam, I strained mine into a shallow dish.
I never been a fan of those raspberry seeds. Push all the jam through and discard the seeds.
Leave the jam to cool and set in the shallow dish until needed. Well done, by the way. You just made your own jam!
Next, let's make the case that will hold our tart filling together. It's a sweet shortcrust pastry and I find that making it in the food processor is the easiest way to do it.
Into the processor bowl, place 225g Plain Flour.
And 150g Butter, cold and cubed.
Blend the two until you have a crumb consistency.
To sweeten the pastry, add in 25g Icing Sugar.
And, blend again.
For the liquid, crack 1 large Egg into a bowl and add in 2 tablespoons Cold Water.
Whisk!
Gradually pour in the liquid, pulsing as you go, until you have a dough. You may not need all the liquid - I had around a teaspoon leftover.
Our dough is ready! You'll know when it begins to clump together.
Grab your tin. I used a fluted tart tin with a removable bottom. It measures 10 inches (25cm) although the original recipe used a 9 inches (23cm).
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Roll the pastry to a thickness of a pound coin.
Like this! Keep moving the pastry around so that it doesn't stick to the surface - add a sprinkle of flour, as needed.
I like to use my tart tin as a size guide. You'll want the pastry to be rolled a little bigger than the tin.
To get the pastry into the tin, gently fold it up and place into the tin.
Then, gently open it out.
Fit the pastry into the tin making sure that it is well pressed into the edges so that your tart has a beautiful, fluted finish.
I like to use a piece of the overhanging pastry to press the rest into the sides.
To get ride of the extra overhanging pastry, I roll my rolling pin over the top.
With our extra pastry, we made mini jam and chocolate spread tarts. Simply roll the pastry, cut and fit into a mini tart tin. Spoon in 1 tablespoon of jam or chocolate spread per tart. Bake at 200C for 10 minutes until golden.
Look at that beautiful pastry case!
This is what I mean by pressing the pastry into the fluted sides of the tin.
Because our pastry has been handled so much, we will chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Then, heat the oven to 200C. Put the tin onto a baking tray. This makes getting it in and out of the oven much easier.
We are going to blind bake our pastry. This means weighing it down with something and baking it. You can use baking beans, uncooked rice or lentils.
We like to use these lentils that we have in a separate box specifically for blind baking.
To blind bake, fit a large piece of foil over the pastry. Make sure it's bigger than the tin itself which will make lifting it off later much easier. You can also use baking paper but we prefer foil.
Pour in the lentils.
Evenly spread out the lentils. And, bake the pastry case for 15 minutes at 200C.
Then, gently gather together the foil with the lentils and lift off the pastry.
The pastry will still be quite wet so it will go back into the oven for a further 5 minutes at 200C.
Much better! Let the pastry case cool slightly while we get on with making the almond frangipane.
Which is so easy to make! Into a large bowl, place 150g Butter, softened.
And, add in 150g Caster Sugar.
Beat with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.
Add in 1 large Egg and 150g Ground Almonds.
And, 1 teaspoon Almond Natural Flavouring. This is what will give the tart its signature taste and smell.
Beat everything together until well combined.
All three components of the Bakewell tart are ready! It's time to assemble and bake. Speaking of, heat the oven to 180C.
Take 4 tablespoons of your homemade raspberry jam which should have been set by now.
Dollop the jam around the pastry case.
You can add all the jam, if you want. I will say though that the leftover jam is wonderful on your morning toast.
Evenly spread the jam over the pastry base.
The colour!
Dollop on the almond frangipane.
And, spread.
Bake the tart at 180C for 25-35 minutes.
When the tart is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, the tart is done!
Let the tart cool completely in the tin before removing.
Place the tart onto a cake stand or serving plate.
You can serve the tart as it is but this recipe is for an iced Bakewell tart, so it's time for the icing.
For the icing, take 300g Icing Sugar and sift it into a large bowl.
I'm not the biggest sifting fan but for this icing to be smooth, a quick sift is the key.
Next, add in 1/2 teaspoon Almond Natural Flavouring. If you like a stronger almond flavour, add in a full teaspoon.
Then, add in 1 teaspoon of Cold Water at a time and stir in.
Keep adding and stirring until you have a fairly thick, smooth icing. I added around 5 teaspoons but you may need more or less.
Next, we're going to take 2 tablespoons of the white icing and put it into a small bowl.
Take some Pink Food Colour Gel. I only had this fuchsia one but kind of liked how the colour turned out.
Add a small drop of the pink food colour to the icing.
Stir it up!
Until you have a beautiful pink icing!
Transfer the pink icing to a piping bag. You can fit it with a small round nozzle but I just snipped off the end when needed.
Time to decorate the cold tart!
Pour on the white icing.
And, spread it evenly over the tart.
Then, pipe parallel lines of the pink icing onto the white. I like to start with a line in the middle then work my way on either side.
Time to feather the icing!
Drag a toothpick through the lines to create a feathered pattern.
Again, I like to start in the middle then work my way, going a different direction each time.
Once the icing has been feathered, chill the tart in the fridge for at least 1 hour to let the icing set.
Then, it's time to serve!
A British classic which is well worth all the effort. I hope you love it as much as we did.
Iced Bakewell Tart.
Prep Time: About 2 hours including chilling time.
Bake Time: About 1 hour.
Serves: Slices into 8 large or 16 small slices.
