These honey sweetened Bakewell Tarts are a really, really good take on a traditional Bakewell Tart. Originating in Derbyshire in the Peak District, UK, Bakewell Tarts now consist of a pastry base, a raspberry jam filling and a frangipane topping.
The tarts are delicious served warm as a dessert with cream, ice cream or custard but can also be served cold as an afternoon (or morning, or evening, or nighttime) snack. I visited the Peak District for the first time last year and judging by my weight when I returned I consumed my body weight in tarts while I was there. I like to think this was for research purposes and not purely due to gluttony!
These tarts differ from the originals in that the center is filled with a thin layer of blueberry and chai seed jam (certainly a departure from the 19th century raspberry or candied fruit layer) and the frangipane is made using honey to sweeten it. If you are interested in learning more about the controversy that surround the origins of this great tart, take a look here.
To be honest with you, the reason that I used blueberry jam as a filling for this tart, rather than the ‘original’ raspberry jam was because I had a punnet of blueberries in my fridge. I had scoffed the punnet of raspberries that I had bought for the tarts for breakfast that morning. How about trying out a few different kinds of sugar free jams to see which flavor you prefer as a filling for this great little tart.
Bakewell Tart
- Yield: 6 - 8 tartlets
- Category: Honey Sweetened, Refined Sugar Free
Ingredients
For the tart bases
- 250 grams Plain Flour
- 125 grams Cold Butter (diced)
- 2 Egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon Milk
- 1 pinch Salt
For the Blueberry Jam
- 1 cup Blueberries
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon Chai seeds
For the Frangipan
- 115 grams Butter (1 stick) softened
- 6 tablespoons Honey
- 4 Eggs
- 100 grams Ground Almonds (1 cup)
- 30 grams Plain Flour (1/4 cup)
Instructions
To make the Shortcrust Pastry
- Pulse the flour, salt and butter in a food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the two egg yolks and pulse again until it forms a ball. If the pastry does not come together as a ball, slowly add the milk bit by bit until it does. You may not need the milk at all.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes whilst you make the blueberry jam.
To make the Blueberry Jam
- Place the blueberries and honey in a saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Once the honey has heated up the berries should be soft and can be mashed with a potato masher or fork until you have a smooth puree.
- Turn the hob down to a low heat and add the chia seeds. Stir until the jam thickens. This will take 5 minutes or so. Take the jam of the heat and set aside.
- Place the chilled dough on a flour dusted work surface. Roll it out, turning it often to ensure that it does not stick to your work surface. Line your tart cases, gently pushing the pastry into the sides of the tin. Place back in the fridge to chill whilst you make the frangipane topping.
To make the Frangipane
- Mix the softened butter and honey together into a paste.
- Whisk the eggs and stir in to the butter honey mix. Add the ground almonds and flour and stir to combine.
Putting the tarts together
- Preheat the oven and a baking tray to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4
- Take the tarts cases out of the fridge and place one teaspoon of blueberry jam into the bottom of each tart and spread to cover the base.
- Split the frangipane mixture equally between the 8 tarts, spreading evenly to cover the jam.
- Place the tarts on the preheated baking tray (this will ensure that the bottom of the tarts cook) and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Once the tarts have baked, let them cool for 5 minutes and decorate with toasted almonds.
- These tarts are best served warm with ice cream or whipped cream. However, if you want to serve them cold, you may like to drizzle the top with some refined sugar icing.
I hope you enjoy!
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