Anything with almonds is a bit of a favourite in my house and a bakewell tart is no exception.

I have posted Individual Cherry Bakewells in the past, this is basically the same but a large one.

You will need:

Pastry:

• 115g Butter
• 100g Caster sugar
• 1 Egg
• 250g Plain flour

Filling:

• 3 large tbsp of your favourite jam.

Sponge:

• 170g Caster Sugar
• 170g Butter
• 3 Eggs
• 85g Ground Almonds
• 85g Self Raising Flour
• ½ tsp Almond Essence
• ½ tsp Baking Powder

Icing:

• 5tbsp Icing Sugar
• 1tbsp Water
• 8 Glace Cherries (Cut into halves)

Method:

Pastry:

• Combine the butter and sugar with an electric whisk.
• Add the egg and mix well.
• Sieve in the flour and mix with a fork until it comes together into a ball of dough.
• Chill for one hour before using.
• Grease a 23cm tin or dish (I have a loose bottomed tin) and pre heat the oven to 170degrees.
• Flour the surface and rolling pin, roll out the pastry until even and about ½ cm thick, until large enough to fit your chosen dish/tin.
• Gently push the pastry into the sides of the tin (I used a ball of excess dough to do this) trim off any excess, prick all over the bottom of the pastry with a fork and ‘blind bake’ for 5mins.
• Tip: to blind bake line your pastry case line the pastry with baking paper and fill with blind baking beans or I just carefully line with foil (this isn’t as efficient but it is quicker and good if you don’t have the beans).
• (Meanwhile make the sponge filling as listed below)
• Remove from the oven, your case is now ready for filling (keep the pastry in the tin).

Filling:

• Spread the jam even over the base of the blind baked pastry case.
• Tip: If you over do the jam it will bubble up the sides of the sponge whilst cooking and look a little messy

Sponge:

• Cream the butter and sugar together.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Fold in the ground almonds, almond essence, flour and baking powder until thoroughly mixed.
• Spoon the cake mixture into the pastry case filling it just shy of the top of the pastry case and making sure the mixture is spread evenly to the edges; this will also help stop the jam bubbling up during the cooking process.
• Bake for 25-30 mins at 170degrees.
• Allow to cool completely.

Icing:

• Mix the icing sugar with the water to a paste, if it is too thick for spreading add a splash more water – but not too much or you will need more icing sugar!
• Spread evenly onto the bakewell tart and decorate with the cherry halves.
• Allow the icing to set before serving.