Hairy Bikers Bakewell Tart Recipe

Hairy Bikers Bakewell tart is a raspberry Bakewell: an almond shortcrust case spread with jam, then filled with ground almonds, sugar and six eggs. So the BBC Food recipe makes one 23cm tart, or 10 slices of about 550 calories, in roughly 2 hours by my timings.

On BBC Food, their recipe is described as “a true British classic pudding”, best served “slightly warm with a dollop of lightly whipped cream.” And their version doubles up on almonds, with 30g in the pastry as well as 300g in the filling.

For me, baking the case blind matters most, because a wet almond filling on raw pastry can turn the base soggy. So it gets 15 minutes under beans, then cools before the jam goes on, just as they instruct.

Hairy Bikers Bakewell Tart Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Courses:Dessert

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 45 minutesRest time: 45 minutesTotal time:2 hours Servings:10 servingsCalories:550 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

A crumbly almond shortcrust is chilled, rolled and baked blind until dry. Then raspberry jam and an egg-rich almond mixture go in, and a scatter of flaked almonds browns on top.

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 280g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• pinch of salt
• 65g caster sugar
• 165g unsalted butter, cold, plus extra for greasing
• 30g ground almonds
• 1 small free-range egg, beaten
• 1 free-range egg yolk

For the filling

• 300g ground almonds
• 130g caster sugar
• 6 free-range eggs, beaten
• a splash of almond essence
• 3 tbsp raspberry jam
• 25g flaked almonds

Instructions

1. Make the pastry: Pulse the flour, salt, sugar, butter and 30g of ground almonds in a food processor until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Then add the beaten egg and the yolk one at a time, pulsing until a smooth dough forms.
2. Chill it: Wrap the dough in cling film and chill it for half an hour. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4 and grease and flour a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin.
3. Line the tin: Roll the pastry out on a cold, floured surface, though they warn it’s very short and awkward to handle at first. Then line the tin, trim the excess and prick the base with a fork.
4. Bake blind: Cover the pastry lightly with baking parchment, fill it with baking beans or uncooked rice and bake for 15 minutes. Then lift out the beans and parchment, and if the base still looks raw, give it a minute or two more to dry out.
5. Turn the oven down: Leave the case to cool and reduce the oven to 165°C/Fan 145°C/Gas 3. But they print Gas 2 here, which is nearer 150°C, so Gas 3 is my swap.
6. Mix the filling: While the case cools, mix the 300g of ground almonds with the 130g of sugar in a bowl. Then stir in the 6 beaten eggs and a splash of almond essence, which is strong, so I’d keep it to a few drops.
7. Fill the case: Once the pastry has cooled, spread the jam generously over the base. Then pour the almond filling over the jam and scatter the flaked almonds on top.
8. Bake: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set all the way through and golden brown all over. Then leave it to cool in the tin, and serve it warm or cold.

FAQs

Is the filling meant to have no butter?

Yes, the recipe lists only ground almonds, sugar, six eggs and almond essence, so all the butter sits in the pastry. And that sets it apart from their other almond fillings, which start with butter.

Their frangipane for mince pies beats 85g of butter with the sugar before the almonds go in, while their Bakewell pudding uses 200g. So I’d expect this one to bake less rich and more eggy, though that’s my reading of the recipe.

Is it a Bakewell tart or a Bakewell pudding?

It’s a tart, made with shortcrust, and “pudding” on BBC Food simply means dessert. But they also make a raspberry Bakewell pudding in Perfect Pies, on bought puff pastry, which they call “a bit of all three”.

That one blends 200g of butter, 250g of ground almonds, sugar, flour and 4 eggs, with fresh raspberries pressed into the top. And it starts at 200°C/Fan 180°C, then finishes at 180°C/Fan 160°C, 45 minutes in all, serving 8 to 10.

Do they make a Bakewell trifle?

Yes, in Everyday Winners, where they say they’ve “played matchmaker” between trifle and Bakewell tart. So an almond sponge is sandwiched with raspberry jam, then layered with amaretti, Oloroso sherry or almond liqueur and raspberries.

Then come an almond-scented custard, 500g of whipped double cream and toasted flaked almonds, and it serves 6 after chilling for at least an hour. And if you like amaretti in a trifle, their black forest trifle uses them under chocolate custard.

Should a Bakewell tart have icing?

Not this one, which is billed on BBC Food as “definitely no icing”. So I’d treat the iced, cherry-topped kind you see in shops as a cherry Bakewell, which is a different bake.

For another jam layer under something soft, their Manchester tart flapjack spreads raspberry jam under custard and coconut. And for a traybake, their Norwegian almond bars in the Big Book of Baking are “a supercharged Norwegian bakewell”.

How long does Bakewell tart keep?

I’d keep it at room temperature on baking day, then covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, as my own guide. Because the filling is mostly egg, I treat it like a baked custard, not a dry cake.

And to serve it slightly warm, as recommended on BBC Food, I’d give a slice about 5 minutes in a 160°C oven. Or just let a chilled slice come back to room temperature first.