How to Make Bakewell Tarts

If you’ve never had a Bakewell tart, you’re in for a real treat.

Tender pastry filled with sweet raspberry jam, and nutty frangipane, topped with just a touch of icing, this little tart is very popular all over the U.K.

They’re super cute when served as individual tarts, but the recipe looks just as impressive when served as a larger tart.

Bakewell Tart Recipe

Bakewell tarts are kind of iconic.

Hailing from the town of Bakewell in England, these sweet pastry creations are a quintessential part of the British baking tradition.

The crust is short and buttery, the filling is sweet and jammy, and the frangipane is nutty and tender. And even without the sweet glaze on top, they’re insanely hard to resist.

You’ll need to make the pastry from scratch, which means you have to plan ahead. It needs to chill before you can roll it out, so plan for at least 45-60 minutes longer than the recipe takes.

Not only that, but you’ll need to blind-bake the crust, too, because the filling is wet.

Check out my vegan pastry recipe for details on how to blind-bake pastry.

From there, it’s just a matter of adding the filling. Hello, frangipane!

What is Frangipane?

It may sound fancy, but frangipane is actually one of the easiest things to make in the baking world.

Frangipane is an almond filling also known as frangipane cream. Unlike marzipan, which is an almond paste, frangipane is made with ground almonds, butter, eggs, and sugar.

Just beat the butter and sugar like you would in any cookie or cake recipe. Then carefully add the eggs, ground almonds, and sometimes flour.

It’ll look like a grainy, thick cake batter, and it smells fantastic.

The reason it’s so popular is how versatile it is. You can add it to all kinds of pies and tarts, instantly elevating the recipe.

What’s The Best Pastry For Bakewell Tarts?

The best pastry for Bakewell tarts is a sweet shortcrust pastry. It’s buttery, lightly sweet, and very forgiving.

Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients for Shortcrust Pastry:

• 500 grams Cake Flour
• 100 grams Powdered Sugar
• 250 grams Butter
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1-2 tablespoons Whole Milk

Method for Shortcrust Pastry:

This method is for a stand mixer.

1. Cut the butter into small cubes and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
2. Place the flour and sugar into the mixer and turn on low to incorporate. 
3. Add the butter and mix on low until there are no large lumps and the mix resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Lightly beat the eggs and pour them into the mixer. 
5. Mix on low until the dough starts to form.
6. Add the milk very slowly, stopping when the dough just comes together. 
7. Finish bringing the dough together on the counter and press it into a disc to wrap and chill until needed. 

How to Make Bakewell Tarts

You will need a 20-25 cm (8-inch) tart tin for this recipe.

Ingredients:

For the Pastry

• 1/2 of the recipe above

For the Filling

• 130 grams of Butter
• 130 grams of White Sugar
• 130 grams of Ground Almonds
• 1 whole Egg
• 1/2 teaspoon of Almond Extract
• 3 tablespoons of Raspberry Jam

For the Glaze

• 80 grams of Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons of Water

Method:

1. For the pastry: Cut the butter into small cubes and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
2. Place the flour and sugar into the mixer and turn on low to incorporate. 
3. Add the butter and mix on low until there are no large lumps and the mix resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Lightly beat the eggs and pour them into the mixer. 
5. Mix on low until the dough starts to form.
6. Add the milk very slowly, stopping when the dough just comes together. 
7. Finish bringing the dough together on the counter and press it into a disc to wrap and chill for 30-60 minutes. 
8. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F and lightly grease a tart dish with cooking spray.
9. Roll the pastry to 3 - 4 mm (1/6 - 1/8 inch) and line the baking dish.
10. Cut off the excess, add a layer of parchment, and fill with baking beans. 
11. Blind-bake for 15 minutes before removing the beans and cooking for a further 5 minutes. 
12. Leave to cool while you make the filling.
13. Reduce the oven to 180°C/350°F.
14. For the Filling: Melt the butter in a small saucepan and pour over the sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
15. Add the eggs and whisk in until fully incorporated. 
16. Fold through the ground almonds and almond extract.
17. Spread the jam in the bottom of the tart shell and top with the frangipane batter.
18. Secure a layer of foil over the edges of the tart shell to protect the pastry, then bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Test by gently pressing the center. If it springs back, it is ready. If it keeps the indent, bake for a further 5 minutes.
19. When cooled completely, make the glaze by mixing the water and powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle it over the top, serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Variations

Since this is basically a pastry case with a layer of jam and almond sponge, it’s crazy easy to modify.

In fact, this recipe is already kind of a modification.

Traditional recipes feature cherries, not raspberries. Though raspberry jam is pretty standard these days.

Still, it’s always fun to change things up. So here are some of my favorite variations:

Lemon Bakewell

Add lemon zest to the pastry, then add a layer of lemon curd instead of raspberry jam.

Finally, add lemon glaze (lemon juice + powdered sugar) to punch up the flavor.

Chocolate Orange Bakewells

Sprinkle a few chocolate chips over the crust, then cover them with the frangipane.

Add orange zest to the pastry and the almond filling. Then top it with orange glaze (orange juice + powdered sugar).

Lemon Blueberry Bakewells

Add a layer of lemon curd to the pastry crust before spreading the frangipane mixture. Then add fresh blueberries over the frangipane before baking.

Finish it with a sweet glaze.

Raspberry and Pistachio Bakewells

If you can find it, add a thin layer of pistachio cream under the jam. If not, make the recipe as instructed with the pastry and raspberry jam.

Then add chopped pistachios to the frangipane before baking.

Apple Pie Bakewells

Dice an apple and cook it on low with butter and cinnamon until tender. Spread this mixture over the pastry case, then top it with the frangipane.

After it’s baked, add a simple cinnamon glaze (cinnamon, powdered sugar + water).

Mince Pie Bakewells

For a festive treat, add a layer of mincemeat under the frangipane! Just buy it from the store, ready-made, to save on time.

I also like to add orange zest to the pastry for added fragrance.