Mary Berry Almond Slice Recipes

ALMOND SLICE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, rub the butter and flour with your fingers. Once it resembles bread crumbs, add the sugar and mix until combined.
• Gradually add the cold water a spoonful at a time, continuing to mix with your hands, bringing together to form a dough. You may not need all the water, or you may need a little extra - this can even vary from batch-to-batch.
• Continue to mix the dough in your hands until well formed. Turn out onto work surface, lightly dusted with flour. Gently knead until your dough is smooth.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and pop in the fridge for at least and hour to firm-up before use.
• Pre-heat your oven to 190°c (or 170°c for a fan assisted oven or Gas Mark 5) and grease a 11x7 inch baking tin generously with some margarine/butter. Set aside.
• Remove your pre-made pastry from the fridge and roll on a floured surface to around 5mm thick. Transfer to your pre-greased tin, pushing the pastry into the edges. Trim the excess and line the pastry with some greaseproof paper before filling with baking beans. Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes to give the bottom a head start and avoid a soggy pastry.
• Following the blind bake - and once cool enough to do so - remove the baking beans and top the pastry with the Raspberry Jam, evenly spreading over the pastry.
• In a large bowl, cream the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the ground almonds and self-raising flour, mixing together before adding the eggs one at a time, continuing to mix to make a smooth batter.
• Spoon the batter on top of your jam-topped pastry and spread. evenly, ensuring to get right to the edges and corners. Top with a generous handful of flaked almonds.
• Bake in your pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and spongy in appearance.
• Once completely cool, using a sharp knife, cut into individual slices.

RASPBERRY BAKEWELL SLICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line the base and sides of a buttered traybake tin, about 18-20cm x 30cm, with baking parchment. Roll out the pastry to line. Lift into the tin and evenly press right into the corners. Prick with a fork and chill for 20 mins.
• Bake the pastry for 8-10 mins until it's cooked but not too coloured. Cool for a few mins and turn down the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Dot the raspberry jam over the pastry (there's no need to spread) and scatter over the raspberries.
• For the sponge, put all the ingredients into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until soft and very well mixed. Spoon this over the raspberry layer, then smooth evenly. Scatter over the flaked almonds and bake for 35-40 mins until golden and firm. Cool completely in the tin. Will freeze for up to 3 months - overwrap the tin with baking parchment and foil beforehand.
• To serve, thaw for 4 hrs at room temperature, then reheat in a low oven. Melt the apricot jam with 1 tbsp water and brush over the top of the sponge just before serving.

EASY ALMOND SLICE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200/220 fan/425/gas 7. Grease a baking tin that measures roughly 8" or 20cm squared.
• Cream the butter and sugar together.
• Stir in half the beaten eggs and half the flour. Mix well.
• Add the remaining egg, flour and the baking powder. Lastly, add the ground almonds and a splash of milk to make the mixture soft.
• Spread out evenly in the greased tin and top with the flaked almonds.Press them down gently with the back of a fork.
• Pop in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

MARY BERRY(-ISH) CHERRY BAKEWELL TART

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor (you could also do this by hand using a pastry cutter or your fingers), pulse together the Butter and Flour, until the largest chunks of butter are the size of large breadcrumbs or peas. Add the salt and confectioners' sugar, and egg, pulse again. Slowly add the ice water while pulsing until the ingredients just begin to form a soft dough.
• On a floured work surface, pour out the dough and roll into a 12″ circle. Transfer the circle to your 9" tart pan or springform, allowing the dough to cover the sides of the pan about 1-2 inches. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 390F. Line the bottom and sides of the tart shell with parchment paper (or foil would work) and cover with pie weights or dried beans (see Notes). Bake 15 minutes, remove weights or beans, then the parchment. Return to oven for 5 minutes until crust appears dry. Cool on a rack for several minutes while preparing filling.
• Spread the jam across the slightly cooled crust.
• Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the almond flour, egg, salt and almond extract and mix until incorporated. The mixture should be quite thick, sort of like thick oatmeal. Spoon on top of the jam in the shell and smooth with an offset knife.
• Sprinkle the flattened top of the filling with the sliced almonds.
• Reduce oven heat to 355F. Bake 25-35 minutes until top is golden and a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of the tart comes out clean. Let the tart cool in the pan until completely cool.
• When ready to serve, sift confectioners sugar over tart.

BAKEWELL TRAYBAKE

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour, butter and sugar into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add one of the eggs and pulse until the mixture comes together to form a rough dough. If the dough is too dry, add a bit of milk. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap in cling film. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• Unwrap the dough and discard the cling film. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and roll out until large enough to line a 30x20cm/12x8in cake tin. Line the tin with the pastry, then place into the fridge to chill for a further 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Line the chilled tart case with a sheet of greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is lightly golden-brown.
• Remove the paper and beans and brush the pastry all over with the remaining beaten egg. Return the pastry to the oven for a further five minutes, until golden-brown. Remove the pastry from the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 180C/365F/Gas 4.
• For the filling, beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.
• Mix in the ground almonds, then crack in the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition until smooth and creamy. Fold in the lemon zest and the flour.
• Spread some of the raspberry jam generously across the base of the pastry, leaving a 2.5cm/1in gap around the edge.
• Spread the filling mixture over the jam and sprinkle over the flaked almonds.
• Bake the tart for 20 minutes, or until the filling is set and golden-brown. Allow to cool in the tin before serving.
• To serve, cut the tart into 5cm/2in squares.

MARY BERRY'S MADEIRA CAKE

Steps:

• Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat everything well until creamy.
• Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
• In go the flour and ground almonds together with the lemon zest.
• Mix everything well to get a smooth thick batter.
• Grease and flour a 23 cm/9 inch round cake tin, and spread the batter evenly.
• Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Leave to cool for 15 minutes, then carefully remove from the cake tin, and transfer to a cooling rack to be cooled down completely.

BAKEWELL SLICES

Steps:

• To make the pastry, measure the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 2-3 tablespoons cold water gradually, mixing to form a soft dough. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and use it to line a 30x23cm (12x9in) traybake or roasting tin. Measure all the sponge ingredients into a bowl and beat until well blended. Spread the pastry with raspberry jam and then top with the sponge mixture. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the cake has shrunk from the sides of the tin and springs back when pressed in the centre with your fingertips. Leave to cool in the tin and then cut into slices.