Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (2024)

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Bakewell tart is such a British classic, and Mary Berry’s got the best recipe, but I’ve made a few changes for those of us in the US. Thanks to a friend’s suggestion, I’ve also discovered that using up leftover mincemeat instead of jam, makes a fabulous treat!

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (1)

For those of you in the UK, Mary Berry is a household name, but this is not the case in the US.

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EDIT: This post was written before the Great British Bakeoff made it BIG in the USA!

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (2)

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (3)

Click to buy Mary Berry’s cookbook.

If you live outside the UK, you may not know who Mary Berry is. She is an extremely accomplished baker, cookbook author, and celebrity in the UK, as she is a judge in a highly popular TV show called The Great British Bakeoff, and she just happens to have been born exactly one year, to the day, before my Dad! You needed that piece of information, right?

Updated: I met Mary Berry and “hung out” with her, Paul Hollywood and James Martin in the VIP room at the BBC Good Food Show Scotland! I even rode in the same taxi with them when we went out for dinner!

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (4)

I love Mary’s English style and classic British recipes, like her Bakewell tart. Most of you in the US have probably never even heard of a Bakewell tart, let alone have tried one, so this is the recipe I decided to share with you.

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (5)

Bakewell tart begins with a homemade crust which is partially baked, then the bottom is covered in jam (please see below for a very delicious alternative filling to use up your Christmas mincemeat).

Bakewell tart is very simple almond flavored, cake-like filled (frangipane) tart, which is topped with sliced almonds and drizzled with icing. Mary Berry’s Bakewell tart recipe is fantastic. When the tart has cooled, it’s drizzled with a plain sugar icing. Need I say more?

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe

adapted for US kitchens (and to my taste) and to make a larger, 9″ tart serves 10

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Tart Shell

  • flour
  • salt
  • butter
  • sugar

Filling

  • jam or mincemeat
  • butter
  • sugar
  • ground almonds
  • eggs
  • almond extract (optional)

Topping

  • flaked almonds
  • confectioner’s sugar
  • water or milk

Special equipment: tart dish(I like this one as it’s made in France, but I have a less expensive option in above)

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 (180C fan).

Making the pastry

Placethe flour and salt into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture looks likefine breadcrumbs.

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (7)

Add the sugar, then add the water and mix gently to make asoft dough. (Or you can make it in a food processor,like this.)

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, then line a 9″in tart tin. Using a fork, press the tines into the bottom and sides of the pastry in the tin.

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (8)

Refrigeratefor 30 minutes.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until cooked, but not completely (it’s going back in the oven.) Remove and set aside.

Spread the jam or mincemeat on the bottom of the crust then make the frangipane filling.

Making the filling and baking the Bakewell tart

Melt the butter in a pot,remove fromheat and stir in the sugar, ground almonds, egg and almond extract (if using.) Pour the mixture over the jam or mincemeat andsprinklethe flaked almonds on top.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F(180°C) and bake forabout 30 minutes, until golden-brown and a skewer pushed into the middlecomes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completelyin the pan. Drizzle with icing and allow to set.

Finally, cut the Bakewell tart into slices and enjoy! If you enjoy Mary Berry’s Bakewell tart recipe in it’s original form, then give my mincemeat version a try, too!

Mincemeat Bakewell Tart

Here is a photo of the mincemeat Bakewell Tart. The homemade mincemeat combined with the other flavors works really well, and it was perfect in January to use up some leftover mincemeat from the holidays.

In the meantime, I am flying to Scotland today, so I hope you’ll understand I won’t be posting much here on my site whilst traveling, but I’ll be much more active on Facebook, and Instagram.

I hope you will follow me home to Scotland–first on the agenda is the Scottish Baking Awards at Mar Hall this Sunday! I cannot wait!

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Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (11)

Mary Berry's Bakewell Tart

Yield: one 9" tart

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

A classic British tart which has a jam base, cake like frangipane filling and almonds and icing on top. Delicious!

Ingredients

Tart Shell

  • 2 cups (9 oz) all purpose flour
  • (pinch of salt -my addition)
  • one stick (4 oz) good quality butter (I use Kerrygold)
  • (1 1/2 tsp sugar -my addition)
  • 4 to 5 tbsp ice-cold water

Filling

  • 3 to 4 tbsp raspberry jam, or any other flavor (you can also use mincemeat for a delicious twist)
  • 1 1/2 stick (6 oz) butter
  • 3/4 cup (6 oz) sugar
  • 3/4 cup (6 oz) ground almonds
  • 2 eggs (preferably organic), beaten
  • 1/2 tsp. almond extract (I omitted this as it's not my favorite flavor)
  • 1/2 cup (3 oz) flaked almonds

Icing

  • 2/3 cup (3 oz) confectioner's sugar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons water or milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F

PASTRY-

  1. Place the flour and salt into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, then the water and mix gently to make a soft dough. (Or you can make it in a food processor, like this.)
  2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, then line a 9"in tart tin. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  3. Using a fork, press the tines into the bottom and sides of the pastry in the tin, then bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until cooked, but not completely (it's going back in the oven.) Remove and set aside.

