The 23rd April, the day before we left for our whirlwind trip to the UK, was St George´s Day. Yes, he who slayed the dragon and is the Patron Saint of England despite not having a very clear connection to my place of birth. Although this is not typically celebrated as special day in England, I decided to make something to remind me of it in honour of the day.
A traditional Bakewell Tart consists of a pastry base with a jam and sponge filling with almonds and may well have originated in the town of Bakewell in England. I´d be happy to be enlightened. The version of this delicious dessert is a cake and was inspired by a BBC Good Food recipe. As ever, I had to adapt!
Ingredients
- 140g finely ground almonds
- 140g softened butter
- 140g caster sugar (the recipe calls for golden caster sugar)
- 140g self raising flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- About 5 tablespoons of strawberry jam (this was my main change as the recipe calls for 250g fresh raspberries)
- 2 tbsp flaked almonds
- Icing sugar to decorate
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and base-line and grease a deep 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Blitz the ground almonds, butter, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla extract in a food processor until well combined.
Spread half the mix over the cake tin and smooth over the top. Scatter the raspberries over (I spooned over the jam) , then dollop the remaining cake mixture on top and roughly spread – you might find this easier to do with your fingers. Scatter with flaked almonds and bake for 50 mins until golden. Cool in the tin then remove and dust with icing sugar to serve.
Chica Andaluza 
This sounds positively delicious Tanya! I so love almond cakes – and with raspberries! I’m off to visit my daughter and I think I know what we’ll be cooking up! Jolly good Saint George!
When I can get hold of some raspberries I´ll definitely make another one as it was so easy to put together! Hope you enjoy it if you try it.
Very good cake, and I like the dusting with icing sugar.
Makes you sneeze when you eat it 🙂
This sounds like a very flavorful cake, Tanya. I really enjoy almond flavoring in just about any dessert. I actually have all of the ingredients required, which is unusual for me when it comes to dessert recipes. I have to get some people over here for dinner so that I can bake this. Without the dinner guests, I’d eat the whole cake in an embarrassingly short amount of time. 🙂
I love it when I see a recipe and as I read the list I think “yes, got that…yes, got that too”! It is so easy to mix up and I won´t tell anyone if you scoff the lot!
I love the rustic look on it, so traditional. Looks so yummy as well
Yes, it was just blended, popped in the tin and baked…nothing fussy about this cake at all!
If I slay a dragon, can I have some? Where does one find a dragon?
I think there may still be one or two lurking around Camden Market at weekends 😉
I was there on Saturday and totally missed my chance.
They had probably all been slayed the week before! Go off to Sainsbury´s instead and buy some Mr Kipling´s Bakewell Tarts with a cherry on top 😉
Aaaaaarh!!!!! I got on the scales this morning and have sworn off cake before I explode. And here you are tempting me with yummy deliciousness! Stoppit!
Seriously though…I’m printing that recipe off now and adding it to my file for the next coffee morning with the girls.
I bet you are still doing well – all the photos of you show you looking very sleek! I seem to have been doing a bit of baking lately, which is unlike me as I just don´t need to be eating cake but this is one that I too will be making again as it was so quick to do. Think it took longer for the oven to heat up than to make the cake 😉
Photos can be deceptive…I’ve put on a little weight since they closed down my slimming class! 😦 It’s the treats that are the problem. So I’m cutting back on them for a little while and pestering The Husband to dig my bike out of the back of the garage and service it ready for when the weather changes.
Well stick with it! I fight a constant battle with the extra kilos, but think I´ve got it into perspective now…I´ll most likely never be a skinny minnie as I enjoy my food too much, but I know I have to be healthy to feel better and enjoy the lovely life I´m lucky enough to have. I expect your little ones keep you on yours toes too 🙂
This looks so delicious and cozy, perfect for eating with a glass of milk, or a cup of coffee. I love cakes like this.
….and when you get your oven….!
Yummy! I love bakewell tart and yours looks delicious
It´s a sort of cheeky sneaky shortcut version, but then I am a cheeky sneaky sort of cook sometimes!
That sounds amazing…no almonds in the pantry. Must remedy that, right away!
Oh yes, get that sorted pronto!
I can’t help you with the history of the Bakewell cake.. but I can help you with eating a slice of yours;)
That´s even better – who needs history when there´s cake?!
I love Bakewell Tart, yours looks delicious. The only time I tiries to make it, it was a disaster… Like an almondy omelette with jam, nightmare! I think it had too many eggs or I did try and grind my own almonds too… Never again. Can I pop round for tea?
Well, I cheated and did this cakey version, the mixture was quite thick but I resisted tinkering too much with it (and also used my new silicone cake “tin” for the first time and it turned out well. The kettle´s on…..!
This cake looks great and sounds delicious.
Thank you so much!
This looks nice! And St George is also patron saint of Catalunya, which is a bit nearer to where you’re living now!
That´s right – I think he´s a popular patron Saint all round. Must be on account of the dragon slaying 😉
I love Bakewell Tart and your cake via the BBC sounds delicious! A great way to celebrate any day !
Three cheers for the Beeb! It was funny as with the almonds, it felt and tasted quite Mediterranean too 🙂
I’d always heard of Bakewell tart, but didn’t know what it was. Now I’ve learned something. Plus your cake looks divine!
Thanks Michelle – I don´t make many cakes (don´t need all that temptation!) but this is such an easy one to pull together I´ll think it will be a regular!
Yay I have some serious sweet tooth pangs reading this one and, as luck would have it, have a bunch of home made strawverry jam in the cupboard and a new BIG bag of ground almonds. Need to bake. Thanks Chica.
Go forth and bake!
Looks wonderful!
Tasted pretty good too!
I just rediscovered self rising flour, and bought so much of it! I will have to try this recipe:]
For a while here I had to make my own, but it´s easier when you can buy it 🙂 Happy Baking!
They were ringing bells for St. George’s on the Archers, but a cake is a far better way to celebrate if you ask me!
Ooh, The Archers, I really should get on line and start listening to that again! Glad they celebrated, but cake is indeed probably more fun 😉
I agree, this does look like a great cake to eat before you go out to slay some dragons, poor wee dragons! That George. Did he not realise that they were on the endangered species list!!
I think they only became endangered after he had finished slaying them 😉
Look superb I was just telling Tandy, everyone is making cakes! I need to make a cake!
It´s funny – we seem to cook in “cycles” together!
Your cake sounds simple to make and very good. I love a dessert with almonds…it’s one of my favorite nuts.
Mine too and we have plenty of them round here!
Hi Chica, that’s a beautiful looking cake – I haven’t had a bakewell tart or cake in ages. I will have to try and make one sometime as I’ve never actually made one before!
It was a first for me too!
Almonds and cakes are a match made in heaven 🙂
I love the look of the cake and I can only imagine the taste..yum!
They are indeed a great match. I liked it because it wasn´t overly sweet.
I made a bakewell tart once, it was yummy – this cake looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it! and so easy too, Chica! You’re very inventive!! 🙂
Thank you – I am determined to tackle a proper tart though soon!
They are really easy, no tackling necessary, you’ll ace it!
Seems like Google trashed this one too 😦
I’m glad I found it – it looks like a great cake 😉
I will have to have serious words with Google….!