This lemon and blueberry Bakewell tart puts a twist on a classic.
Start with a classic pastry base – I provide a recipe below, but shop-bought is also fine – then top the pastry with a good amount of lemon curd.
The thick frangipane is made with lots of ground almonds and blueberries and is the finishing touch to this tart after being spread all over the top.
Finally, all you need to do is just bake and glaze it for a fruity and light slice of heaven.
The trick to great pastry is to handle it as little as possible and keep it cold. It then goes in for a ‘blind bake’ meaning the pastry gets baked for about 15 minutes without the filling. This ensures that the pastry stays crisp and flaky, with no ‘soggy bottom’.
The frangipane is simple, so don’t panic if it looks like it has split, just stay with it.
It is a great bake for so many occasions, with just the right amount of nostalgia to please everyone. And, it makes a gorgeous end to an Easter dinner.
Lemon and blueberry Bakewell tart
Serves: 8-10 (23cm pie dish)
Ingredients
For the Pastry (makes about 325g)
- 220g butter cold, cubed
- 100g plain flour
- 3 tsp water cold
For the frangipane/tart
- 200g lemon curd
- 175g butter, softened
- 175g granulated sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 175g ground almonds
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 150g blueberries
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- Handful flaked almonds
For the glaze
- 6 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
Method
- Start by making the pastry, if making your own. Add the butter to the flour and rub with your fingertips until the texture resembles breadcrumbs (alternatively, this can be done in a food processor). At this stage, add in the water until a dough forms. Wrap and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C Fan/200C/400 F/Gas Mark 6. Lightly grease a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin with oil/butter.
- Roll the pastry to about 1-2 cm thick, enough to cover the tin. Press to the edges and cut off any excess around the edges. Bake Blind: Place a circle of greaseproof paper on top of the pastry – enough to go up the sides. Add in baking beans/uncooked rice so that the base is entirely covered and weighed down. Bake for 10 minutes, before removing the paper/beans/rice, then bake for a further 5-10 minutes, until the pastry is just cooked and lightly golden.
- Once the pastry has cooled a little (at least 15 minutes), spread over the lemon curd.
- Make the frangipane by first mixing the butter and sugar on high with an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes – until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and almond extract. Then gently fold in the ground almonds and lemon zest. At this stage coat the blueberries in a little flour (to stop them sinking), and gently fold into the batter.
- Pour this batter over the lemon curd covered pastry base. Sprinkle over some flaked almonds and bake the entire thing for 35-40 minutes, until golden on top. Let cool on a wire rack.
- If using, make the glaze once the tart has cooled by combining the icing sugar and milk and drizzling over. Slice and serve.
Check out our bank of recipes, or you can get more baking inspiration from Florence’s website or Instagram page.
Florence Stanton is a baking Instagrammer and blogger from Aberdeen.
