This recipe for Bakewell Marzipan Tart is a variation of the typical British Bakewell tart. In addition to the almond layer, there is an extra layer of marzipan just on top of the pastry. I like the extra almond flavour. Additionally, it helps prevent the jam from making the pastry base soggy. With the marzipan, I find that the icing is not really necessary and may even make the dessert to sweet. I did a simple decoration with sliced almonds on top and it was a good mix of nuttiness and sweetness.
Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
85g unsalted butter
170g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
Cold water
Fillings
300g marzipan
About 200g raspberry or strawberry jam
150g granulated Sugar
150g unsalted butter
3 Eggs
100g Ground Almonds
80g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp almond essence (optional)
Icing (optional)
5 Tbsp icing sugar
1 Tbsp water
About 20 Glace cherry halves
Instructions
Shortcrust Pastry
First, in a large mixing bowl, cut the butter into small cubes, then use a pastry blender (or two knives) to mix with flour until it forms crumbs.
Next, add cold water a little at a time until a soft dough forms. Keep the dough in the fridge for at least 10 mins.
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Grease a 23cm tin or dish.
Then roll the pastry out on a floured surface until it is about 1/2 cm thick, and it is slightly larger than the baking dish. Put the pastry into the tin, spread the dough up the sides evenly, then trim off any excess. Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork and blind bake using baking beans on foil inside the pastry for about 5 minutes. Remove the pastry from the oven and remove the foil and baking beans. Set aside while you prepare the fillings.
Fillings
First, roll out the marzipan to the size of the bottom of the pastry. Put the marzipan layer at the bottom. Next, top with the jam flavour of your choice. I like raspberry or strawberry but any jam that has some tartness would work.
For the almond cake layer, in a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Then add the eggs and mix well. Fold in the ground almonds, almond essence (optional), flour, and baking powder until well-mixed. Pour the almond mixture into the pastry tin. Bake for 25-30 mins until the almond layer is golden and no longer liquid. Set aside to cool while you prepare the icing. Or if you would like to skip the icing, just decorate the cake with the glace cherries.
Icing
In a medium mixing bowl, mix the icing sugar with the water until it forms a smooth, pourable paste. Finally, spread evenly onto the tart and decorate with the cherry halves. Serve fresh or the next day. It doesn’t keep very well in the fridge because the icing gets hard. So, if you want to eat if over several days, I suggest skipping the icing. The tart looks nice decorated with glace cherries, even without the traditional icing!
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