Recipe: Peanut Butter & Jam Bakewell Tart

One of the bakes that instantly reminds me of childhood family time is a Bakewell Tart. I have no idea why really; my Grandma occasionally made one, but I was never a huge fan. Perhaps its the fact that a Bakewell Tart looks so traditionally ‘English’ that makes me feel all nostalgic? Either way, when I say that July’s theme for the Bumpkin Betty Baking Club was Family Favourites, I instantly knew I wanted to update this classic recipe. And as luck would have it, BBC Good Food Magazine featured a PBJ adaptation a few months ago. Que playing around with the recipe and coming up with this…

And damn, it was good!

Crisp, bitter, chocolatey pastry. Sweet fruit jam. Moist nutty filling. Easy enough to eat outside, perhaps at a picnic. Absolutely delicious served with a dollop of yoghurt – which definitely did not form my breakfast for a few days after baking. With my love for peanut butter, I found this far more enjoyable than the standard Bakewell Tart, and considering this photos were taken at 9pm it doesn’t look half bad either!

The proportions from the original recipe have changed. The pastry was crumbly and fragile, breaking off in the oven and generally being difficult to handle; my version is a little easier, though still far more tempermental than standard shortcrust. I’ve upped the jam quantity in the filling, and reduced the icing. And the leftover egg yolk? Just use in a carbonara!

Ingredients (Pastry)

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 200g plain flour
• 150g salted butter, very cold, cut into small cubes
• 2-2½ tbsp water, very cold

Ingredients (Filling)

• 175g smooth peanut butter
• 75g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 120g butter, softened
• 125g golden caster sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg white
• 125g seedless raspberry jam

Ingredients (Topping)

• 20g roasted peanuts
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 2 tsp seedless raspberry jam

Start off by prepping the pastry. Pop the dry ingredients into a bowl and add the chilled butter. Rub the mixture together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Drizzle iced water over the flour and butter mixture, and use a knife i to mix until combined and the mixture begins to hold together. Bring the pastry together with your hands and transfer to a lightly floured, cool benchtop. Lightly knead the pastry until smooth and soft. Shape the pastry into a ball, wrap in cling-film and place in the fridge for around an hour to rest.

Roll out on a floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin, then use to line a 23cm tart tin. Line with baking paper and weight with baking beans (uncooked rice is a storecupboard substitute, just don’t use it for eating afterwards!). Bake at 180C for 15 minutes, before removing the baking paper and baking for an additional 5 minutes. Trim the edges and leave to cool slightly.

Whilst the pastry is baking, make the filling. Cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour and baking powder – the mix should be smooth and creamy.

Spread the pastry case with the jam. You want a good thick layer (the original recipe had a major jam shortage!). Top with the filling, then bake for 45 mins. The filling will be slightly risen and golden. Allow to cool completely – to avoid a soggy bottom, cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack.

For the icing, mix the jam and icing sugar together, and drizzle over the tart. Roughly chop the peanuts and scatter over – and there you have it. A modern take on Grandma’s Bakewell Tart.

I loved this tart. So often peanutty bakes can be dry, but this was lovely; moist, flavoursome and a little bit quirky. I loved the fruity kick from the jam, the crunch from the nuts and the bitterness of the pastry case. Definitely one I’ll be making again!

Have you joined in Bumpkin Betty’s Baking Club? What’s your favorite recipe from your childhood?