Tartin' it up -- how to make an English Bakewell tart

Bakewell tarts are a part of English life -- a very small part, mind you -- but a part nonetheless. Every grocery store you go into has pre-packaged bakewell tarts and almost every bakery has their own version. There isn't an exact equivalent of the bakewell tart in the US. Twinkies or Ho-hos are a psychological equivalent in the pre-packaged area. They are naughty and full of dirty dirty preservatives and chemicals, yet (let's admit it here) a delicious in a one-in-a-decade context. But bakewells aren't just pre-packaged -- they can also be seen in the bakery. If you're old enough or live in parts of the US that still might have them -- the closest thing to a US bakewell would be a moon-pie.

Bakewell tarts are a combination of a pie crust, jam layer (usually cherry or plum), a cakey layer that is moist and tastes of almond, and (usually) a sugary icing layer on top. Honestly, they are ridiculously delicious and -- if on offer -- are impossible to resist.

I found a recipe for a homemade plum Bakewell Tart in Jamie Oliver's "Jamie at Home" cookbook and adapted it a bit for my use. The original recipe can be found in his book or here. I love his recipes, but darn-it Jamie, not everyone has a food processor in which to "whiz" all the ingredients. My adaptation is below (sans food processor and a few ingredient tweaks) along with a photo of the finished product.

Pie Crust Ingredients

Honestly, I cheat and use roll-out pastry. If you want to make your own -- just add those ingredients.

Frangipane Ingredients

1 1/2 cups almonds (either ground or bought ground)

3/4 cup flour
1 vanilla pod (or 1 TBSP vanilla)

1 cup butter

1 1/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon almond essence

Topping

1 pound plums (about 5-6) pitted and sliced

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/3 cup slivered almonds

For the jam filling

1 pound mixed plums, finely chopped

3/4 cup sugar

1 vanilla pod (or 1 TBSP vanilla)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tsp corn starch dissolved in 1 TBSP cold water

Directions

Make (or roll-out) your pie crust and put it in a greased (butter) tart pan or a shallow pie pan. Poke holes in the dough (to prevent bubbling) and bake in a 350 degree (F) oven for 10 minutes. Now it is time to start the fangipane, which is a fancy word for yummy-almond-cakey part. Grind up the almonds anyway you can. Personally, I bought them already ground up. In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar until fully creamed. Lightly beat the eggs and add to the butter-sugar mixture. Add in the ground almond and flour until well mixed. Add in the vanilla. If using a vanilla pod, cut the pod lengthwise and use the knife to scrape out the precious seedlets inside into the mixture. Mix well and set aside.

To make the jam, halve 1 pound of plums and take out the pits. Finely chop them (your choice on whether or not you leave skins) and put them into a sacuepan with the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Cook on a medium heat until soft with a jam consistency and then add in the cornstarch/water mix to thicken. Let the mixture cool a little.

Take the remaining 1 pound of plums and de-pit and slice them -- placing them in a little bowl. Put the powdered sugar on top to macerate them (fancy word for sweetening them and making them all glisteny.)

Spoon all the jam mixture into the pre-baked tart crust. On top of the jam layer, add in your frangipane. Take your sliced plums and push into the frangipane so that they are equally and plentifully spaced throughout. On top of the tart, place the slivered almonds liberally. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour -- until it is no longer "jiggly" in the middle. Once it is cooled, you can get fancy and take a combo of powdered sugar and warm water and make an icing paste you can drizzle over the top.

One piece of advice I'd suggest (one that I will follow next time I make it) is to either use a REAL tart pan that is wide and not too deep, or just a typical pie pan. I used a deep-dish pie pan and it made the tart-to-jam ratio a little too cakey. Also, this recipe TRULY gets better with time. It was yummy warm out of the oven, but SCRUMPTIOUS when we finished it a week later.