The June Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addictand Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800’s in England.

I have been waiting for 3 weeks to tell you about this!!
I wish I had a piece right now…

I just got home from a wedding and realized its past midnight, which means its June 27th. Daring Bakers posting date! I have made this twice this month, it is so great and I have been so excited to share.

This is something I wouldn’t normally make. I typically don’t make tarts, I normally don’t use jam on anything except toast and almond frangipane is something I haven’t made since culinary school. But this was fantastic. The crust was buttery and perfect. I used apricot jam and mixed in some vanilla bean paste and the thin layer was bursting with flavor. And lastly the perfect almond frangipane was moist yet airy at the same time. This UK traditional dessert is now a favorite of mine and many other Daring Bakers, maybe it will become a US dessert as well!

You will need one cup jam. Home made or store bought. I used smuckers apricot jam and strained it to make sure it was perfectly smooth and whisked in vanilla bean.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
makes one 9in tart shell

8oz all purpose flour
1oz sugar
½ tsp salt
4oz unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 egg yolks
½ tsp almond extract (optional)
1-2 Tbsp cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Almond Frangipane

4.5oz unsalted butter, softened
4.5oz powdered sugar
3 eggs
½ tsp almond extract
4.5oz ground almonds
1oz all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Assembling the tart

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it’s overly cold, you will need to let it soften for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 1/4” thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the center and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

I recommend adding ground almonds to your shopping list because this is a must make recipe. (and don’t be scared of the word frangipane, it just sounds fancy.)