Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (2024)

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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!

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (1)

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!

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (2)

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (3)

Click to buy Mary Berry’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, Paul Hollywood and James Martin 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!

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (4)

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.

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (5)

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 more?

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe

adapted for US kitchens (and to my taste) and to make a larger, 9″ tart serves 10

FULL 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

Placethe flour and salt into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture looks likefine breadcrumbs.

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (7)

Add the sugar, then add the water and mix gently to make asoft 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. Using a fork, press the tines into the bottom and sides of the pastry in the tin.

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (8)

Refrigeratefor 30 minutes.

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 fromheat and stir in the sugar, ground almonds, egg and almond extract (if using.) Pour the mixture over the jam or mincemeat andsprinklethe flaked almonds on top.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F(180°C) and bake forabout 30 minutes, until golden-brown and a skewer pushed into the middlecomes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completelyin 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 site whilst traveling, but I’ll be much more active on Facebook, and Instagram.

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!

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Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (11)

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!

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: 10Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 197Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 46mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information is only estimated.

Did you make this recipe?

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Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart Recipe with a twist! (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a cherry Bakewell and a Bakewell Tart? ›

When topped with half a candied cherry, the Bakewell Tart is then known as a Cherry Bakewell. Cherry Bakewells are usually small, designed as individual portions. Bakewell Tarts, on the other hand, are generally 8-9 inches across and designed to be shared in slices.

Why is my Bakewell Tart soggy in the middle? ›

If the filling still feels very liquid after 40 mins baking, cover the top with foil to stop it from browning and return to the oven for another 5-10 mins or until the filling is just set.

What is the original Bakewell Tart? ›

The Bakewell Tart, on the other hand, was developed as a variant of the Pudding later in the 20th century. The Tart's base is made from sweet shortcrust pastry, which is then layered with seedless strawberry jam and finished with a pale, fluffy frangipane sponge filling of eggs, almonds and sugar.

Why did my Bakewell Tart sink? ›

Try to avoid opening the oven before 15 minutes have passed, as the delicate structure of the frangipane means they have a tendency to sink.

Is frangipane the same as Bakewell tart? ›

Frangipane is also a key component in Bakewell Tart, where it teams up with jam as a filling between layers of pastry. And it's imperative in Bostock, a breakfast pastry made by saturating slices of day-old brioche with sugar syrup, then slathering on frangipane and baking until golden.

What does the British term Bakewell mean? ›

The name Bakewell means a spring or stream of a woman named Badeca or Beadeca, so deriving from a personal name with the Old English suffix wella. In 949 it was called Badecanwelle and in the 1086 Domesday Book Badequelle.

What was the mistake in the Bakewell tart? ›

The Bakewell Tart

Mrs Greaves asked her cook to pour a mixture into pastry cases and then add jam, but the cook added the jam first in error. The result was so good that the recipe stuck. It is said that this happened around 1820 although some believe it was as late as 1860.

What pastry is Bakewell Tart made from? ›

Delectable desert made with Jus-Rol shortcrust pastry sheet. Enjoyed warm or cold anytime!

What is a fun fact about Bakewell tarts? ›

Bakewell tart is named after the Derbyshire town of Bakewell, where the Bakewell pudding (later to evolve into the Bakewell tart) was first served in the (no longer standing) White Horse Inn.

What is the best tart in the world? ›

Top 41 Tarts in the World
  • Tart. Tarte Normande. Normandy. France. ...
  • Tart. Meringue tart. FRANCE. shutterstock. ...
  • Tart. Pastafrola. ARGENTINA. shutterstock. ...
  • Tart. Treacle Tart. ENGLAND. shutterstock. ...
  • Sweet Pastry. Egg tart. Guangdong. China. ...
  • Tart. Pastiera. Naples. Italy. ...
  • Tart. Crostata. ITALY. Matija Babić 4.1. ...
  • Tart. Pasta flora. GREECE. shutterstock. 4.1.
May 15, 2024

Why is Bakewell so popular? ›

Perhaps best known for its unique and delicious Pudding, Bakewell has many more tempting treats to offer - ranging from shopping and specialist markets to relaxing strolls and special events.

What is the brown sludge tart? ›

After Opeli convinced Team Zym to join the dragons, Barius decides to give Ezran something he has been working on: a new kind of jelly tart that uses mushy brown stuff instead of jelly, which he calls "brown sludge tarts". He also promises Ezran that they are nothing like the grumpernickel that is only favored by Bait.

How to tell if frangipane is done? ›

Frangipane is done when the top looks dry and is lightly golden brown. The sides should start to pull away from the pan a bit, and if you stick a toothpick in the middle, it should come out clean with only a few moist crumbs attached.

Can you reheat Bakewell Tart? ›

If you are reheating the whole tart? Place on the middle shelf in a fan oven at 150°C fan / 170°C/ 325°F / Gas Mark 3 for 15 minutes.

What makes a Bakewell a Bakewell? ›

A Bakewell tart is an English confection consisting of a shortcrust pastry shell beneath layers of jam, frangipane, and a topping of flaked almonds. It is a variant of the Bakewell pudding, closely associated with the town of Bakewell in Derbyshire.

Why is it called Cherry Bakewell? ›

It was officially included in Eliza Acton's cookbook “Modern Cookery for Private Families” in 1845 and was formally named the 'Bakewell pudding' after it was discovered in the town of Bakewell, Derbyshire. In 1900 the pudding developed into the tart.

What does Cherry Bakewell taste like? ›

Sour cherry and sweet sticky jam join forces with the nuttiness of roasted almonds and marzipan to produce a moreish masterpiece! It's completely cherr-ific!

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