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.
E and I are heading out to see ‘The Proposal’ tonight, so afterwards, I thought we could swing by the house for a little dessert. Luckily, I waited until the last minute to make this month’s recipe – leave it to me to procrastinate an entire month away. 
Since E loves chocolate almost as much as I do, I decided to add a little cocoa powder to the flour in the tart crust and sub yummy Nutella for the jam.
The crust, layered with the Nutella, was delicious (obviously!). Unfortunately, I wasn’t too impressed with the frangipane. Once it was out of the oven and cool enough to try, it was extremely dry and really dense. Not at all what I was expecting… but hopefully, the next time I try it, I’ll get it right!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot! I’m one of the three Daring Members who are ‘On the Spot’ this week! Check me out! 
Bakewell Tart… er… pudding
Inspirations and References: Allan Davidson, Tamasin Day Lewis, Anton Edelmann, Jane Grigson, Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver
Makes one 9” tart
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed:
9” tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges)
Rolling pin
One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
1 c jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds (omitted)
Assembling the tart:
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it’s overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 1/4” thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the center and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.
The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.
When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, plastic wrap
1 c all purpose flour (For a chocolate crust, use 3/4 c flour + 1/4 c cocoa powder)
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional – I omitted)
1-2 tbsp cold water
Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.
Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.
Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
Frangipane
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula
1 stick + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c icing sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 c ground almonds
2 tbsp all purpose flour
Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in color and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow color.
