This Traditional British Tart Is Candy, Nutty, and Steeped in Historical past—Here is The right way to Bake It Effectively

Bakewell tarts are a comforting and nostalgic bake for a lot of Brits. The pastry is a staple at British cafés, the place it’s typically offered by the slice. The tart has a crisp, subtly candy crust that is topped with a skinny layer of jam, loads of aromatic almond cream, and crunchy sliced almonds. I had my first Bakewell tart in 2019, once I moved to London for pastry college. The nutty, buttery filling was an exquisite complement to the candy, tart strawberry jam, making it the right accompaniment to a cup of tea. I shortly developed a tender spot for the tart, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than I created my model at residence.

A Temporary Historical past of the Bakewell Tart

This quintessential British baked good was reportedly impressed by Bakewell pudding, a puff pastry–crusted pie full of strawberry jam and an almond custard. The pudding’s backstory is hazy, however someday within the 1800s, the proprietress of the White Horse Inn in Bakewell, Derbyshire, reportedly requested the inn’s cook dinner to make a strawberry tart. The cook dinner misunderstood her directions and got here up with a Bakewell pudding as an alternative. It is potential that this blissful accident occurred as early as 1820, if it occurred in any respect; nonetheless, the primary printed Bakewell pudding recipe did not seem till it was included in Eliza Acton’s 1845 ebook, Fashionable Cookery for Non-public Households. Whereas it stays unclear when precisely the Bakewell tart was invented, the Bakewell Tart Shoppe in Derbyshire claims to have been promoting the pastry for greater than 100 years. 

The Bakewell tart shares many similarities with the pudding, however there are a number of key variations. As a substitute of puff pastry, the tart is made with a young shortcrust; raspberry jam is used instead of strawberry jam; and the filling consists of almond cream as an alternative of custard. Most modern Bakewell tarts are made utilizing a spherical, fluted pan; nonetheless, you might typically spot rectangular tarts referred to as Bakewell slices at bake gross sales and picnics. And whereas raspberry jam stays probably the most conventional, you may additionally discover variations made with cherry, rhubarb, or apricot preserves. (The Bakewell tart shouldn’t be confused with the cherry Bakewell, a mass-produced cake with plum and raspberry jam, almond sponge, and white fondant icing that is out there in British grocery shops. )

If you happen to reside within the UK, buying a ready-made Bakewell tart is straightforward. However should you, like me, reside exterior of Britain and need to recreate this basic British baked good at residence, fret not: Here is easy methods to make a bakery-worthy Bakewell tart at residence.

Key Strategies for Making a Bakewell Tart

Do not Overwork the Dough

To make a young shortcrust pastry, you may want to make use of your fingers to convey the dough collectively, however strive to not squeeze or knead it an excessive amount of, as this encourages gluten to type. The result’s a dense, robust pastry which will shrink throughout baking when the gluten contracts. Cease working the dough as quickly because it’s sturdy sufficient to type a ball, even when it nonetheless appears barely crumbly.

Do not Skip Par-Baking the Tart Shell

To create a strong base for moist fillings, similar to mousses, curds, and pastry lotions, many bakers par-bake their tart shells by lining them with parchment paper or foil, then filling them with dried beans, uncooked rice, granulated sugar, or pie weights. The weights reduce the chance of the crust shrinking away from the perimeters of the tin or puffing up, and the par-baking ensures that the crust is totally cooked and durable sufficient to carry the fillings, stopping the tart from having a soggy backside. I like to recommend baking the pastry simply till it turns into a lightweight golden brown, as it’s going to proceed to bake and darken as soon as it’s crammed.

Fold the Almond Flour in by Hand

Although I exploit an electrical mixer to beat the butter, sugar, eggs, and almond extract, I favor to fold within the almond flour utilizing a rubber spatula, which supplies me a greater sense of the almond cream’s texture. In my testing, I discovered that my almond cream typically break up and have become greasy once I beat it for too lengthy with an electrical mixer. That might not be the case for you, however to err on the facet of warning, I like to recommend folding the almond flour in as gently as potential. If you happen to favor to make use of an electrical hand mixer or stand mixer to include the almond flour, accomplish that on low velocity and blend as briefly as potential, stopping as quickly because the batter comes collectively.

Use Seedless Jam

For seamless spreading, go for a seedless jam with no giant items of fruit and whisk it totally. You may as well experiment with different flavors—I actually loved the model I examined with cherry jam. If you happen to solely have jam with seeds readily available, merely push the preserves by way of a fine-mesh sieve to take away the seeds. 

As soon as the tart is baked and funky, you may give it a beneficiant dusting of confectioners’ sugar and a drizzle of almond icing. Or borrow a observe from the Bakewell pudding playbook and serve your slices with ice cream or whipped cream. It is scrumptious both approach. 

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