A stupendous almond tart, discovered by accident in 19th century England, was thought so wonderful as to deserve its own holiday. For the few of us who celebrate Bakewell Tart Day every year on August 11th, I offer a 1927 recipe for the elusive original, curated by Regula Ysewijn, a Belgian anglophile whose British cookbooks are trending and very collectible.
Regula has taken the time to track down the authentic, historic Bakewell Tart recipe made with almond meal, breadcrumbs, apricot kernels, rosewater and jam (but with no icing or cherry on top, as is often mistakenly reproduced in modern British bakeries). By following her recipe we get to enjoy the fruits of her research, and they are delicious. Regula’s most recent cookbook that contains this recipe, Oats in the North Wheat from the South, features a pleasing selection of many beloved and traditional British bakes. You can make this tart/cake with shortcrust pastry or use my simple 3-2-1 crust.
All the somewhat exotic ingredients are available on Amazon or from other retailers.
Bakewell Tart – The Real Thing
Equipment
- 1 springform pan or deep pie dish 8 inches/20cm
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 1 quantity of a shortcrust pastry Use your fave crust recipe or Regula’s on page 235 ofher book Oats in the North. Or use my 3-2-1 crust (link above).
For the Filling
- 20 g apricot kernels DO NOT SNACK ON THEM keep away from children as they cause upset stomach when eaten raw and in large quantities
- 1 tablespoon rosewater
- 150 g butter
- 75 g plain or demerara/raw sugar for more flavor sugar
- 150 g almond meal blanched almond meal gives a lighter result; natural, which is what I had on hand, is a darker result because the almond skin is still present
- 50 g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- Pinch of grated nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons raspberry jam
- Handful of flaked almonds
- For a 20 cm 8 inch round tin
Instructions
- Make the shortcrust pastry following the instructions on page 235 of Regula’s book, or another book if you like, or use store-bought, there is no shame in it.
- Prepare the cake tin. Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface to a thickness of 5 mm. Fold in the sides so that the pastry will fit into the base of the baking tin, then gently lift it into the tin, letting it sink down into the base.
- Use a small piece of excess dough to firmly press the edges of the pastry into the tin. Trim the excess pastry with a knife and then pierce the base with a fork. Put the pastry in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes or overnight (we don’t blind-bake this pastry as we want it to blend a little with the filling).
- Blanch the apricot kernels in boiling water, then remove the skins. Using a mortar and pestle, bash the apricot kernels with the rosewater to make a paste.
- Melt butter in a saucepan but don’t let it bubble. Remove the pan from the heat, add the sugar, almond meal, apricot kernel paste and breadcrumbs and stir well.
- Add the eggs and nutmeg and mix well. Let the filling rest for at least one hour. Towards the end of the resting time, preheat the oven to 200C (no fan heat!).
- Spread the jam over the pastry base and spoon the filling on top. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
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