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This rhubarb bakewell tart is a fresh take on the classic. 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
It’s rhubarb season and I can’t help but starting baking with the delicious stalks in every way imaginable! I have such a love for rhubarb, which stems from my childhood, that I get incredibly excited when I see its first appearance in the spring.
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. 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?
Bakewell Tart is a British classic dessert and takes its name after a Derbyshire town of Bakewell. It is also the loveliest thing you can imagine.
Who can resist a buttery 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.
My hand is always reaching for one at cafes. Unfortunately, as the truth with all mass produces food, the commercially made tarts aren’t the best reincarnation of this British classic.
So I decided to create my own bakewell tart at home…or at least my take on it. 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 replacing the jam with it. 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
None of the steps are particularly difficult or require a special training but what is needed here is patience. The Bakewell tart cannot be rushed. It is not a quick dessert you whip up on a whim.
However, this tart is truly worth the wait and the work involved. Make it for a special occasion or if you simply in need of a project!
More rhubarb recipes
Roasted Rhubarb Bakewell Tart
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.
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!