Our take on the classic British Bakewell tart is a delicious combination of almond paste and raspberry jam layered into a pastry crust. Slice it and serve it with tea for an afternoon snack, or bake it up for a sweet ending to your next cocktail party. Here's how to make a Bakewell, including tips for storing the finished tart.
What Is a Bakewell Tart?
A Bakewell tart is a British dessert that's made with a pastry shell and layers of raspberry jam and frangipane (almond) filling. There are many variations of the dish, including puddings and pastries. It has a strong almond flavor, with sweetness from the jam.
Tips for Making Our Bakewell Tart Recipe
Here are a few of our Test Kitchen's tips for making a Bakewell tart at home.
- When making homemade frangipane, you'll need almond meal. Look for it in the specialty flour aisle, health aisle, or nut aisle of your grocery store. Almond meal is ground almonds with the skins. Almond flour (ground blanched almonds) will also work.
- Choose your favorite raspberry jam. Our recipe testers preferred a classic jam with seeds in it.
- Make sure the crust is warm when you add the filling for the proper texture.
Ingredients
Shortcut Pastry
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1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
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1/4 cup powdered sugar
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup butter, cut up
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4 tablespoons ice water
Frangipane and Filling
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3/4 cup raspberry jam
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10 tablespoons butter, softened
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3/4 cup granulated sugar
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1/2 teaspoon almond extract
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3 large eggs
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1 3/4 cups almond meal
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3 tablespoons all purpose flour
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1/4 cup sliced almonds
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Powdered sugar
Directions
Shortcut Pastry
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In a food processor pulse together 1 1/2 cups flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add 1/2 cup of the butter and pulse until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add ice water and pulse until the dough comes together. Shape into a 5 to 6-inch disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill at least 1 hour to overnight.
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On a lightly floured surface roll dough to a 12-inch circle. Gently transfer to a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom, pressing into the sides. Trim dough even with the rim of the pan; discard extra dough. Prick sides and bottom of pastry evenly with the tines of a fork. Chill 1 hour before baking.
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Line the tart pan with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake 15 minutes. Remove parchment and weights. Re-prick bottom of the crust evenly with the tines of a fork. Bake 10 minutes more or until lightly browned. Cool 20 minutes on a wire rack. (Note: The crust should still be warm when adding the filling.)
Frangipane and Filling
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Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Spread jam in the bottom of the warm crust.
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For frangipane, in a medium bowl beat 10 tbsp. of the butter with an electric mixer on medium 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and almond extract. Beat until light and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in almond meal and 3 Tbsp. of the flour. Dollop spoonfulls of frangipane over the jam layer. Spread mixture evenly over the jam, being careful not to mix the frangipane layer into the jam layer. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until slightly puffed, starting to brown, and firm to the touch. Cool completely on a wire rack before removing from the pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
How to Store a Bakewell Tart
Place in an airtight container, covered, at room temperature up to 3 days or in the refrigerator up to 5 days. (Or freeze up to 3 months.)
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 491 | Calories |
| 28g | Fat |
| 55g | Carbs |
| 8g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 12 | |
| Calories 491.3 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 27.9g | 36% |
| Saturated Fat 12.1g | 60% |
| Cholesterol 92.3mg | 31% |
| Sodium 250.2mg | 11% |
| Total Carbohydrate 55.3g | 20% |
| Dietary Fiber 3g | 11% |
| Total Sugars 34.3g | |
| Protein 7.6g | 15% |
| Vitamin D 0.2mcg | 1% |
| Vitamin C 1.8mg | 2% |
| Calcium 69.3mg | 5% |
| Iron 1.8mg | 10% |
| Potassium 193.8mg | 4% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 0.7g | |
| Vitamin D 10.2IU | |
| Alanine 0.3g | |
| Arginine 0.6g | |
| Ash 1.5g | |
| Aspartic acid 0.8g | |
| Caffeine 0mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 0mcg | |
| Choline, total 54.3mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0.2mg | |
| Cystine 0.1g | |
| Energy 2055.4kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 8mcg | |
| Folate, total 49.1mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 2g | |
| Glycine 0.4g | |
| Histidine 0.2g | |
| Isoleucine 0.3g | |
| Leucine 0.6g | |
| Lysine 0.3g | |
| Methionine 0.1g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 56.9mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0.5mg | |
| Niacin 1.7mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 142.2mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 0.4mg | |
| Phenylalanine 0.4g | |
| Phytosterols 2.4mg | |
| Proline 0.5g | |
| Retinol 162.8mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 11.3mcg | |
| Serine 0.4g | |
| Starch 0.3g | |
| Theobromine 0mg | |
| Threonine 0.2g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 5.4mg | |
| Tryptophan 0.1g | |
| Tyrosine 0.2g | |
| Valine 0.4g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 599.8IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 165.6mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 0.1mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0.1mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 1.6mcg | |
| Water 27g | |
| Zinc, Zn 0.9mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
