Saturday, June 27, 2009

Daring Bakers -- Bakewell Tart


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


This month the fabulous Daring Bakers challenged us to make a Bakewell tart. A Bakewell tart is an English dessert made up of a pie crust, jam, and frangipane--an almond custard. I don't think I've ever had a Bakewell tart, but I've seen them in grocery stores and bakeries all over England. I wasn't sure how this tart was going to taste; it sounds so simple and is rather unassuming looking.

This Bakewell tart recipe is very easy--make a shortcrust pastry, and then whip up the frangipane in the mixer. The frangipane does not have to be cooked before being poured into the tart crust. I used an apricot jam, which though not the most traditional choice, work out really well as almonds and apricots are wonderful together. To decorate the tart I used unsweetened whipped cream, sliced fresh apricots, and slivered almonds.

The tart came out of the oven all browned, bubbly and gorgeous. I let it cool overnight before cutting. And the taste? The taste was really nice, a pronounced almond flavor with some apricot in the background. The only thing I would change the next time I make it would be to cut back on the sugar--probably by at least 1/3. The filling was a bit too sweet for my taste. Good, but sweet. Serving the tart with unsweetened whipped cream helped temper the sweetness.


Please see Jasmine's blog, Confessions of a Cardamom Addict http://cardamomaddict.blogspot.com/ and Annemarie's blog, Ambrosia and Nectar http://divineambrosia.blogspot.com/ for the full recipe.

Also, please check-out the Daring Cooks site to find all the other talented bakers. http://thedaringkitchen.com/

13 comments:

  1. Your tart looks perfect! Great job!

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  2. Yum! Your tart looks awesome =D. Great job with this challenge!!

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  3. What a pretty tart! Great job!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. MMMMmmmm apricot and almond must have been very, very nice! Great thinking! Very well done!

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  5. The apricot pinwheel is so pretty. Thanks for participating.

    j

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  6. your tart is beautiful. apricot sounds delicious

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  7. Fantastic looking cake you got there. Nice touch with the apricot decoration. Lovely.

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  8. ah, I love the artful display of apricot on top—what an exquisite presentation! i have to say, nothing i’ve eaten to date has been too sweet for me, but thanks for the honest review! nicely done.

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  9. What a beautiful tart! And beautifully decorated!

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  10. That tart is perfection! Gorgeous job!

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  11. Your tart looks gorgeous and perfect!

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  12. Thank you for all the sweet comments!

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