FILLING

  1. Spread the jam or mincemeat on the bottom of the crust then make the frangipane filling.
  2. Melt the butter in a pot, remove from heat and stir in the sugar, ground almonds, egg and almond extract (if using.) Pour the mixture over the jam or mincemeat and sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.
  3. Bake for about 35 minutes. If the almonds begin to brown too quickly, cover the tart loosely with aluminum foil.

ICING

  1. Place the confectioner's sugar into a bowl. Stir in cold water or milk. Using a knife or spoon (any kitchen cutlery would probably work), drizzle the icing all over the cooled tart (make sure it isn't warm or the icing will not look as pretty as it should.) Allow the icing to set before serving.
  2. Cut into slices and enjoy!

Notes

Leave off the icing if you prefer a less sweet tart (my mum prefers it this way).

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 197Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 46mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information is only estimated.

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Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between Bakewell pudding and Bakewell tart? ›

Many visitors ask us whether they should buy a Bakewell Tart or a Bakewell Pudding, and the answer of course is to buy both! That said, a tart is made with short crust pastry and a Bakewell Pudding is made with puff pastry. The recipe for the filling is very similar.

What is the difference between frangipane and Bakewell tart? ›

Frangipane is also a key component in Bakewell Tart, where it teams up with jam as a filling between layers of pastry. And it's imperative in Bostock, a breakfast pastry made by saturating slices of day-old brioche with sugar syrup, then slathering on frangipane and baking until golden.

What is the original Bakewell tart? ›

A Bakewell tart is an English confection consisting of a shortcrust pastry shell beneath layers of jam, frangipane, and a topping of flaked almonds. It is a variant of the Bakewell pudding, closely associated with the town of Bakewell in Derbyshire.

Why is my Bakewell tart soggy in the middle? ›

Richard's solution: Soggy bottoms can be a right nuisance, even though they don't really alter the taste of your bake. They are usually the result of either a filling that's too wet in your bake or an under-cooked or thin pastry base. These are easily remedied though using a few simple tips.

Why did my Bakewell tart sink? ›

Try to avoid opening the oven before 15 minutes have passed, as the delicate structure of the frangipane means they have a tendency to sink.

What pastry is Bakewell tart made from? ›

Delectable desert made with Jus-Rol shortcrust pastry sheet. Enjoyed warm or cold anytime!

What is frangipane in America? ›

Frangipane is a pastry filling made with finely ground almonds or almond meal. It is sometimes referred to as almond cream. And, being more or less like a pie filling, frangipane is never consumed raw because it contains raw eggs.

Do you eat Bakewell tart hot or cold? ›

Bakewell tart with raspberry jam - with soft, almond frangipane encased in a delicate, crumbly pastry. Served best when warm out of the oven and whilst the smell of warm almonds and sticky, hot jam still lingers in the air.

What is a fun fact about Bakewell tarts? ›

Bakewell tart is named after the Derbyshire town of Bakewell, where the Bakewell pudding (later to evolve into the Bakewell tart) was first served in the (no longer standing) White Horse Inn.

Why is it called Bakewell? ›

The town was originally called Baedeca's wella, which meant Baedeca's Springs. The name was first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 924, it is thought that there must have been a Saxon who settled by the warm springs which rose at Bakewell and the town was named after them.

What is the flavor of the Bakewell? ›

It is shortcrust pastry a layers of jam, frangipane, and a topping of flaked almonds. The flavour is subtle.

What size are Bakewell tarts? ›

Order Tarts for Delivery

All are 6 inches in diameter and provide four good-sized servings, and come in specially designed boxes ensuring they reach you in excellent condition. Delivery is by Royal Mail first class in the UK and will take two days outside of weekends and Bank Holidays.

How do you keep the bottom of a tart from getting soggy? ›

Blind-bake your base before adding a filling to help to firm the base and avoid liquid being absorbed into it. Prick the base with a fork to help steam escape, cover with foil or parchment, and weigh it down with ceramic baking beans, uncooked rice or white sugar.

How do you keep tart crust crispy? ›

Brush Your Pie in Egg Wash

Once you've pre-baked your pie, brush the bottom and sides of the crust with egg wash, then reheat at 400° for 4 minutes to set the glaze. This creates a seal between the crust and the filling so that your crust stays crispy and golden once the filling is added.

How do you make a tart without a soggy bottom? ›

Blind Bake the Crust

One of the fool-proof ways to ensure a crisp bottom pie crust is to do what is called blind baking. This simply means that you bake the crust—either fully if you are adding a custard or cream that won't be cooked, or partially if the whole pie needs to bake—before adding the filling.

How should you eat Bakewell pudding? ›

Serve immediately with fresh cream or luxury custard. Please ensure that the product is piping hot before serving.

What is the story behind Bakewell pudding? ›

The pudding was the result of a misunderstanding between the inn's mistress, Mrs Greaves, and her cook; visiting noblemen had ordered a strawberry tart, but instead of stirring the egg mixture into the pastry, the cook spread it on top of a layer of jam.

Is Bakewell tart eaten hot or cold? ›

A true British classic pudding, Bakewell tart is best served slightly warm with a dollop of lightly whipped cream.

Is Bakewell Cream the same as cream of tartar? ›

It's actually a mixture of sodium pyrophosphate, a mineral acid, and cornstarch, added to prevent moisture absorption. It can be substituted for cream of tartar or combined in a 2:1 ratio with baking soda as a replacement for baking powder.

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