Bakewell pudding and Bakewell tart

Referring to an earlier blog post where I was ranting off about Cornish pasties and their regional identity protection status (see here), well now is the Bakewell tarts turn!

Bakewell tart; don't you just love it!

Unlike the Cornish pasty the Bakewell tart has so far not been granted any regional identity protection, but I am not surprised at all. You see the almond flavoured sponge topped jam tart found in most shops and supermarkets that most of us know as Bakewell tart is actually a far cry from tradition, and resembles little by comparison to its regional namesake.

'Jam tart topped with almond flavoured sponge cake? That's never been a proper Bakewell!'

A small market town in Derbyshire, UK, Bakewell is quite an attraction to tourists; partially due to the traditional 'tart' or 'pudding' that originated there, but also due to its 'Olde England' charm and the annual traditions in the area such as the 'Bakewell Show' and 'well dressings' (a pagan ritual originating from Derbyshire). There are a few commercial premises within Bakewell that claim to bake and sell Bakewell puddings and Bakewell tarts made to the original recipe.

Although I now live in Nottinghamshire I was born and grew up in Derbyshire, and I still class myself as a Derbyshire man, so matters associated with the area are close to my heart.

Bakewell is also the only built-up area classed as a 'town' (all the rest are villages) that is located within the 'Peak District National Park', and the administrive headquarters of the 'Peak District National Park' authority is located within the town; other nearby towns of 'Matlock', 'Ashbourne', and 'Buxton' all fall outside the National Park boundary.

But enough of the tourist stuff for now, we're supposed to be talking about food here. So let's get back on track.

The famous Bakewell tart claims to originate from Bakewell but by tradition the original was actually a Bakewell pudding and not tart; although the town claims to be the birth place of the Bakewell tart also.

So what's the difference?

The Bakewell tart is made up of a shortcrust pastry base, a layer of jam (preferably raspberry), and topped with an almond flavoured sponge (and often with icing on top of that); whereas the Bakewell pudding is comprised of a puff pastry base, a layer of jam, and topped with an almond and egg based topping - the topping incorporates no flour whatsoever (unlike a sponge) and is made up entirely from ground almonds, egg and sugar - with the ground almonds acting like a type of flour.

Whether you choose to go for the tart or the pudding is down to your own preference but both are delicious.

Either way if you fancy having a go at making your own, whether on a shortcrust or puff pastry base I personally believe that the topping recipe below gives the best results; it is the one I use regardless of what pastry base it has.

110g (4oz) ground almonds
110g (4oz) caster sugar
50g (2oz) butter, softened
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon almond essence

Beat all together, preferably with an electric mixer
Pour an equal amount into each jam lined pastry case
Bake at 200 C / 400 F/ Gas 6 for about 30 minutes or until the filling is set and spongy

So easy to do and absolutely delicious!