Ingredients
For the Raspberry Jam
200g Raspberries
250g Jam Sugar
For the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
225g Plain Flour
150g Butter, cubed and cold
25g Icing Sugar
1 large Egg
2 tablespoons Cold Water
For the Almond Frangipane
150g Butter, softened
150g Caster Sugar
1 large Egg
150g Ground Almonds
1 teaspoon Almond Natural Flavouring
For the Icing
300g Icing Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Almond Natural Flavouring
Cold Water, as needed
Cold Water, as needed
Pink Food Colour Gel, as needed
Make the raspberry jam:
Put the raspberries into a deep pan and mash with a potato masher. Stir in the jam sugar and bring to the boil over a low heat until the sugar has melted and the mixture is looser than before. Then, let the mixture boil for 4 minutes.
Cool the raspberry jam:
Take the jam off the heat. I prefer a seedless jam and so strained my jam through a sieve into a shallow dish. Let the jam cool and set. This won't take long.
Make the sweet shortcrust pastry:
Put the plain flour and butter into a food processor and blend until you have a crumb consistency. Add the icing sugar and blend. Beat the egg and water with a fork and gradually add to the processor, pulsing as you go, until you have a dough. You may not need all the liquid.
Chill the pastry:
Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface and knead it together into a ball. Roll to the thickness of a pound coin. Take a 10 inch (25cm) fluted tart tin with a removable bottom and line the tin with the pastry. Trim to fit then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Blind bake the pastry:
Heat the oven to 200C. Place the tart tin on a baking tray. Fit a large piece of foil over the pastry. Fill with baking beans, uncooked lentils or uncooked rice to cover the surface evenly. Bake for 15 minutes then remove the foil and lentils. Bake for a further 5 minutes to dry out the pastry. Set aside to cool slightly.
Make the almond frangipane:
Put the softened butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Add in the ground almonds, egg and almond flavouring and mix until combined.
Assemble the tart:
Spread 4 tablespoons of the raspberry jam over the pastry base. Dollop on the almond frangipane and spread until even.
Bake and cool the tart:
Heat the oven to 180C. Bake the tart for 25-35 minutes until golden brown. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Let the tart cool completely in the tin. Then, remove from the tin and place onto a cake stand or serving plate.
Make the icing:
Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add in the almond flavouring - you may add more if you like a strong almond flavour. Stir the icing, adding a tablespoon of cold water at a time, until you have a fairly thick, smooth icing. Put 2 tablespoons of the icing into a small bowl and add a little pink food colouring. Stir well then transfer to a piping bag.
Ice the tart:
Spoon and evenly spread the white icing onto the tart. Snip the edge of the piping bag and pipe parallel lines of the pink icing onto the white. I like to start in the middle and work my way onto either side. Then, drag a toothpick through the lines to create a feathered pattern. Again, I started from the middle and worked my way out, going a different direction each time.
Chill and serve:
Let the tart chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving!
Recipe Notes
{adapted from bbc food}
Put the raspberries into a deep pan and mash with a potato masher. Stir in the jam sugar and bring to the boil over a low heat until the sugar has melted and the mixture is looser than before. Then, let the mixture boil for 4 minutes.
Cool the raspberry jam:
Take the jam off the heat. I prefer a seedless jam and so strained my jam through a sieve into a shallow dish. Let the jam cool and set. This won't take long.
Make the sweet shortcrust pastry:
Put the plain flour and butter into a food processor and blend until you have a crumb consistency. Add the icing sugar and blend. Beat the egg and water with a fork and gradually add to the processor, pulsing as you go, until you have a dough. You may not need all the liquid.
Chill the pastry:
Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface and knead it together into a ball. Roll to the thickness of a pound coin. Take a 10 inch (25cm) fluted tart tin with a removable bottom and line the tin with the pastry. Trim to fit then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Blind bake the pastry:
Heat the oven to 200C. Place the tart tin on a baking tray. Fit a large piece of foil over the pastry. Fill with baking beans, uncooked lentils or uncooked rice to cover the surface evenly. Bake for 15 minutes then remove the foil and lentils. Bake for a further 5 minutes to dry out the pastry. Set aside to cool slightly.
Make the almond frangipane:
Put the softened butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Add in the ground almonds, egg and almond flavouring and mix until combined.
Assemble the tart:
Spread 4 tablespoons of the raspberry jam over the pastry base. Dollop on the almond frangipane and spread until even.
Bake and cool the tart:
Heat the oven to 180C. Bake the tart for 25-35 minutes until golden brown. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Let the tart cool completely in the tin. Then, remove from the tin and place onto a cake stand or serving plate.
Make the icing:
Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add in the almond flavouring - you may add more if you like a strong almond flavour. Stir the icing, adding a tablespoon of cold water at a time, until you have a fairly thick, smooth icing. Put 2 tablespoons of the icing into a small bowl and add a little pink food colouring. Stir well then transfer to a piping bag.
Ice the tart:
Spoon and evenly spread the white icing onto the tart. Snip the edge of the piping bag and pipe parallel lines of the pink icing onto the white. I like to start in the middle and work my way onto either side. Then, drag a toothpick through the lines to create a feathered pattern. Again, I started from the middle and worked my way out, going a different direction each time.
Chill and serve:
Let the tart chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving!
Recipe Notes
- Leftover pastry scraps make great mini jam tarts. Simply roll the pastry and line a mini tart tin. Spoon in jam or chocolate spread and bake at 200C for 10 minutes.
{adapted from bbc food}
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Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your Bakewell tart!
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!
