Before there were friands and frangipane we made a crisp sweet pasty case, added a layer of raspberry jam and spread it with an almondy sponge topping. Bakewell Tart is marzipan deliciousness from the heart of Derbyshire for Christmas when you’re tired of all the dried fruit.
For the sweet pastry:
100g plain flour
75g butter
A teaspoon of sugar
One egg
Rub the butter into the flour. Stir in the sugar and add the beaten egg. Bring together into a ball and chill wrapped in a plastic bag for at least half an hour. Roll out on a well floured surface to fit a 23cm round or 11x35cm rectangular tin. Spread the base with three tablespoons of good quality jam and chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
For the filling:
120g ground almonds
120g sugar
50g butter
Three eggs, beaten
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Beat together the almonds, sugar, butter and eggs. Spread the filling gently over the jam layer in the pastry case. Bake for about half an hour until golden and filling is set.