Plum Bakewell Tart......er.....Pudding

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.

This sensational pudding like tart is local confection of a charming small town in Derbyshire(England),can easily be put together with a fruity filling over shortcrust pastry shell and topped with sponge-like filling with ground almonds(Frangipane).Baked to perfection this is an absolutely succulent fruit and nut tart...er...pudding.
I used my home made plum Jam for the fruit filling and honestly I prefer mildly sweet desserts,hence had to reduce the sugar from the suggested recipe.This dessert is mildly sweet ,as the home made Jam is was also low sugar, add a little more sugar if desired.Adding cocoa to the pastry crust isn't very traditional,but I decided to slip in some ,for a touch of chocolate to the tart.Also for those on No eggs diet, these can be baked without eggs,check the recipe for the substitutions.


Recipe
Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

You'll Need
One quantity shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam (I used home made Plum Jam)
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the center and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm or cold with sliced fresh fruit

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.



Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
For Cocoa Short Crust Pastry Dough
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup Whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 organic egg yolks(exclude the eggs for eggless crust substitute with a tablespoon extra oil or butter)
2 tablespoon cold butter
3-4 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon almond extract or use 1 tablespoon of Orange blossom water

Method
Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes


For Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients
3 Organic eggs (or use 2 tablespoon of cornstarch for egg less frangipane + 1 cup of Tofu)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract or 1 tablespoon orange blossom water or rose water
3/4 cup(125g) ground almonds
1 tablespoon Sugar(add a tablespoon more for little more sweetness)
1 tablespoon softened butter
2 tablespoon(30g) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in color and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow color.

Peak in to many more delectable variations of this Tart..er..pudding at the Daring Bakers Blogroll