Trio of Frangipane Tarts

Based on my usual reluctance to allow others to bake me cakes, it is only fitting that I would do the baking for our wedding. However, instead of the traditional three-tiered iced cake, we decided to create something that much more closely reflected our baking preferences. As my now-wife loves a bakewell tart, our wedding cake featured a traditional almond and raspberry bakewell tart as the centre piece. The middle bake was a dark chocolate and cherry frangipane tart to reflect my love of chocolate desserts. And, finally, as we got married on what would have been my grandma's birthday, the smallest bake had to be a lemon and blackcurrant tart as she would always jump at the chance of having anything lemon-flavoured. The tarts went down a treat and made for a unique wedding cake, and one that I hope my grandma would have also very much enjoyed.

 

Recipe (Bakewell tart) - Makes a 23cm tart

For the pastry: 

• 220g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 110g margarine
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 egg

For the filling:

• 4 tbsp raspberry jam
• 125g margarine
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 eggs
• 125g ground almonds
• 25g plain flour

For the decoration:

• 60g icing sugar
• 1/2 tbsp water
• Flaked almonds, toasted
• Glace cherries, quartered

Firstly, make the pastry. Put the flour and salt into a large bowl and add the margarine. Rub in until breadcrumbs form. Stir in the sugar and then slowly add the egg until the mixture comes together to a rough but not wet dough. Knead briefly then wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out to a circle large enough to line a 23cm tart tin (I find this is easiest between two pieces of clingfilm). Gently lift the pastry into the tart tin and ease into the corners and up the sides, pressing the overhang over the top. Chill for a further 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 200C. Remove the tart tin from the fridge and prick the pastry base several times with a fork. Line the inside with a piece of baking paper and tip in some baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and lift out the baking paper and baking beans. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until baked through. 

Remove and leave for a few minutes to cool. Use a sharp knife to trim the overhang from the edges and neaten it up. Leave it to cool fully. 

Meanwhile, make the frangipane. Cream the margarine and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the almond extract and eggs and whisk in slowly. Tip in the ground almonds and flour and fold in to combined. Spread a layer of raspberry jam in the base of the baked pastry case and top with frangipane. Lower the oven to 180C and bake for 30-40 minutes or until browned. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 

Once cool, make the icing to drizzle by mixing the icing sugar and enough water to make a stiff and slightly runny icing. Pour into a piping bag fitted with an icing nozzle and drizzle over the top of the baked tart. Decorate with the glace cherries and flaked almonds. Leave to set then serve. 

Recipe (Chocolate and cherry tart) - Makes an 18cm tart

For the pastry:

• 115g plain flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 70g margarine
• 25g caster sugar
• 1/2 egg

For the filling:

• 3 tbsp cherry jam
• 75g margarine
• 75g caster sugar
• 75g ground almonds
• 15g plain flour
• 1 1/2 eggs
• 75g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)

For the decoration:

• 40g white chocolate

Firstly, make the pastry. Put the flour, cocoa powder and salt into a large bowl and add the margarine. Rub in until breadcrumbs form. Stir in the sugar and then slowly add the egg until the mixture comes together to a rough but not wet dough. Knead briefly then wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out to a circle large enough to line an 18cm tart tin (I find this is easiest between two pieces of clingfilm). Gently lift the pastry into the tart tin and ease into the corners and up the sides, pressing the overhang over the top. Chill for a further 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 200C. Remove the tart tin from the fridge and prick the pastry base several times with a fork. Line the inside with a piece of baking paper and tip in some baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and lift out the baking paper and baking beans. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes or until baked through. 

Remove and leave for a few minutes to cool. Use a sharp knife to trim the overhang from the edges and neaten it up. Leave it to cool fully. 

Meanwhile, make the frangipane. Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Set aside to cool slightly. Cream the margarine and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and whisk in slowly. Tip in the ground almonds and flour and fold in to combined, followed by the melted chocolate. Spread a layer of cherry jam in the base of the baked pastry case and top with frangipane. Lower the oven to 180C and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 

Once cool, melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Pour into a piping bag fitted with an icing nozzle and drizzle over the top of the baked tart and leave to set. 

Recipe (Lemon and blackcurrant tart) - Makes a 13cm tart

For the pastry (make with the bakewell tart pastry if also baking this):

• 60g plain flour
• 30g margarine
• 15g caster sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 tbsp water 

For the filling:

• 2 tbsp blackcurrant jam
• 50g margarine
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• Zest 1 lemon
• 50g ground almonds 
• 10g plain flour

For the decoration:

• Peel of 1 lemon, sliced thinly
• 20g granulated sugar
• 25ml water
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar, for sprinkling
• 40g icing sugar
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Firstly, make the pastry. Put the flour and salt into a large bowl and add the margarine. Rub in until breadcrumbs form. Stir in the sugar and then slowly add the water until the mixture comes together to a rough but not wet dough. Knead briefly then wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out to a circle large enough to line a 13cm tart tin (I find this is easiest between two pieces of clingfilm). Gently lift the pastry into the tart tin and ease into the corners and up the sides, pressing the overhang over the top. Chill for a further 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 200C. Remove the tart tin from the fridge and prick the pastry base several times with a fork. Line the inside with a piece of baking paper and tip in some baking beans and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and lift out the baking paper and baking beans. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until baked through. 

Remove and leave for a few minutes to cool. Use a sharp knife to trim the overhang from the edges and neaten it up. Leave it to cool fully. 

Meanwhile, make the frangipane. Cream the margarine and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and whisk in slowly. Tip in the lemon zest, ground almonds and flour and fold in to combined. Spread a layer of blackcurrant jam in the base of the baked pastry case and top with frangipane. Lower the oven to 180C and bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 

Meanwhile, make the decoration by putting the water and sugar into a pan and bringing to the boil. Add the lemon peel and boil for 2 minutes, then spoon out into a bowl with the sugar for sprinkling. Toss to coat then tip out onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Leave to cool and harden. Once the tart is cool, make the icing to drizzle by mixing the icing sugar and enough lemon juice to make a stiff and slightly runny icing. Pour into a piping bag fitted with an icing nozzle and drizzle over the top of the baked tart. Decorate with the candied lemon peel and leave to set.