Bakewell tart is a classic British dessert consisting of sweet almond frangipane and raspberry jam inside crumbly shortcrust pastry, topped with flaked almonds and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Aside from the fact it's my Grandma's favorite, I loved making this recipe because Bakewell tart is one of those desserts that seems to land well with absolutely everyone who tries it. I think it's the combination of so many contrasting flavors and textures in every mouthful. You really can't go wrong with this dessert, it's such a crowd-pleaser.
It's a British classic and an absolute tea-time staple, alongside Lemon Drizzle Cake. Also, the frangipane is so good, why not whip up a double batch of it while you're making this and save it for some tasty Almond Croissants?
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Irresistible flavor combination that is a real crowd-pleaser
- Can be made with easy shortcuts or totally from scratch
- Can be made ahead of time
Ingredients
- Tart Shell - Storebought pastry case or homemade - try my easy, sweet shortcrust pastry recipe.
- Jam - Traditional Bakewell tart uses raspberry jam, but you can use any kind you like - cherry jam is popular too. If you want to go an extra step you could make your own jam too.
- Butter - I used salted butter but it doesn't really come through so use whatever you have to hand.
- Sugar - Regular white sugar (caster sugar in the UK).
- Eggs - Large eggs, free range if possible.
- Vanilla Extract - Or vanilla bean paste.
- Almond Extract - Optional, but does really enhance the flavor.
- Almond Meal - (Ground almonds) If you can't find almond meal you can make it in the food processor by pulsing almonds until they are the consistency of fine breadcrumbs.
- Flour - All-purpose flour (plain flour)
- Flaked Almonds - You can usually find these in most grocery stores, toasted or untoasted, it doesn't matter.
- Powdered Sugar - (Icing sugar) for dusting the top of the tart.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Making a Homemade Tart Shell
If you are using a store-bought tart shell, you can skip this section.
You can get full details of how to make a homemade pastry case in my easy shortcrust tart recipe, but here is an overview:
- Step 1: Add flour, powdered sugar, and cold butter to a food processor and pulse until it looks like breadcrumbs.
- Step 2: Add egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water and pulse until combined.
- Step 3: Squeeze the mixture between your fingers, it should come together easily, if it needs more water, add another tablespoon and repeat until it's ready.
- Step 4: Tip the mixture out onto your work surface and use your hands to gently knead it together into a smooth dough.
- Step 5: Form into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Step 6: Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to 3mm thick (⅛ inch) with a large rolling pin.
- Step 5: Transfer it to an ungreased tart pan and push the pastry down into the edges of the pan. Trim off any excess pastry and chill for 30 minutes.
- Step 6: Fill it with pie weights on a piece of parchment paper and blind bake for 15 minutes
- Step 5: Remove the pie weights, apply an egg wash, and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden.
- Step 6: Allow to cool but do not remove it from the tart tin.
How to Make Bakewell Tart
Prepare
If making a homemade tart crust, bake it completely before beginning. Keep it in the tart tin.
Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C (160° fan-assisted).
Cream the butter
Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add eggs
Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Then add the vanilla and almond extract and mix until combined.
Add almond flour
Add the almond flour and all-purpose flour and mix until combined into a thick paste (frangipane).
Spread the jam
Spread an even layer of raspberry jam all over the base of the pastry case.
Add the frangipane
Add the almond filling on top of the jam. As the mixture is so thick, the easiest way to do this is to pipe it in.
Smooth it out
Smooth the frangipane filling out with a spatula.
Decorate
Sprinkle the top of the Bakewell tart with flaked almonds.
Bake
Bake for 40 minutes. The top of the tart should be risen slightly and golden brown. The center will have a slight wobble but a skewer inserted should come out clean.
Finishing
Dust the Bakewell tart with powdered sugar.
Alternatively, mix the powdered sugar with a little water and drizzle icing over the top of the tart.
Measuring Ingredients: For best results, weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale, rather than using measuring cups. It's difficult to measure accurately with cups and this can mess up your bakes.
Equipment
- Tart Pan - If you are making your own tart shell, you'll need an 8-inch tart pan.
- Mixer - A stand mixer with a paddle attachment or an electric whisk - you can also just use a wooden spoon but it's harder work.
- Spatula - For smoothing out the jam and frangipane.
- Piping bag - or just a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off - for piping the frangipane into the tart.
Storage
Store the Bakewell tart in an airtight container at room temperature. It will last like this for 3 days.
The pastry case and frangipane can both be made a week ahead. Store your tart case at room temperature in an airtight container, and store the frangipane filling in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap / cling film.
Make a Cherry Bakewell
To turn this into a cherry bakewell tart, skip the flaked almonds and top it with a layer of basic icing (powdered sugar and water).
Add a few drops of pink food coloring and make a feathered effect - then put a glace cherry on top!
FAQ
Cherry Bakewell is essentially a Bakewell tart, but instead of flaked almonds and powdered sugar on top, it has a layer of basic icing and a glace cherry on top.
Frangipane is the sweet almond cream filling that is found in many French pastries. It is also the filling that goes into almond croissants. It is made of ground almonds, sugar, butter and eggs.
Related
If you like this classic Bakewell tart recipe, you might also like these desserts:
Recipe
Bakewell Tart
Ingredients
- 1 Baked Tart Shell 8-inch (Homemade or store-bought. Check out my shortcrust tart shell recipe to make your own).
- ½ cup Raspberry Jam 165g
- ¾ cup White Sugar 150g
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 ⅓ cups Almond Meal (Ground Almonds) 160g
- 1 ½ sticks Butter 169g (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon All-purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ cup Flaked Almonds 20g
- Powdered Sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- If you are using a homemade tart shell, prepare and bake it fully - here is my tart shell recipe. Keep the tart shell in the tart tin. If using a store-bought keep shell, keep it in any foil casing, but remove all other packaging. Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C (160° fan-assisted)
- Cream the room temperature butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.1 ½ sticks Butter, ¾ cup White Sugar
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and almond extract and beat until combined.2 Large Eggs, 1 teaspoon Almond Extract, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Add the ground almonds and flour, then mix everything together to form a thick paste (frangipane).1 ⅓ cups Almond Meal (Ground Almonds), 1 tablespoon All-purpose Flour
- Spread the raspberry jam over the base of the tart shell in an even layer.1 Baked Tart Shell, ½ cup Raspberry Jam
- Put the frangipane on top of the raspberry jam in the tart shell. The easiest way is to pipe it in because the mixture is so thick. Use a spatula to smooth it out.
- Sprinkle the top of the tart with flaked almonds and bake for 40 minutes. The top of the tart should be risen and golden brown, the center should be set and dry, but with a slight wobble. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.¼ cup Flaked Almonds
- Let the Bakewell tart cool before removing from the tart ring. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.Powdered Sugar
Notes
It really helps and I love hearing all your feedback!
Chris Radwanski
I thought I didn’t like frangipane until I ate this and Ermergerd it’s delicous! One of the best pies I have ever had the pleasure of eating!
Grandma x
You took the words right out of my mouth juliane, yes, Bakewell tart is my most favourite dessert! …. along with every dessert I’ve been fortunate to sample from your kitchen ❤️
Lila G
LOVE me some of this! Great recipe, thanks