Saturday, June 27, 2009

Daring Bakers Challenge – Bakewell Tart


The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.


Well, this Texas lady has never seen or tasted a Bakewell Tart, and I admit I had no idea what I was supposed to be baking. I was not confident enough to do anything but follow the recipe as written, making vegan substitutions of course. The dessert was easy enough to make. It didn’t take a lot of time and was pretty easy to veganize.

If you are like me and unfamiliar with this dessert, it is a sweet almond pie crust, a layer of jam, and frangipane. Frangi-huh? This was the part that really threw me. As far as I know, I’ve never eaten a dessert with frangipane. Heck, I don’t even know how to pronounce it. The recipe called for three eggs, and I’m not sure I made a proper vegan equivalent.

What I did make was a delightfully soft tart dough, which baked up quite nicely. I wish I had had time to make homemade jam, but I relied on seedless Strawberry Allfruit, which I think is wonderful. And I confess I used a lot of jam, probably too much. It’s just that the crust and the frangipane are mostly butter and the jam was the only relatively healthy aspect of this dessert. I figured based on 8 servings, your slice of tart would net you about 800 calories.

So here’s how it looked out of the oven.

And here’s a slice.


As you can see, I didn’t achieve the layering aspect that a correctly prepared Bakewell Tart should have. I think the copious amount of strawberry jam commingled with the frangipane. A Bakewell Tart, or whatever I created here, would never be my dessert of choice, but I did end up with an excellent, very delicious Strawberry Almond Tart, which I was more than happy to serve to my family.

On a side note guys, I feel bad when I post and don’t have time to come around and leave comments on your blogs. I have been extremely busy with life and work and I have just not been able to sit down at the computer for any stretch of time. I think I will have a quiet day tomorrow and be able to catch up with you all - after I clean my house. It's such a wreck. Gotta run again. It's time to celebrate my baby brother’s birthday. Oh, and I'll try to get back to a Sweet Freedom Saturday next week.

12 comments:

Virginia said...

that looks pretty good to me, even if it didn't turn out like you had hoped!

Anonymous said...

I think it looks great! I also added extra jam, and wish I'd have added even more! Not a light dessert, but very tasty.

Andrea said...

Although this dessert probably has too much fat for me to actually make it, I'd probably eat it if offered a slice! I enjoyed reading your post and think your finished tart looks great.

Catherine Weber said...

Diann, I agree about the bakewell tart -- it was too rich for me, too! Ugh. This heat is not the time to feel weighed down by one's food.

P.S. I've barely been commenting myself -- I must remedy that situation soon!

Oraphan said...

Hell from Bangkok, Diann!!!

That looks lovely, and it sounds so delicious!

Jes said...

The tart looks beautiful and I can definitely see some lovely layers. I hope you find some peace and rest soon!

Hannah said...

Sorry it didn't quite live up to your expectations, but it still looks fantastic to me! :)

Ricki said...

I'd never heard of this, either--but it does sound interesting! And sorry you're so busy (I can relate)--hope the b-day and cleaning went well. :)

Judy's Nutrition said...

I will join in the chorus 'never head of this pie!'. Looks tasty but 800 calories per slice? Wow, it's probably a good thing I haven't heard of it til now!

Kris said...

Don't feel guilty- life is busy! Especially this time of year. I think your tart looks wonderful. What did you use to replace the eggs in the frangipane?

miss v said...

i have never had a tart... much less made one. looks good.

Erin said...

Well whatever it is, it looks good! Seems like the type of thing you might want to cut into 1"X1" squares and share with a whole lot of people :)