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After the success of my Classic British Bakewell Tart recipe, adapted from the Queen of Baking herself (Mary Berry), I have put my own twist on things to make these Mini Blueberry Bakewell Tarts! Crispy shortcrust pastry filled with a homemade blueberry jam, an almond frangipane filling and topped with a layer of thick water icing! Delicious, but a sweet tooth is definitely required!
A twist on the classic Bakewell tart (see below), these Mini Blueberry Bakewell Tarts are a fantastic afternoon treat! This recipe makes four small (10cm) tarts. If not eaten on the day, you can store these tarts at room temperature in a Tupperware or on a plate covered with cling film.
The Classic Bakewell Tart – A British Classic
If you are reading this and wondering: “What on EARTH is a Bakewell tart?!”, let me explain it to you. The Bakewell tart is a British baking classic that originates from a town called Bakewell (who´d have guessed?) in England.
Bakewell Tart consists of a shortcrust pastry case which is filled with a layer of jam (typically raspberry or cherry), followed by an almond frangipane. The tart is finished either with some flaked almonds scattered on top or a water icing (aka glacé icing). If you want to try making a Classic Bakewell Tart, check out my recipe here.
Now, “Bakewell” has almost just become a type of “flavouring” here in the UK. Shops sell Bakewell slices, which are more cake-y and contain cherry jam or have some other sort of element of a classic Bakewell tart. Those are still kind of “normal”, but things are definitely getting a bit out of hand now if you ask me! I have seen some extremely wack things such as Cherry Bakewell Digestive Biscuits (what?) or Bakewell tea (sounds horrible!).
Tips for Making Shortcrust Pastry
The base for these Mini Blueberry Bakewell Tarts is made with shortcrust pastry.
Shortcrust pastry can be a bit tricky to master, but it something every baker should know how to do! I have compiled a large list of tips and tricks with everything you need to know to successfully master the technique. So make sure to check out my Baking Basics post on How To Make Shortcrust Pastry to find out more!
Most importantly, make sure you don´t miss out the three most crucial steps for making shortcurst pastry when you make these Mini Blueberry Bakewells: Not overworking the pastry so that it stays crumbly, chilling the pastry before baking and remembering to blind bake! This will prevent pastry shrinkage as well as that dreaded SOGGY BOTTOM!
How To Make These Mini Blueberry Bakewell Tarts Vegan or Dairy-Free
For all vegans or people who are dairy-intolerant – I have good news! These Mini Blueberry Bakewell Tarts can be made dairy-free or vegan with only a few simple twists to the recipe! I have tried them and they work well! The good thing is, that the jam and icing are already vegan/dairy-free, so no changes need to be made there! The frangipane is very easy to amend, too, but it´s the pastry that is the tricky one!
FOR THE PASTRY:
Okay, to start off with, dairy-free sweet shortcrust pastry is easy to make. Just substitute the butter for a dairy-free/vegan alternative! Whilst it is best to use a version that comes in a firm block, I have also successfully made free-from shortcrust pastry using a dairy-free/vegan butter spread. Whilst it is a bit harder to work with, I have four tips for you to ensure success:
Top Tips for Making Free-From Shortcrust Pastry
- Make sure the butter is really cold, perhaps even pop it into the freezer for a few minutes once you have cut it.
- That brings me on to my second point, which is to cut the butter into very small flakes. Then, really only use the tips of your fingers to gently rub the butter into the flour, always making sure every piece of butter is well coated in flour! Really try to achieve that bread-crumb-like consistency and not create a sticky fat lump of butter and flour!
- Also, it´s always a good idea to wash your hands in cold water before rubbing in the butter, to make sure they are as cold as possible!
- The dairy-free/vegan shortcrust pastry may be a bit softer and stickier than a usual shortcrust pastry, you may want to chill it in the fridge for a few minutes before rolling. Tightly wrap the pastry in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. An additional tip for if it´s really sticky, roll it out between two layers of floured clingfilm.
When it comes to make the pastry completely vegan (i.e. leaving out the egg as a binding agent), I have tried many different methods to do so! Playing around with the butter and flour ratios proved tricky and often resulted in a sticky mess! In the end, I decided that the best way is just to use a little water to bind the pastry together. Start with one tablespoon of cold water, then gradually add a little more until the pastry comes together and is no longer crumbly, but not yet sticky.
FOR THE ALMOND FRANGIPANE:
If you are only wanting to make this recipe dairy-free, just use dairy-free butter to make the frangipane! For a vegan version, you´ll need to replace the egg in this recipe. I used about 50-60ml of aquafaba (the liquid that tinned chickpeas come in), but I am sure other known vegan substitutions for eggs would work, too. You could try to add 2-3 tablespoons of apple sauce, or perhaps even a bit of plant-based milk! All you are basically trying to do is bind the frangipane mix together!
Other Recipe Alterations
SIZE
This recipe makes about 4 mini tarts that are 10cm in diameter! Alternatively, you could make them even smaller and use a jam tart tin, to make Mini Bakewell Bites!
JAM
I made my own blueberry jam for these Mini Blueberry Bakewell Tarts, but you could, of course, also use some shop-bought blueberry jam! Naturally, you could also change up the recipe and go down a more traditional route, using raspberry or cherry jam instead!
