The June Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a traditional British Bakewell tart—often also called a Bakewell pudding—a dessert with roots in 19th-century England.

Bakewell tarts or puddings combine several classic elements: a pastry shell, a layer of jam, and an almond-flavoured filling. Regional variations abound, but most modern versions fall into two families. One version is a pudding-style bake where jam is covered by an almond pastry cream and baked in puff pastry; the other is a tart made with shortcrust pastry, jam, and a frangipane-style almond sponge. The recipe here blends the two: a sweet almond shortcrust pastry filled with jam and frangipane.

Instead of one large tart, I made several mini tarts. For the jam I used a homemade cherry jam, which pairs beautifully with almonds. I was very pleased with the result and plan to make this again — thanks to this month’s hostesses for the inspiration.

Bakewell Tart: history and lore

Flat, flan-like desserts combining egg custard or spiced ground almonds in a pastry shell go back to medieval times. The term “Bakewell pudding” first appears in the early 19th century, and by the mid-to-late 1800s the custard-style filling had evolved into a denser almond-based frangipane, while the amount of jam used tended to decrease as the almond component grew.

Several origin stories surround the Bakewell tart. One popular tale tells of Mrs. Greaves, landlady of The White Horse Inn in Bakewell, Derbyshire, and a cook whose execution of her instructions produced a different, but much-loved, dessert: jam and almond mixture were combined in an unexpected order, and guests enjoyed the result so much that the pastry became locally famous. Regardless of the precise details, the town of Bakewell has long been associated with this treat.

Today the Bakewell tart is a recognizable English dessert, available in many forms from artisan bakeries to supermarket counters, sometimes decorated with a sugar glaze and a glace cherry. Serve it with tea or coffee, or enjoy a concealed slice (or two) at any quiet moment.

Bakewell Tart (Pudding) Recipe

Makes: one 23 cm (9″) tart
Prep time: under 10 minutes active (plus time to make pastry, jam and frangipane)
Resting time: 15–30 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment: 23 cm (9″) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe below)
Bench flour for rolling
250 ml (1 cup) jam or curd, warmed for easy spreading
One quantity frangipane (recipe below)
A handful of blanched, flaked almonds

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep: 15–20 minutes
Rest: min. 30 minutes in the refrigerator
Equipment: bowls, box grater, cling film

225 g (8 oz) all-purpose flour
30 g (1 oz) sugar
½ tsp salt (approx. 2.5 ml)
110 g (4 oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen works well)
2 egg yolks
½ tsp almond extract (optional)
1–2 Tbsp (15–30 ml) cold water

Sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the cold butter into the flour. Quickly work the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks with almond extract if using, then add to the flour mixture. Stir while adding just enough cold water to bring the dough together into a slightly sticky, cohesive ball.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Notes: you can use vanilla sugar or vanilla paste instead of almond extract if you prefer. If the butter is very firm when rolling, let the dough sit for a few minutes at room temperature to make rolling easier.

Frangipane

Prep: 10–15 minutes
Equipment: mixing bowls, hand mixer or stand mixer, rubber spatula

125 g (4.5 oz) unsalted butter, softened
125 g (4.5 oz) icing sugar
3 eggs
½ tsp almond extract (approx. 2.5 ml)
125 g (4.5 oz) ground almonds
30 g (1 oz) all-purpose flour

Cream the butter and icing sugar together until pale and fluffy, about a minute. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; the mixture may look slightly curdled but it will come together. Add the almond extract, then fold in the ground almonds and flour until evenly combined. The frangipane should be soft and slightly thick in texture.

Note: if you grind your own almonds or mix by hand, allow extra time to achieve a smooth, even consistency.

Assembling the tart

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If too cold to roll, let it rest 10–15 minutes. Roll the pastry to about 5 mm (1/4″) thickness, rolling in one direction and turning the disc a quarter turn intermittently to keep an even thickness. Fit the pastry into the tart pan, pressing into the edges and trimming any excess. Patch any tears with trimmed scraps. Chill the lined tart shell in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

Remove the chilled shell from the freezer. Spread an even layer of warmed jam over the base, then spoon the frangipane on top and spread to cover. Smooth the surface and bake for 30 minutes. About five minutes before the end of baking the frangipane will puff and brown; at that point scatter the flaked almonds over the top and return the tart to the oven for the final five minutes.

The finished tart should have a golden crust with a tanned, slightly spongy frangipane. Cool on the counter and serve warm with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard if you like. When sliced, the almond filling will be firm yet a bit tender, and the crust should be crisp without being tough.

Jasmine’s notes: if you cannot have nuts, consider substituting a Victoria sponge-style batter for the frangipane. Use any jam you prefer; if the jam has many seeds (raspberry, blackberry) you may want to sieve them for a smoother texture. Jam quantity can vary from 60 ml (1/4 cup) to 250 ml (1 cup) depending on how moist and strongly flavoured your preserves are; 150 ml (2/3 cup) is a good middle amount.

Annemarie’s note: excess shortcrust can be rolled out and cut into cookies—its texture is similar to shortbread and makes a tasty extra treat.