GBBO 2016 Week 5 - Bakewell Tart

The technical challenge on this week’s bake off was the Bakewell tart. Although there was some controversy over the naming of this tart (it technically is a Cherry Bakewell apparently, according to people who live in Bakewell), this tart looked amazing. It tasted even better! The homemade strawberry jam was incredible against the almond filling, and the icing just topped it off. YUM.

Makes one 23cm tart

Ingredients:

For the jam:

• 200g (1 cup) strawberries
• 100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
• ½ lemon, juice only 

For the pastry:

• 225g (2 cups) plain flour
• 150g (2/3 cup) butter, chilled
• 25g (1/4 cup) icing sugar
• 1 egg
• 2tbsp water

For the filling:

• 150g (2/3 cup) butter, softened
• 150g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
• 150g (1 and ¼ cups) ground almonds
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp almond extract

For the icing:

• 300g (3 cups) icing sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• Pink food colouring OR leftover strawberry juice (I had some and it made the icing a lovely pink shade)

Method:

1. Make the jam. Hull the strawberries and place in a saucepan with the caster sugar and lemon juice.

2. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the strawberries have softened and a knife can easily press through them.

3. Take off the heat and blitz until smooth. Set aside to cool.

4. Make the pastry. Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl, and then add cubes of butter into the bowl. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, i.e. there are no large lumps of butter left! Rubbing in means using your fingertips to press the butter into the flour, breaking down the butter and incorporating it into the flour. Be patient at this stage – it’ll be worth it.

5. Stir in the icing sugar, and then add the egg and water. Use your hands to bring the dough together – it’ll be soft!

6. Lightly flour a surface with flour, and then roll out the dough on this surface, until it is 2-3mm thick. Gently transfer to a fluted 23cm tart tin, then trim off any excess dough.

7. Chill for 30 minutes.

8. Preheat the oven to 200c (180c fan)/400f/gas mark 6.

9. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans, uncooked rice or spare flour. 

10. Bake the tart for 10 minutes. Remove the baking beans/rice/spare flour and greaseproof paper, then bake for a further 5 minutes.

11. Remove from the oven and leave to fully cool.

12. Make the filling. Cream together the butter and caster sugar using a wooden spoon, until it is light and fluffy.

13. Add the ground almonds, almond extract and egg, and beat until the almonds are fully incorporated.

14. Spread the jam evenly on to the base of the tart using a palette knife.

15. Pour the filling (frangipane) into a piping bag, and pipe concentric circles in the tin, to fully cover the jam. Piping helps make sure that the jam and frangipane don’t mix. Once all of the frangipane has been piped on, level out using a palette knife.

16. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a skewer coming out of the centre of the frangipane comes out clean and there is no wobble when the tin is lightly moved. Remove from the oven and leave to cool filling.

17. Make the icing by adding two to three tablespoons of water to the icing sugar and almond extract, until the icing is runny enough to fall off a spoon.

18. Place three tablespoons of the icing into a separate bowl, and colour pink (using the food colouring or strawberry juice). Some extra icing sugar may be required if it becomes too loose.

19. Spread the white icing onto the tart carefully, using a palette knife. Pipe parallel lines of the pink icing along the tart, and then use the end of a spoon, or toothpick to draw lines through the icing (at a 90 degree angle to the lines). Go back and forth to create the feathered effect.

20. Leave to set, and then enjoy!