Bakewell Tarts aka Almond Tarts with Raspberry Jam

Bakewell Tarts

These lovely little pastries are named after the Derbyshire Town where they were first created.  They are described on line on Wikipedia  as an English Confection consisting of a shortcrust pastry with a layer of jam and a sponge filling with almonds. The Bakewell Pudding on the other hand is a flaky pastry,with a layer of jam and an egg and almond filling. Some versions of the tart are covered with a layer of fondant^]

*Bakewell Tart is an English confection consisting of a shortcrust pastry with a layer of jam and a sponge filling with almonds. The Bakewell Pudding on the other hand is a flaky pastry,with a layer of jam and an egg and almond filling. Some versions of the tart are covered with a layer of fondant ie Cherry Bakewell topped with a glace cherry^]
Recipes abound, for example those given by Eliza Acton (1845) and Mrs Beeton (1861), and modern commercial examples are to be found in most cake shops and on every supermarket shelf. The name Bakewell tart only became common in the 20th century*

These little tartlettes are just so delicious for Afternoon Tea,you can use the same recipe to make one larger one . Wonderful served warm for a dessert with ice cream, custard or a great dollop of whipped cream.
to make approx 12

I always weigh my ingredients but if you prefer to measure then here's a handy conversion chart

Lovely for afternoon tea 

for the pastry
175 g /6oz/ 1¼ cups  plain (All purpose) flour
45g/1.50 oz  / ¼ cup/butter or margarine
45g/1.50 oz / ¼ cup lard or vegetable fat eg Trex
1 tbsp caster sugar (superfine)
1 egg beaten
a little cold water if necessary to bind
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either rub the fats into the flour & add the sugar or whiz in a foodprocessor until the breadcrumb stage
add the beaten egg and form into a ball, adding a drop of cold water if necessary
leave to chill for 30mins
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grease a 12 hole tartlette tray. diameter of holes around 2.50 ins/6cms
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for the filling
4oz/125 g/ ½ stick butter or margarine
4 oz/125g/ ½ cup  caster sugar (Superfine sugar)
1 egg lightly beaten
4oz/125g / 1 cup ground almonds (you could use ground rice for this which also gives a lovely result)
half a teaspoon almond essence
2oz/60g/ ½ cup  flaked almonds
raspberry jam
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around 1 tsp heaped of raspberry jam per tart
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beat together the butter & sugar, add the egg and beat again, add the ground almonds & essence.
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Roll and the pastry nice & thinly and cut 12 4inch/10cm rounds
line the tartlette tins
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spoon in around 1 heaped teaspoon of raspberry jam
fill the tarts to almost the top
smooth over
sprinkle with almond flakes
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bake in a pre-heated oven approx 180c/gas 4 for approx 25-30 minutes
keep a close eye on them
should be cooked through but still springy.

A large Bakewell Tart. Makes a great dessert with custard or whipped cream