Mini Cherry Bakewell Tarts are too small.  Cherry Bakewell Tarts are so lovely, so tasty and delicious that they should be bigger so you can have big slices of them.  If anyone disagrees with me, you’re mad.

This makes 2 x 9” tarts.

Ingredients:

For Pastry:

250g Plain Flour

150g Butter

50g Caster Sugar

2 eggs, separated

For Filling:

A few tablespoons of raspberry jam

300g Butter

300g Caster Sugar

6 Eggs, beaten

2 Egg yolks

300g ground almonds

For Topping:

1lb Icing Sugar

A few tablespoons water

Glace Cherries

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC / Gas Mk 4.

Mix up the flour, sugar and butter.  Once mixed together add the 2 egg yolks and a little cold water.  Bring the mixture together to make a dough, then put the dough in the fridge for an hour. 

Grease 2 x 9” loose bottomed sandwich tins or tart tin.  Roll the pastry out to 3 or 4 mm thickness and line the tins.  Brush with egg white and bake for approximately 20 minutes.

When the pastry is ready, spread a layer of jam in each.  Cream butter and sugar, then slowly add the beaten eggs and egg yolks to the mixture.  Add the ground almonds and mix well.  Spoon the mixture into the cases over the jam, making it as level as possible.  Bake for 40-50 minutes.  Remove from oven when set and allow to cool.

For the icing topping add a very small amount of water at a time to 1lb of icing sugar to make a thick paste.  You will only need a few tablespoons of water.  Spread the icing on top of the cooled tarts bringing it right up to the edges.  Decorate with glace cherries.  Dappled effect created by young children’s fingers poking into newly applied icing while your back is turned  is optional.