Lighter Bakewell Tart Recipes

BAKEWELL TARTS

Steps:

• Make the tart shells: In bowl of food processor, combine butter and granulated sugar and process until smooth. Add egg yolks, salt, and vanilla and process until combined, about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup flour and process until smooth. Add remaining 1 cup flour; process to combine. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap and form into a flat square; wrap tightly and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Wipe clean food processor bowl.
• Make the filling: In bowl of food processor, add almonds and granulated sugar and process until finely ground. Add butter, egg, flour, rum, salt, and almond extract, and process until frangipane is smooth.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out chilled dough to a 1/4-inch-thickness. Using a 4 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out 10 circles, re-rolling dough as necessary. Fit each circle into a 4-inch round fluted tart pan with removable bottom, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill each tart shell with 1 tablespoon jam, then top with about 2 tablespoons frangipane; place on parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. (You will have about 1/4 cup frangipane leftover.) Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove tarts from pans.
• Make the glaze: Sift confectioners' sugar into a bowl. Stir in lemon juice to combine. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe glaze onto tarts as desired.

TRADITIONAL BAKEWELL TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch pie plate. Whisk together the flour, ground almonds, and baking powder; set aside.
• Roll the pie crust pastry into a round shape a little larger than the pie plate. Cut off a 1/2-inch wide strip from the edge of the pastry circle, and line the lower sides of the pie plate with the strip, placing the cut side upwards (the pastry will not reach the rim of the pie plate). Dampen the strip with water, then place the remaining pie pastry circle into the pie plate, pressing to seal the edges of the circle onto the strip where the pastry overlaps. This will create a crust that is slightly thicker around the lower edges. Spread the strawberry jam evenly over the center of the pastry shell.
• Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a bowl until light and fluffy. Whisk the egg together with the lemon zest, and add gradually to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Gently fold the flour mixture, a spoonful at a time, into the egg mixture, folding until just incorporated. Spread the batter over the jam in the pie shell.
• Bake the tart in the preheated oven until the filling is firmly set and browned, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

EASY BAKEWELL TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a muffin tin.
• Prepare cake mix according to package directions, set aside.
• Prepare pie crust according to package directions. Using a round cutter or glass, cut 24 rounds in crust to fit in bottom of muffin tins. Place dough circles in bottom of muffin tins. Top each circle with 1 tablespoon of jam. Pour cake batter over jam so that cups are 3/4 full.
• Bake in preheated oven until cake springs back when touched, 18 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in pans before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

BAKEWELL TART

Steps:

• Make the pastry:.
• Score down the length of the vanilla bean, if using, and remove the seeds by scraping a knife down the inside of each half (keep the pod for making vanilla sugar).
• Cream together the butter, powdered sugar, and salt and then rub in the flour, vanilla seeds, lemon zest, and egg yolks - you can do all this by hand or in a food processor. When the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, add the cold milk or water. Pat and gently work the mixture together until you have a ball of dough, then flour it lightly and roll it into a large sausage shape - don't work the pastry too much, otherwise it will become too elastic and chewy, not flaky and short as you want it to be.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest for at least an hour. Remove it from the fridge, slice it up, and line an 11-inch tart mold with the slivers. Push them together, then tidy up the sides by trimming off any excess. Place the tart mold in the freezer for an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), then take the pastry out of the freezer and bake for around 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven, place to one side, and turn the heat down to 325°F (160°C).
• Make the frangipane:.
• Blitz the whole almonds in a food processor until you have a fine powder and put this into a bowl.
• Now blitz the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add this to the almonds with the lightly beaten eggs and fold in until completely mixed and smooth. Place in the fridge to firm up slightly.
• Smear the jam over the bottom of the pastry shell, pour the chilled frangipane mixture on top, and sprinkle with some sliced blanched almonds. Bake the tart for about 40 minutes, or until the almond mixture has become firm and golden on the outside but is still soft in the middle.
• Allow to cool for about 30 minutes and serve with crème fraîche or custard.