Mini Raspberry & Lemon Bakewell Tarts

Still on my quest to finding the perfect pensioners party treat, I found a super cute looking tart recipe in "The Great British Bake Off- How To Bake" book. This one being for a mini blueberry bakewell tart recipe. 

They looked perfect! and just enough pretty and not too pretentious. The only problem is that i'm not a huge fan of blueberries, I don't think they really have much taste... Maybe it's just a problem I have :/..

Also, the weather recently has definitely not been optimum for celebratory occasions. So i thought i'd do my own filling, and bring a little sunshine to a very grey and miserable Matlock. (that's where the party was).

I'm all about the raspberries at the moment, and teaming it with lemon really sings out summer and sweetness to me. The result was brilliant, the raspberries were sweet and slightly tart which cut through the sweet almond of the frangipane. And lemon gave the pastry case a zingy, fruity hint.

Even people that were self- proclaimed bakewell tart haters ate more than one! And it was a big hit with the kiddies- so that's gotta be good :)

I'm a bit of a skimper when it comes to decorating, as i usually just wanna stuff them all into my mouth as soon as they come out of the oven... So i'm sure anyone else that follows this recipe can be way more creative!

I wouldn't say this is entirely my recipe as I just adapted my fillings and frills into Mary Berry's recipe. So here it is:

Mini Raspberry & Lemon Bakewell Tarts (makes 12)


Jam

• 125g raspberries
• 1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar (add an extra tbsp if you have more of a sweet tooth)
• A squeeze of lemon juice

Pastry

• 200g plain flour
• 100g unsalted butter, chilled
• 40g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 large egg, beaten
• Zest of 1 lemon

Frangipane

• 55g unsalted butter, softened
• 55g caster sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 40g ground almonds
• 15g plain flour
• Zest of 1 lemon

To Decorate

• 50g icing sugar
• Dribble of water
• Drop of pink food colouring

You'll need

• 1 x 5cm round cutter (I used a cup to cut with, approx. the same size as the base of the holes in the tray)
• 12 hole muffin tray

Here's what to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C / gas 3.
2. Gently heat the ingredients for the jam in a small saucepan. Stir occasionally until the berries lose their watery appearance and the jam becomes thick. Press the jam through a sieve to remove the seeds and leave to cool completely.
3. Sift the flour into a medium bowl and rub in the chilled butter until it forms a fine breadcrumb texture. (Make sure your hands are never too warm when dealing with pastry, as it will result in a tougher pastry, and it won't be as crumbly). Stir in the sugar, and then using a palette knife, cut in the beaten egg. Press the dough into a ball and wrap in clingfilm. Chill for at least 30 mins.
4. Roll out the pastry between a sheet of greaseproof paper and the clingfilm until about 3mm thick. Use the cutter or a cup (like i did) to cut out 12 discs and line the bases of the muffin tray. Cut 12  strips of pastry about 1cm wide and 20cm long, and use these to line the sides of the muffin holes, carefully pressing together with the bases so they seam. Chill again for 15 mins.
5. Beat all the ingredients for the frangipane in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and well combined.
6. Prick the bases of the pastry cases with a fork. Divide the cooled jam among them and top with frangipane. Bake for about 25 mins, or until the frangipane is risen and golden. Cool in the tray for a few minutes, transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
7. Mix up the icing sugar ingredients until it forms a firm yet runny paste, capable of drizzling, and drizzle over the tarts.