Bakewell Tart – A sweet shortcrust pastry filled with raspberry jam, almond flavoured sponge, and topped with flaked almonds!

A Bakewell Tart topped with flaked almonds on brown parchment paper.

I absolutely love this classic British dessert. I love Bakewell Tarts so much I’ve even made Bakewell Muffins! And now I bring you the full-sized tart.

A Bakewell Tart is a sweet shortcrust pastry that is filled with a layer of jam, almond-flavoured sponge, and sprinkled with flaked almonds.

Looking for the perfect dessert to bring to a party, or simply want to bake one for the family? Look no further, this one is a crowd-pleaser. 🙂

Close-up of the flaky, buttery crust on Bakewell Tart.
Overhead shot of Bakewell Tart with a slice cut out on brown parchment paper.

How to make a Bakewell Tart

Ingredients you’ll need for the pastry:

  • Plain/all-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Icing/powdered sugar
  • Unsalted butter
  • Large egg

For the filling:

  • Unsalted butter
  • Caster/granulated sugar
  • Large eggs
  • Ground almonds
  • Almond extract
  • Seedless raspberry jam
  • Flaked almonds

To make this tart, add the flour, salt, and icing sugar to a food processor and pulse to mix together. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter left. Add the egg and pulse until the mixture begins to clump together.

Stop processing before a large ball of dough is formed. The dough should be quite crumbly with large clumps, and should stick together when you press a piece together with your fingers.

Bring together on a lightly floured surface with your hands, and shape into a 1-inch thick disc. Wrap in clingfilm, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to line an un-greased 23cm/9-inch fluted tart tin with a loose base. Press lightly into the tin, letting the excess pastry hang over the edge. Make sure not to stretch the dough. Refrigerate for another hour.

Roll the rolling pin over the top of the tin to cut off the excess pastry. Prick the base all over with a fork.

Line the pastry crust loosely with foil or parchment paper, and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and foil and bake for a further 5 minutes until pale golden.

For the filling, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then fold in the ground almonds and extract.

Spread the jam across the base of the pastry case, then spoon in the filling, spreading out evenly. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until well risen and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin before slicing and serving.

The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients, their measurements, and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.

NOTE: For best results, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup measurements. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough, and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.

Bakewell Tart with a slice removed to show jam centre.
A slice of Bakewell Tart topped with flaked almonds served on a white plate.

This Bakewell Tart is:

  • quick and easy to throw together
  • loaded with almond flavour
  • perfect for serving at parties and special occasions

How long will this Bakewell tart last? This tart can be covered tightly and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze this tart? Yes. This tart freezes well, covered tightly, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.

This tart can also be made 1 day in advance. After it cools completely, cover tightly and keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Tried this recipe?

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and hashtag it #simplybakeblog. I’d love to see!

A slice of Bakewell Tart served on a white plate with a fork about to break a piece off.
Slice of Bakewell Tart served on a white plate with a fork.
Bakewell Tart - A sweet shortcrust pastry filled with raspberry jam, almond flavoured sponge, and topped with flaked almonds! #bakewelltart #tartrecipes #cherrybakewell #recipe

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let’s make

Bakewell Tart

A sweet shortcrust pastry filled with raspberry jam, almond flavoured sponge, and topped with flaked almonds!
Author: Marsha
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Yields: 8 – 10 slices

Ingredients

For the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

  • 1 and 1/2 cups, 190g plain/all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup 60g icing/powdered sugar
  • ½ cup 115g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
  • 1 large egg, beaten

For the Filling

  • ⅔ cup 150g unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup 150g caster/granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature, beaten
  • ¾ cup 150g ground almonds
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 7 oz 200g seedless raspberry jam
  • Flaked almonds, to garnish

Instructions

For the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

  • Using a food processor, add the flour, salt, and icing sugar and pulse to mix together. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter left.
  • Add the egg and pulse until the mixture begins to clump together. (Do not process to the point that a large ball of dough is formed. The dough should be quite crumbly with large clumps, and should stick together when you press a piece together with your fingers.)
  • Bring together on a lightly floured surface with your hands, and shape into a 1-inch thick disc. Wrap in clingfilm, and chill for 1 hour. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter or a fork.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to line an un-greased 23cm/9-inch fluted tart tin with a loose base. Press lightly into the tin, letting the excess pastry hang over the edge. Make sure not to stretch the dough. Chill for 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
  • Roll the pin over the top of the tin to cut off the excess pastry. Prick the base all over with a fork.
  • Line the chilled pastry crust loosely with foil or parchment paper, and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and foil and bake for a further 5 minutes until pale golden.

For the Filling

  • Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the ground almonds and extract.
  • Spread the jam across the base of the pastry case, then spoon in the filling, spreading out evenly. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until well risen and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Leave to cool completely in the tin before slicing and serving.

Recipe Notes

Leftovers can be covered tightly and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. This tart also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
This tart can be made 1 day in advance. After it cools, cover tightly and keep at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 482kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 6gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 143mgFiber: 2gSugar: 35g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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39 Comments

  1. I love Bakewell tart but this recipe was a little bit too sweet for me. Also it was very dense. I have a similar recipe that has a little less ground almonds and a 1/4 c of flour.

    Reply

  3. Hi, just made your Bakewell tart, ingredients and amounts to the letter.
    Why then did the filling overflow please?

    Reply

  4. Lovely recipe. I’m from UK so very familiar with Bakewell Tart. I made one change and wish I hadn’t. I thought 2 teaspoons of almond essence was too much so only added one teaspoon. I was wrong. It needs two. Will certainly be making this again and soon. Half of the tart has mysteriously disappeared already!

    Reply

  6. Hi Marsha, we’re currently in lockdown due to coronavirus. Looking for an old favourite. I came across your recipe. Amazing, excellent results & envied by our virtual dinner guests. I used black cherry jam instead of raspberry as I only had it with seeds. Gorgeous

    Reply

  7. This wasn’t a great Bakewell tart. The crust was delicious! The filling was way too eggy and didn’t set very well. Also think it could be improved with a glaze on top.

    Reply

  13. OH my word, your Bakewell tart was everything I was hoping for Marsha! I swear Frangipane must be what they eat in Heaven, I just LOVE it! Your crust recipe was perfection, too. Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply

  16. I’m worried about the baking time,almost an hour, won’t the crust burn or become dry? For a 9″ pan other recipes takes about 30 min

    Reply

    1. I have made this tart many times, and the crust comes out perfect every time – flaky and buttery 🙂 Bake the crust first, as stated, then when you’ve added the filling, bake until the filling is cooked through – about 30 – 40 minutes. If you do worry about the crust browning too much, you can cover the crust loosely with foil or a pie crust shield. Enjoy!

      Reply

  17. I will be making this for Christmas this year! I’ve been looking for just the right version. I noticed your crust only calls for 1/2 cup of butter, is that correct? Some recipes I’ve been seeing have at least double that amount. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

      1. OH my word, your Bakewell tart was everything I was hoping for Marsha! I swear Frangipane must be what they eat in Heaven, I just LOVE it! Your crust recipe was perfection, too. Thank you so much for sharing!

        Reply

  19. Marsha, every time I visit your blog, I seriously get an even greater itch to bake. It’s amazing. Loving the colors, the texture and the beauty of this tart. Also, I love a full-sized tart. 😉 Hoping you have a wonderful weekend! Pinning, naturally. xo

    Reply

  21. I’ve always wanted to make one of these! I can’t wait to give it a try. That combination of jam and almonds sounds wonderful!

    Reply

  22. i only know about this tart because of the great british baking show, and i want to get to know it much better! delicious and lovely creation!

    Reply