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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.
Can you make this Tart with Apples?
I haven’t tried myself but I don’t see why not. The apples would have to be roasted just like rhubarb before putting them in the tart but wouldn’t be able to advise you on timing, possibly a bit longer than the recipe states.
gorgeous recipe… my sons new girlfriend brought me masses of rhubarb from her family farm and this was the best recipe I made by far. im making for the third time today! and ive copied to the family recipe book in UK conversions
So lovely to hear, Cath!! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Hahaha, Julie, it’s really no different than baking a cake inside of a tart shell! By the way, I checked out your blog and I absolutely love it! Loads of gorgeous photography and great tips!
I have lived in London for nearly 2 years and have been terrified/overwhelmed/frozen by the idea of making my own Bakewell. It took me a while to discover the joys of this type of tart, what with all the custards and creams and eton mess that surround me, but it really is a classic. It’s perfect with a cup of tea, or Italian coffee as the case may be. I think maybe I’ve been convinced to just pick myself up and make it already. Cheers!
Such a lovely tart, that almond filling is divine!
You definitely didn’t overdo it with photos of this glorious tart, it’s stunning! The blush of pink, that gorgeous soft almond frangipane… yum. Just beautiful.
Good on you for stepping out of your comfort zone with the Cambridge diploma. I deifnitely understand the ‘what have I done?!’ feeling… haha. My husband and I are currently embarking upon some small business plans that make absolutely no economic sense but I’ve now got to the ripe old age of 30 and I’m thinking that if I take no risks, nothing will ever change in my life. Just wait for that feeling when you’re holding your new qualification in your hands, it’ll all be worth it! In the meantime, breathe and eat a slice of this glorious tart. I reckon there’s therapy in that 😉 xx
When courage is one of your defining qualities taking risks only makes sense! Good luck with your business endeavour and thank you for your sweet words, Laura.
Oooh this looks beautiful. I have some random rhubarb growing in my yard, now I know what to use it for!
Glad to help with that, Sammy. I wish I had random rhubarb growing in my garden!
Absolutely beautiful, Julia! I am such a fan of rhubarb and this tart is a perfect use for it.
Thank you, Jennifer! I know what you mean. I am constantly looking for more recipes with rhubarb. 🙂