Daring Bakers Challenge : Bakewell Tart
The June Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800’s in England.
The humble Bakewell tart is a simple pleasure. It is easy to bake and is the consummate crowd pleaser. I’m quite fond of frangipane too, especially when it’s freshly baked. Often when I make such tarts, I like to brush a bit of syrup on top of the tart while it’s still warm. It adds a bit of flavour (eg. use an Armagnac syrup, if you’re making a prune frangipane tart) and also ensures that the interior is moist. I also don’t mind saying that it’s nice to get the odd challenge where you have to think of nothing more complicated than what jam it is you’d like for your tart base.
However, time managed to rapidly sift through my hands this month such that the real challenge was trying to find a moment to make the tart. So unfortunately, this turned out to be a bit of a last-minute effort.
My version of the Bakewell Tart for this challenge uses a vanilla rhubarb compote as the jam option, and I have varied the filling to include hazelnut and black sesame flavours, which I prefer to plain almond meal.
Because frangipane is also extremely delicious as a tuile (spread thinly on a silpat mat and baked until crisp), I decided to throw together a parfait/verrine version of the Bakewell tart, with some toasted almond milk froth to boost the nutty flavour you would get from eating a normal slice of tart.
Many thanks to Jasmine and Annemarie for the tasty challenge!
Sweet shortcrust pastry :
225g plain flour
30g sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g unsalted butter, cold
2 egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water
Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.
Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.
Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Frangipane :
125g unsalted butter, softened
125g icing sugar
3 eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract [I used vanilla instead]
125g ground almonds [I used a combination of hazelnut meal and ground black sesame seeds]
30g all purpose flour
Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.
To assemble, roll out the sweet pastry to line a 23cm tart tin. Trim the excess pastry, chill for 15 minutes, then spread the base with 250ml of jam or curd of your choice. Top with frangipane and bake in an oven preheated to 200’C for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, remove it from the oven and top with a handful of flaked almonds, then return to the oven for the last five minutes of baking. When tart is done, remove from the oven and cool before slicing.
Tags: black sesame, Daring Bakers, rhubarb, tart
the caked crusader said,
June 29, 2009 @ 5:27 pm
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more elegant Bakewell. Looks beautiful.
asti said,
June 29, 2009 @ 5:36 pm
That rhubarb filling and sesame frangipane sounds delish! I love your verrinee at the bottom of the page. Stunning!
morgana said,
June 29, 2009 @ 6:22 pm
Mmmmm. Your photos made me hungry, I love them and I prefer hazelnuts also for the frangipane.
Al said,
June 29, 2009 @ 8:03 pm
I baked it as soon as you posted it, but I had to make a few changes (as usual…sorry I can’t help myself) like using raspberry jam instead of rhubar and whole barley flour for the crust. The best part is the delicious combination of hazelnuts and black sesame: you’re a genius!
Ivana said,
June 29, 2009 @ 9:19 pm
fantastic!!
art and lemons said,
June 30, 2009 @ 1:01 am
Hazelnut, black sesame, vanilla, and rhubarb tucked in a sweet crust and topped with Frangipane is like a four-part symphony. At once, delicate and robust.
Sophie said,
June 30, 2009 @ 2:44 am
Only you could make a tart look this pretty and stylish. Hope you had a great weekend :).
Holly said,
June 30, 2009 @ 7:13 am
Stunning results, two ways! Incredible!
Juliana said,
June 30, 2009 @ 10:28 am
Fantastic…great looking tart…love the way you presented, yummie!
michelle said,
June 30, 2009 @ 11:43 am
Wow! Beautiful!
gine said,
July 1, 2009 @ 12:12 am
mmmm …. looks great :)! XOXO
lisaiscooking said,
July 1, 2009 @ 7:48 am
Your vanilla rhubarb filling in the tart sounds fantastic! And, the parfait with is just gorgeous.
Eva said,
July 1, 2009 @ 11:43 am
What a wonderful combination! And now I finally know what to do with the ground black sesame that’s been sitting in my pantry for quite a while…hope it’s still good so I’ll have to try that recipe very soon!
snjezana said,
July 1, 2009 @ 12:29 pm
Lovely!:) I love your quenelle on top of the tart!:)))
breadchick said,
July 1, 2009 @ 1:25 pm
How creative you are!
SugarWin said,
July 1, 2009 @ 5:26 pm
Sigh! I wish I saw this. Tuiles – what a brilliant idea!! I didnt know what to do with the left over frangipane! So beatuiful and perfectly made!!
anna said,
July 2, 2009 @ 2:51 am
Oh, wow! I love your tuiles, your tart, your frangipane – it’s all lovely and delicious! The tart looks so fluffy and inviting, too.
Marc @ NoRecipes said,
July 2, 2009 @ 4:17 pm
Wow, love the creativity that went into your parfait reinterpretation. Nicely done!
Alison said,
July 2, 2009 @ 6:28 pm
Hi
Can you give some more detail on how you create such beautiful straight sided pastry shells?
Jenni said,
July 4, 2009 @ 10:51 am
Lovely take on the Bakewell–and the parfait is, well, Parfait!
Your quenelle is also Parfait:)
Megan{Feasting on Art} said,
July 5, 2009 @ 9:59 pm
What a clever filling. I love the word Frangipane and I think I need to make some soon!!!
Kevin said,
July 5, 2009 @ 10:27 pm
Your Bakewell tart looks great! Nice photos.
snooky doodle said,
July 6, 2009 @ 4:04 am
this looks delicious. YUmmy. Nice photos !
Indigo said,
July 7, 2009 @ 6:19 pm
Oh, how does everything you turn your hand to always look so perfect?! Honestly, I’m totally volunteering to be your blogging apprentice, haha. I live in England, and even so, this is one of the prettiest bakewell tarts I’ve seen!
Laura said,
July 9, 2009 @ 9:10 pm
I didn’t realize that you could turn frangipane into tuiles! Clever. . . . Very clever. I also love the way that you turned the almond flavor into another texture with the almond milk, so that you have crispy and fluffy at the same time.
Y said,
July 11, 2009 @ 2:30 am
Again, thanks everyone for the comments. Sorry to have taken so long to respond.
Al, I don’t have a flickr account so haven’t been able to comment on your page, but am happy to have discovered your beautiful photos! Glad to hear you liked the tart. A barley flour crust sounds fantastic, as I love the flavour of barley.
Jude said,
July 16, 2009 @ 10:00 am
Nice tip to use some sort of flavored syrup for that extra layer of flavor.
marie said,
April 16, 2012 @ 7:52 am
hi Y!!! I love how you create simple desserts and make them look so stunning..thank you for sharing your great ideas …