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This rhubarb tart is a fresh take on the classic British bakewell. A shortcrust pastry shell filled with layers of roasted rhubarb, frangipane and topped with more rhubarb. Absolutely irresistible with a cup of tea or coffee!
For another beloved British dessert take a look at my Easy Banoffee Pie. It’s NO BAKE!
Rhubarb Recipes
The start of rhubarb season is always an exciting time for me, with my love for rhubarb stemming from early in my childhood. I think it’s simply stunning in bakes of all kinds, and I’m always on the lookout for new ways to use it.
One of my favourite – and most definitely the easiest recipe – is this Rhubarb Cobbler. I’ve been baking it for years and we never get tired of it. Another one is Rhubarb Custard Crepe Cake, made of a tower of thin crepes filled with delicate rhubarb flavoured custard. Make it for a brunch and you will be praised to high heavens!
The recipe for this Rhubarb Bakewell Tart is a bit more involved than my usual favourites but the end result will absolutely shock you with its beauty, taste and elegance.
What is a Bakewell Tart?
A bakewell tart is an icon of British baking, and pretty much the loveliest thing you can imagine. It takes its very appropriate name from the Derbyshire town of Bakewell, a beautiful town in a stunning part of the country.
Who can resist a buttery baked tart filled with fruit jam and sweet almond sponge filling, then topped with either sliced almonds or glacé icing. They are usually sold as small, individually portioned tarts, although it’s not uncommon to find larger tarts line mine as well.
My hand is always reaching for one at cafes. Unfortunately, as is true with all mass produced food, commercially made tarts aren’t the best version of this British classic.
So I decided to create my own bakewell tart at home…or at least my take on it. I did make one change from the classic tart recipe. Instead of the usual cherry jam I am using roasted rhubarb to fill my bakewell tart.
How to Make Rhubarb Bakewell Tart
There are several steps to this recipe and the first one is to cook the rhubarb since we are using it in place of the traditional jam. Rhubarb works especially well here as its tartness cuts through the sweet almond filling and strikes a perfect balance.
Roasting rhubarb intensified its beautiful flavour and brings out the natural sugars. It is also a very easy, hands off method of cooking it.
As I mentioned there are several steps to this recipe
- Roasting the rhubarb
- Preparing the pastry, chilling it in a fridge and baking it blind
- Mixing up frangipane (a classic filling made with ground almonds, butter, sugar, eggs and flour)
- The final stage of assembling and baking the tart
You don’t need to be an overly experienced baker for any of these steps, none of which are all that difficult or require special skills. What you do need is patience. This is not a quick dessert that can be whipped up on a whim!
The payoff is worth it though. Make it for a special occasion or if you simply in need of a project!
Serving suggestions
I’m a sucker for tradition, and in the case of a bakewell tart, this means serving at room temperature with a lovely cup of tea.
Doesn’t mean that this is the only option though. This rhubarb tart is also fantastic served slightly warm with a little vanilla ice cream or with a pour or warm custard. The sweet-tart rhubarb filling pairs beautifully with either!
Storage and leftovers
To prevent the crust of a bakewell tart from becoming soggy, it’s best to store it at room temperature in a This is an affiliate link.cake box or other This is an affiliate link.airtight container. The tart crust will soften slightly, but it’ll store well for up to 3 days.
To store longer, it can be kept in a refrigerator, but this will cause the crust to soften quite a bit more. Or freeze for longer storage, ideally with the tart cut into individual slices. In either case, let it come to room temperature before serving.
More rhubarb recipes
Roasted Rhubarb Bakewell Tart
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Food processor
- This is an affiliate link.9 inch tart tin
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 1¼ cup / 130g flour
- 1/2 cup / 100g caster sugar
- 1/4 cup / 30g ground almonds
- 1/2 cup / 125g butter
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
For the rhubarb
- 1lb / 450g rhubarb, 4 large stalks
- 1/4 cup / 50g sugar
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
For the almond filling
- 3/4 cup / 165g cup caster sugar
- 5oz / 150g butter
- 1 cup / 100g cup ground almonds
- 2 egg, large
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup / 50g flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Toss the rhubarb with sugar, lemon juice and zest and roast for 20 minutes until soft when pierced with a knife, then cool.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor combine flour, ground almonds, cubed cold butter, sugar and baking powder and pulse until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs, add an egg and pulse until just combined. (This could also be done in a bowl with a pastry blender.)
- Take the pastry out of the food processor, it will be soft, wrap it in cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
- Roll out chilled pastry on floured surface and line an 9″ loose-bottomed tart pan. Prick with a fork all over. Put it back in the fridge and chill for 20 more minutes.
- Line the pastry with parchment paper, fill with baking beans and bake it blind for 15 minutes at 350 F/180 C. Then remove the beans and paper and bake for 7-10 more minutes. Make sure it doesn’t get brown.
- Beat together sugar, butter, almonds, eggs, almond extract, baking powder, salt and flour until creamy.
- Divide the rhubarb and mash half of it with a fork. Spread mashed rhubarb over the base of the tart.
- Then fill the tart with almond mixture. Arrange the rest of rhubarb on top.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until golden and risen. Cool in the tart pan until just warm, then remove from the pan by pushing it out from the bottom.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looked pretty, but the almond filling rose and spilled over the edge of the 9- inch tart pan almost immediately once placed in the oven. I scraped the oven and placed a sheet under the tart pan, and cooked it at least 5 minutes longer than instructed. It looked appropriately golden and risen. When cooled to room temp, I tested the tart, and the center was underbaked. That said, it seemed like it would taste good if the recipe were adjusted. I wonder if the 1 tsp baking powder in the almond filling is a typo or mistake.
Hi Maria, if you are adjusting anything in this recipe, I’d adjust your oven temperature as the issues you are describing are classic for an oven that runs too hot. If you look at the comments below, numerous people made this recipe with no issues.
I’m sorry!
Julia ♥️
🙂
Hi Julie –
The second I got my hands on rhubarb, I made the Bakewell. Roasted Rhubarb, oh my! The Bakewell, I’ve never. Thank you so much for your recipe and help through my first. I so appreciate. We, the neighborhood… in awe ✨
Jen
Your tart looks gorgeous, Jen!! So pleased you loved it!
with Rhubarb as a favorite, these are the most stunning photos! I’ve never heard of a Bakewell Tart but now it’s the only on my mind.
It sounds like this tart for made for you, Jen!
Made this tart today. Turned out perfect, Super yummy! thank you:)
That’s amazing, Tanya! Thank you for sharing this with me!
I made the tart today with rhubarb from my raised bed planter. My English husband was happy to hear that I had made a Bakewell tart. It is very delicious, thank you. I made only one minor change, i ended up pressing the dough into the tart pan, it was tough sticky and flimsy or roll out.
Happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed it, Anita. Did you chill the pastry dough before rolling it out? If it’s too sticky, just add a touch of flour next time. 🙂
Hi Julia, is there any chance of giving the quantities in grams. We don’t use cups in the UK and the recipe looks lovely! Cheers, Debbie
Hi Debbie, I’ve updated the recipe in grams. I’ve been providing grams for the last couple of years but must’ve missed this one. I hope this helps!
Hoping to make this tomorrow night…when you say ground almonds is that almond flour? Curious as to how this would make a creamy filling.
Hi Kai, yes ground almonds and almond flour are the same. I wouldn’t call the filling ‘creamy’, it’s a frangipane or something I would describe as a very moist, almond flavoured sponge. Enjoy!
Excellent thanks for the quick response! I prepped ingredients last night, excited to get baking today.
Have fun!