Bakewell Tart is perhaps one of my favourite desserts of all time! The nutty almond taste, and silky icing are total heaven for me.

Although there are three separate elements to this tart, it is fairly simple to make and the reward is more than worth the effort. I hope you will enjoy it!

Ingredients

For the sweet shortcrust pastry

225g/8oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
150g/5½oz butter, chilled
25g/1oz icing sugar
1 large free-range egg, beaten

For the filling

150g/5½oz butter, softened
150g/5½oz caster sugar
150g/5½oz ground almonds
1 large free-range egg, beaten
1 tsp almond extract

For the icing

300g/10½oz icing sugar
1 tsp almond extract

Method

For the pastry, measure the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the icing sugar. Add the egg and 2 tablespoons cold water, mixing to form soft dough.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of a pound coin. Line a 23cm/9in fluted flan tin and transfer to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Line the pastry case with non-stick baking paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake blind for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and paper and cook for a further 5 minutes to dry out the base. Set aside to cool a little before adding the filling.
For the filling, spread the base of the pastry case with 4 tablespoons of raspberry jam.
Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the ground almonds, egg and almond extract and mix together. Spoon the mixture into the pastry case and smooth the surface using a palette knife.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and bake for 25–35 minutes, until golden-brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin.
For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Stir in the almond extract and about 3 tablespoons cold water to make a smooth, fairly thick icing.
When the tart has cooled completely, spoon the white icing on top and spread to form a smooth surface. Leave to set, then serve in slices.