Rhubarb Bakewell Tart Recipe

A Bakewell Tart is a rustic, classic English dessert consisting of a shortcrust pastry shell beneath layers of jam, almond frangipane, and a topping of flaked almonds. It’s usually made with raspberry or strawberry jam but I’ve replaced it with a tangy rhubarb jam in this recipe for extra depth of flavour.

So how do I make this Rhubarb Bakewell Tart Recipe from scratch?

This recipe can be broken down into a few different steps.

–Sweet Pastry: In this recipe, we use a simple sweet shortcrust pastry recipe, also known as Pâte sucrée. You can also use store bought for this, Just Rol sells an excellent sweet shortcrust pastry.

–Rhubarb Jam: A simple jam recipe using fresh rhubarb. You can also use store bought for this, Moran’s sell an amazing Rhubarb & Gin Jam that would be perfect in this.

–Almond Frangipane: This is a soft, cake like batter flavoured with almond essence.

Sweet Pastry

This sweet pastry recipe starts off by creaming together the room temperature butter and icing sugar. You can use an electric whisk or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. This will take 2-3 minutes until the butter becomes pale and creamy. Add in the egg yolks and continue to beat until fully combined. Add the flour and water and continue mixing by hand with a rubber spatula or on low in a stand mixer. Mix until a smooth dough forms and then wrap the pastry tightly in cling film. Chill for at least an hour. You can skip this step and buy ready made sweet shortcrust pastry.

Rhubarb Jam

This Rhubarb Jam starts out, unsurprisingly, with fresh rhubarb! Make sure you only use the stalks and discard the leaves immediately, the leaves are toxic and should not be eaten. Slice up about 150 grams of rhubarb (about one bunch for me) and place into a small saucepan. Add the sugar and lemon juice and cook on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until the rhubarb is fully soft and has cooked down to a puree. Make sure to keep stirring the jam every few minutes to prevent the bottom from burning. When the jam is ready, transfer to a small bowl or container and place cling film directly onto the surface of the jam to prevent a skin forming. Allow to cool fully before using. You can skip this step and buy already made Rhubarb Jam.

Almond Frangipane

This is a super simple almond frangipane recipe flavoured with almond essence. Frangipane is a soft almond cake like batter. To make this franipane, we begin by adding all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix for 2-3 minutes with an electric whisk or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until smooth. Make sure your butter is at room temperature to prevent any lumps.

How do I assemble this Rhubarb Bakewell Tart?

To begin, roughly chop the rhubarb into chunks and place into a small bowl. Sprinkle the sugar on top, mix and leave to macerate. Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and place onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle with a little more flour and roll out to a few centimetres larger than your baking tin. I chose an 8 inch shallow round cake tin, you can also use a loose bottom pastry tin too. Carefully lift the pastry into the tin and gently push into the corners. Using a sharp knife, cut the overhanging pastry. Next, take 2 tablespoons of the rhubarb jam and spread evenly over the pastry. Pour the almond fragipane on top of the jam and spread out evenly. Place the rhubarb chunks onto the frangipane and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the top has risen slightly and has an even golden brown colour. Allow to cool fully before removing from the tin.

How long does this Rhubarb Bakewell Tart last?

This Rhubarb Bakewell Tart can stay fresh for up to 3 days if kept in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze the bakewell tart in slices tightly wrapped in cling film or in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Got leftover Rhubarb Jam? Why not check out my other recipes using rhubarb jam; Rhubarb Rosewater Macarons & Rhubarb Vanilla Layer Cake.