Bakewell Tart (Mary Berry’s Recipe with a Mincemeat Option)

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!

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!

Click HERE to buy Mary’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 and Paul Hollywood 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! 

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.

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 any more?

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe

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

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 add the water and mix gently to make a soft 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.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

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.

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 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.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F(180°C) and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden-brown and a skewer pushed into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in 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 blog whilst traveling, but I’ll be much more active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+.

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!

Here’s a pear and caramel tart from my good friend Janice from Scotland at Farmersgirl Kitchen!

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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!

Print

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: 12 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 339Total Fat: 22gCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 10g

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