ICING
For some, adding a layer of water or glacé icing on top may tip these tarts over the edge, making them too sweet for your taste! If so, just omit the glacé icing! For decorating purposes, you could also press some fresh blueberries into the top of the frangipane, or scatter over some flaked almonds before baking! Finish off with a dusting of icing sugar and voilà, a beautiful Bakewell tart!
If you do opt for the icing, you could also make it with lemon juice rather than water. Adding a bit more acidity helps cut through the sweetness! While I just scattered over some fresh blueberries, if you are feeling really fancy, you could create a feathered icing effect on top of these Mini Blueberry Bakewell Tarts! Simply colour some of the glacé icing (perhaps blue or purple) and pipe parallel straight lines over the layer of white icing. The use a toothpick to run through the lines to create the feathered effect. Check out my video here or my explanation in my Easy Iced Biscuits recipe for a more detailed explanation!
More British Baking Classics
I love a classic British bake! There are so many things to choose from and I have quite a few recipes featured on my blog! Go check out some of my other recipes if you´re interested!
- Easy Classic British Trifle
- Mary Berry´s Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Classic Fruit Scones with Orange Zest
- Swiss Roll Cake with Strawberries and Cream
- Cheese and Chive Scones
- Frosted Walnut Cake with Boiled Icing
- Carrot Cake Traybake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Hot Cross Buns
- Mini Pork Pies
Mini Blueberry Bakewell Tarts
Recipe
Ingredients (makes 4):
FOR THE BLUEBERRY JAM:
- 1 tbsp jam sugar
- 100g frozen blueberries (or fresh)
- 1 tsp water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
FOR THE SHORTCRUST PASTRY (see above for dairy-free/vegan options):
- 150g butter, softened
- 150 g caster sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 150g ground almonds
- 1 tsp almond extract
FOR THE FRANGIPANE (see above for dairy-free/vegan options):
- 150g butter, softened
- 150 g caster sugar
- 150g ground almonds
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp almond extract
FOR THE WATER ICING:
- 250g icing sugar, sifted
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1-2 tbsp water or lemon juice
- Blue/purple food colouring for feathering (optional)
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
- 4x10cm fluted tart tins or a Jam Tart Tin
- Rolling Pin
- Ceramic Baking Beans
- Metal Sieves
Method:
- Start by making the blueberry jam. Place the blueberries, jam sugar, water and lemon juice into a small saucepan over a low heat. Use a potato masher to break down the blueberries and wait for the sugar to dissolve in the liquid. Then turn up the heat and leave the jam to boil for about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the jam to a shallow bowl/dish/Tupperware and set aside to cool.
- Next, make the shortcrust pastry. Add the flour to a bowl and use your fingertips to rub in the cold butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the icing sugar then add the beaten egg. Mix to form a soft dough, adding some water, a little at a time, if the dough is too dry (click here for more tips for making shortcrust pastry and check above for dairy-free/vegan substitutions).
- Lightly flour your work surface and divide the pastry into four pieces. Roll out each piece into a rough circle, about ¼ cm thick. Carefully place one piece of pastry into each of the four mini fluted tart tins and gently press the pastry into the sides. This will ensure it has a nice fluted effect once baked. Leave any overhang on for now, and chill the pastry in the fridge for 30 minutes (click here for more tips on lining a tart tin).
- Preheat the oven to 200°C or 180°C fan.
- Before baking, remove the mini pastry cases from the fridge and prick the bases all over with a fork. Line the pastry cases with some baking paper and fill each case with some ceramic baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake the cases blind for 10 minutes, then remove the beans and paper and cook for a further 10 minutes to dry out the base.
- Remove the baked pastry cases from the oven and trim the edges whilst the pastry is still hot by carefully running a sharp knife along the top of the flan tins. Leave the cases to cool slightly whilst you prepare the filling.
- Turn down the oven temperature to 180°C or 160°C fan.
- To make the almond frangipane filling, start by creaming together the butter and the sugar (check the tips above for dairy-free/vegan substitutions) until pale and fluffy. Then add in the ground almonds, almond extract and the egg and beat until smooth and well combined.
- To assemble your Mini Blueberry Bakewell Tarts, start by spooning some of your cooled blueberry jam into the cases, filling them just under half-way. Next, spoon on the almond frangipane and use the back of a metal spoon or a palette knife to flatten the surface.
If you want to use fresh blueberries or flaked almonds to decorate rather than glacé icing, as explained above, scatter them over now. - Return the Mini Blueberry Bakewells to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the frangipane is baked (an inserted skewer should come out clean).
- Transfer to a wire cooling rack and leave the tarts to cool completely before turning them out of the tins and icing them.
- To make the glacé or water icing, sift the icing sugar into the bowl and pour in the almond extract. Add the water/lemon juice a little at a time, mixing well between each addition until the icing is of a smooth, thick-ish and spreadable consistency. Use a palette knife to spread a thin layer of icing over each of your Mini Blueberry Bakewell Tarts and decorate with some fresh blueberries. To read more on how to create a feathered icing effect, check out my Classic Bakewell Tart Recipe.
- For best results, wait for the icing to set completely before serving. Enjoy!
