Have you ever had a bakewell tart? It's one British confection I have yet to try before, and one that's been on my to-make list for some time. I chanced upon a beautiful photo of a bakewell tart a little while back (because when I'm not eating or making desserts, I inevitably end up looking at them... :) ) and just knew it's something I had to try out. Most especially because raspberry and almond pastries are a thing at this house thanks to my raspberry almond-loving significant other...
...Enter my friend Trinity & her new cookbook Angelicious, and I suddenly don't even need to try and figure out my own version of this tart -- she has a glorious version of it right in the book and she was happy for me to share her recipe with you here! What's a better way to experience a British classic than from a Brit herself? :)
Before we get to the tart though, I wanted to share my experience cooking from her new book. As you've seen recently, my own cookbook is nearly here (at least the ebook version is inches away from being released, and that's a start! :)), and it's been an immense labor from beginning to end -- something I've been working on for nearly a year now. You have no idea how many hats you have to wear when you do it all yourself for something like this. In the process, when I found out Trinity was working on her own next book, I couldn't have been more excited for her. And when it finally came out, I sprinted to order my copy. Going through the process of creating a book myself, I knew just how much effort, care, and dedication Trinity has put into it and I wanted to support her work wholeheartedly.
Not to mention, I've been a huge fan of her recipes for some time and made numerous dishes I loved from her blog Trinity's Conscious Kitchen. So getting my hands on her book was really a no brainer. The thing that drew me towards her recipes, blog, and getting to know this lady a little, was her whole approach to food which very much resonates with me -- eat well, eat simply & flavorfuly, eat in a balanced way, enjoy and be inspired by nature's abundance and beauty. Another common ground we both have is that her recipes are also gluten-free, plant-based (hence no eggs or dairy, naturally), and refined sugar-free. I have a lot of recipe-creating friends, but it's rare to find someone whose style matches yours so well. And lastly, I feel we share a strong affinity to nature and our own little gardens. In short, we hit it off straight away :)
Since I got her book I spent a good 2 weeks straight cooking pretty much exclusively from it. I love cooking and crafting my own recipes, but I also love getting to try my friends' recipes -- it's nice to experience others' creativity & tastes. I wanted to have the full Trinity culinary experience here :) I suppose you could say I spent those weeks in Trinity's Conscious Kitchen, and I loved it. Some of the recipes have since become a staple for us. Here's a glimpse of some of the things we sampled:
Can you see how alive the food is in all these recipes? :) Top left is her creamy cauliflower sauce -- possibly my favorite light version of a white pasta sauce to date, and one we've already made several times. Top right is her baked sweet potato falafels -- I used a hack method of making them with a cookie scoop instead of rolling by hand to save time -- learned something new :). Bottom left are her wellness wraps -- I used collard greens to make mine -- the last from my garden -- even though the original recipe called for kale leaves, and I loved it so. Bottom right was my favorite potato salad ever with a most beautiful cumin flavor.
I think the things I loved making the most from her recipes though are all the patties and burgers -- something I haven't been making nearly enough until now. Top left are her chickpea burgers. Top right are the real star of the show -- my absolute favorite thing from the book -- black bean burgers. They're so good they even got my mushroom-averse husband to enjoy something with mushrooms -- a very rare thing, to be sure, and definitely not something I've succeeded with before... (thanks Trinity! :) ). They are definitely one of those things to be made on repeat over here -- in fact, I'm making more tomorrow. Bottom left are more of those black bean patties with a side of Trinity-style sweet potato fries. And the bottom right is my favorite butternut squash soup EVER. And I make a lot of butternut squash soups :) -- she put roasted cashews in it and it's a delicious thing.
By the way, I showcased the savory things only here, but there are plenty of incredible sweets in this book as well -- like raw slices, cakes, chocolate, and more. I wish I could show you the many more amazing things we enjoyed, but I don't want to keep you from that Bakewell tart much longer. I'll just leave you with my final thoughts on this book -- if you're into super simple, but wholesome, easily customizable, and healthy meal recipes, I think you'll absolutely love it. You can get your own copy from Trinity's website in print here or as an ebook here.
Anyhow, did I mention the recipes were super easy? Well, as luck would have it I probably picked the most complicated one to share with you :) But not to worry, a. it's not very complicated at all, and b. Trinity's got you covered with a video here:
So in case you're not familiar with a Bakewell tart, it's basically a shortbread-type crust pastry, filled with a fruit spread (store-bought or homemade), and topped with an almond-infused sponge cake. Delicious as you might expect!
