Almond and raspberry has long been one of my favorite flavor combinations — so much so that it was one of the layers of our wedding cake more than 10 years ago. But it was a few years after that when I discovered my new preferred way to enjoy it: Bakewell tart.
I tried it on my first trip to London, in Borough Market, the kind of bustling food emporium we can all only dream of right now. Along with true British scones, Battenberg cake, good tea and rose and violet creams from Fortnum & Mason, Bakewell tart now sits among my favorite things of English origin — after Jane Austen and “Downton Abbey.”
In fact, seeing a recipe in “The Official Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook,” a recent release, is what finally inspired me to make Bakewell tart at home. The dish itself isn’t overly complicated — a buttery crust you make with your hands, topped with jam and a frangipane (almond) filling that comes together in minutes with a hand or stand mixer. The frangipane stars almond meal or flour, which got me thinking. With readers often asking for gluten-free recipes, and lately, ideas on what to make with almond meal, could I double down on the nuts by incorporating it in the crust? Answer: Yes, and with stunning results.
I cribbed a gluten-free crust recipe from cookbook author Aran Goyoaga, who recently shared a recipe for gluten-free bread here on Voraciously. Her crust uses almond meal, but also a gluten-free flour blend. That appealed to me, because we’ve heard from plenty of readers who have had problems finding regular flour, some of whom have snagged gluten-free blends as a last resort without knowing what to do with them. Well, here’s your answer! For those of you who aren’t avoiding gluten, know that I tested it with regular all-purpose, and the recipe works just fine. However, I slightly preferred the gluten-free version, which I thought baked up a bit drier and more tender.
Using store-bought jam on top of the crust is really handy. Traditionally, Bakewell tart calls for raspberry or strawberry, but you can use whatever flavor you have in your refrigerator. The nuts on top are also easily varied.
The biggest departure I made was to play it a bit fast and loose with the term “tart.” Especially now, I didn’t want to assume that everyone has a tart pan with a removable bottom. I moved the whole operation to a more standard 9-inch square pan. (If you do prefer a tart pan, use a 9-inch round one.) I loved the long, elegant bars I was able to cut. All the same charm with a little less fuss? That’s something else I learned about in England, too.
Recipe note: The bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days or frozen for several months.
