Recipe: Naturally vegan bakewell tart

This tart evokes a refined vision for the Bakewell tart with a fresh raspberry jam, very moist frangipane, topped with crunchy chopped and sliced almonds.

 

Makes a 23cm pie or eight individual tartlets

 

Ingredients

 

Short sweet pastry

 

(Makes 550g – enough to line a large 23cm tart or 10 individual tartlets)

• 50g soy milk
• 50g caster sugar
• 50g muscovado sugar
• 100g extra virgin olive oil or oil of your choice
• 300g plain flour (gluten-free will also work), plus extra for dusting
• ½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped
• Zest of ¼ lemon
• • ¼tsp salt

 

Raspberry jam

• ¼tsp agar-agar powder
• 50g caster sugar
• 100g raspberries, fresh or frozen

 

Frangipane cream

• 300g raw almonds
• 200g caster sugar
• 40g cornflour
• 180g plant-based milk
• 40g extra virgin olive oil
• 40g plain flour
• 2tsps baking powder
• 4 drops bitter almond oil extract

 

Also needed

• 400g short sweet pastry (see below)
• Plain flour for dusting
• 30g flaked almonds
• 30g raw almonds, chopped
• Icing sugar for dusting
• Freeze-dried raspberries for dusting (optional)

 

Short sweet pastry

 

Make the pastry syrup in a jug by whisking the soy milk, sugars and olive oil together until the mixture is glossy and uniform in colour.

 

Add the flour, vanilla seeds, lemon zest and salt to a large bowl, then pour in the syrup and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to combine the mixture together until an even dough forms.

 

Turn it out onto a work surface and press it into a 2cm (¾in) thick disc if rolling a round shape or square if you want to roll it into a square shape.

 

Lightly sprinkle some flour over the dough, then place it between two sheets of baking parchment and roll it out to the desired thickness: 3mm for small tarts and 4mm for large ones.

 

You don’t need to chill this dough beforehand. Line the tart tin (pan) by removing the top sheet of baking parchment from the pastry and gently placing the tart tin on top of the pastry as a guide. Use a paring knife to trim the pastry around the tin, making sure there are a few extra centimetres, then remove the tart tin. Use the bottom sheet of baking parchment to help flip the pastry gently into the tin, then carefully ease it into the shape of the tin with your fingertips. Use the side of your finger to press against the edges (into the flutes if the tin is fluted).

 

Before baking, chill the pastry in the freezer for 15 minutes, then use the tip of a paring knife to ‘dock’ the base with a few pricks, about 2cm apart, to stop the base from puffing up.

 

To blind bake, preheat the oven to 170°C. Bake the chilled pastry in the oven for 12-15 minutes (no baking beans required). To fully bake, give it two to three extra minutes at 160°C for a golden colour all the way through.

 

Raspberry jam

 

Mix the agar-agar powder with the sugar in a medium bowl and sprinkle it over the raspberries in a saucepan. Stir over the lowest heat for three minutes, or until the raspberries create a syrup with the sugar, then increase the heat slightly and bring to the boil. Cook for three minutes to allow the fruit to break down.

 

You may strain out the seeds or leave them in. I like them in.

 

Leave the jam to cool, then whisk it until it reaches a loose jam consistency that you can spread. Set aside.

 

Tip: Store-bought jam can be used instead.

 

Frangipane cream

 

Pulse the almonds, sugar and cornflour in a food processor or high-powered blender. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine – it will have a creamy texture. Set aside.

 

To assemble and bake

 

Preheat the oven to 170°C fan. Lightly flour a sheet of baking parchment. Press the pastry into a disc, then roll it out on the floured baking parchment until 3-4mm thick – the thinner the better, but it will take more skill. You want the pastry to be loose on the paper.

 

Slide the pastry over a 23cm tart case and gently start to press it down into the case. Work your way around the edges, pressing the pastry deeper into the corners and pricking the base with a fork.

 

Trim the top of the pastry, then bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Pipe or spread a layer of the raspberry jam on the bottom of the cooled tart, followed by the frangipane to fill the tart about threequarters full or leaving 5mm from the top edge of the pastry. Sprinkle it with the flaked almonds and chopped almonds for extra texture.

 

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the frangipane is puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

 

Dust with icing sugar. I like to grate some freeze-dried raspberries through a small sieve to dust the edges for some extra colour. This tart keeps well in the refrigerator for four days, if well wrapped. Serve at room temperature.

 

A New Way to Bake by Philip Khoury (Hardie Grant, £30)