Bakewell tart

For the shortcrust pastry, you will need:

• 150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting • 1 tablespoon icing sugar

• Pinch of salt

• 75g butter, cut into cubes

• 1 beaten egg

For the filling, you will need:

• 50g butter

• 40g caster sugar

• 1 beaten egg

• 40g plain flour

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• 25g ground almonds

• 3 tablespoons raspberry jam — see my Top Tip, left • 1 tablespoon flaked almonds

To serve, you will need:

• Icing sugar, for dusting • Softly whipped cream

1

You will also need an 18cm tart tin. First, make the shortcrust pastry. Sift the plain flour and the icing sugar into a bowl and add in the pinch of salt. Now rub in the cubes of butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then add in some, but not all, of the beaten egg. Using your hands, bring the mixture together to a ball of dough, adding a little more beaten egg if necessary. 2

Pat the pastry into a round, about 1cm-2cm thick, then cover it and put it in the fridge for at least 15-20 minutes to rest and chill. 3

Preheat the oven to 180°C, 375°F, Gas 4.

While the pastry is chilling, make the frangipane filling. In a bowl, cream the butter, then add the caster sugar and beat them together until the mixture is light and creamy. Gradually add the beaten egg, and then sift in the plain flour and the baking powder, then stir in the ground almonds. Set aside. 4

Remove the pastry from the fridge. Use a rolling pin to roll the pastry out to a thickness of 3mm-4mm, dusting the top and bottom of the pastry with flour as you go, and scraping underneath to make sure the pastry isn’t sticking. Make sure to keep the pastry in a round shape, and large enough to line both the base and the sides of the tin. 5

Roll the pastry over the rolling pin so that you can lift it up and gently ease it into the tart tin. Use your thumb to press in the edges all the way round and trim the sides of the pastry. Brush out any excess flour, then spread the raspberry jam over the base of the pastry in a thin layer. 6 Now spread the frangipane filling carefully over the jam layer, and smooth it out using the back of a spoon. Scatter the flaked almonds over the top, and bake the tart in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until it is just set in the centre, and golden in colour. 7

Remove the tart from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before removing it from the tin. Dust the top with icing sugar, and serve the tart warm or at room temperature, alongside a bowl of softly whipped cream.