Note: I paraphrased the directions slightly to keep it shorter given the detailed video. And yes, I did pull out my kitchen scale to make this :) Oh, lastly, The yellower color of my tart is due to a. winter lighting issues ;) and b. the use of agave in place of the rice syrup as a sweetener -- I'm going with rice syrup next time. Lesson learned. Still delicious though... ;)
PrintTrinity's Bakewell Tart
A gluten-free pastry with a shortbread style crust, filled with fruit jam and almond-infused sponge cake. Vegan and refined-sugar free.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 10" tart
- Category: Tart
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 125g rice flour
- 75g tapioca flour (or tapioca starch)
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 4 tablespoons rice syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cake topping:
Dry topping
- 75g rice flour
- 75g tapioca flour
- 50g ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 heaped tablespoon ground flaxseeds
Wet topping
- 75ml rice syrup
- 75ml water
- 75ml coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon almond essence
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Filling:
- A few heaped dessertspoons of sugar-free fruit spread (I took the easy route and stole some of my husband's St. Dalfour fruit-sweetened raspberry jam. A homemade version, like this recipe, will work great too).
Optional topping (my addition): some sliced almonds
Instructions
- Pastry base: Oil a 10" tart dish and set aside. Briefly mix the rice flour, tapioca flour and ground flaxseeds together in a bowl. Add the coconut oil (melt first), rice syrup and vanilla. Mix with a spoon. Once it has started to combine together nicely, use your hands to knead and press it all together until you have one large ball of pastry (if it's cold, the warmth of your hands will soften the dough and make it pliable). Flatten the dough into a disk (or roll out a little if you prefer), and place in the prepared tart pan. Use your hands to "massage" the dough and shape it into a tart shell, evening out any gaps or cracks as needed. When done, put the tart pan in the fridge while working on the next step.
- Cake topping: Preheat oven to 350F (or gas mark 4). Mix all dry topping ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients in a jug. Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl and thoroughly mix in with the dry (a bit of a "fizz" is normal at this stage).
- Assembly: Take the tart pan out of the fridge. Spread an even layer of fruit jam over the base of the tart crust. Pour the cake mixture into the pastry base over the fruit spread (or spoon it on top if it turns a little thick if it's cold in your kitchen). (I topped mine with some sliced almonds at this point).
- Baking: bake for 35 minutes in a pre-heated oven. Remove and cool on a wire rack completely so as to avoid crumbling. Enjoy!
rachel @ athletic avocdado says
I need to try a bakewell tart for myself, this sounds delicious! I really want that book now, it would be the perfect Christmas gift! Maybe ill put it on my list :)
The Real Person!
Hey Rachel -- thank you! And of course I already said it in the review, but I definitely recommend the book. I have it in print & online and I love both versions.
Harriet Emily says
This bakewell tart looks amazing! Even better than the traditional kind!!! I love this write up of Trinity's book, Audrey. All of her recipes sound amazing. I love her blog too, so I definitely need to buy her book. Love that you used St Dalfour jam too - their spreads are delicious!
The Real Person!
When I run out of our own jam, St. Dalfour is my go-to. This summer we were traveling a lot too, so I didn't get to harvest our own berries, etc. for jams, so it's been a savior :)
And totally agree about Trinity's blog & recipes! Highly recommend the book even if just to experience a new way to approach familiar recipes through another's lens.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Well that just looks delish! I've never heard of a bakewell tart!
The Real Person!
I don't blame you -- I've never heard of it either until I started looking through some UK recipes!
The Vegan 8 says
Wow, some amazing looking recipes there! Trinity has such beautiful recipes and they always look delicious!! Looks like a beautiful book! Love all the almonds used in this recipe!
The Real Person!
Thanks Brandi! The book is wonderful -- she did an amazing job! And yes, this is one almondy tart :)
Cynthia says
I have been a fan of Trinity's cooking for some time now - actually, she helped me make the leap from being vegetarian to being vegan. The ingredients for this delicious Bakewell Tart are on my kitchen counter - including rice syrup and not agave!!
Thanks for posting this Audrey - love the pics!!!
The Real Person!
Hi Cynthia -- so sorry for the super delayed replay here. Just wanted to say thank you for your lovely comment. Trinity's recipes are amazing -- so simple and easy to follow, and full of care too. I hope you enjoyed the tart!
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
How fantastic - I love bakewell tart so this made over recipe is very welcome!
The Real Person!
Oh, good Kari! Enjoy it :)
Trinity Bourne says
I am over-joyed to know that my book Angelicious inspired you so!
You are my favourite food photographer, with a dreamy style that makes my heart sing - so I am absolutely delighted to see your photos of some of the Angelicious recipes. With heartful thanks!
x
The Real Person!
Aw, thank you Trinity! It's been such a pleasure to explore your book. It's been weeks now and we still make the black bean burgers for like half our lunches :) and the alfredo made an appearance a few times. The simplicity of the recipes makes them irresistible not to remake over and over :)
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
I saw her video for this and instantly fell in love. I think Bakewell Tarts are definitely something we need to bring to this continent, look sooooo good! I love all the vibrant dishes you've made from her book, you've definitely made the most of it. Trinity is amazing, such a great review Audrey :)
The Real Person!
Her videos always make me smile watching :)
Thanks Natalie!