BAKEWELL TART

Use raspberry jam instead of apricot and make a thin layer of glacé
icing for the top rather than dusting with icing sugar if you prefer
– and if you use a ready-made pastry case you can skip the whole
of the first method altogether.
For the pastry
1 oz (25 g) butter or margarine
1 oz (25 g) lard or Cookeen
4 oz (100 g) plain flour
4 tbsp milk (or water, or some of each)
1 tbsp sugar
Method
1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5 (190ºC) and lightly grease a
flan tin or pie dish approximately 1⁄2 in (1.25 cm) deep and 8
in (20 cm) across.
2. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, add the fat in small
pieces and rub in until the mixture resembles medium-fine
breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar.
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour, pour in the milk and/or
water and mix together to make a firm, smooth dough.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, knead for a couple
of minutes then roll out the pastry to fit the flan tin and trim
away the excess.
5. Prick the bottom of the flan with a fork a few times and bake
blind for about 15 minutes until the pastry looks slightly crisp
but not quite golden. (To bake blind: cover the bottom of the
flan case with a piece of greaseproof paper and weigh down
with dried beans, rice or lentils.)
6. Remove the beans and greaseproof paper and return the flan
case to the oven for another 5 minutes to crisp up the pastry.
For the filling
3 oz (75 g) butter or margarine
3 oz (75 g) sugar
2 eggs, separated
3 oz (75 g) self-raising flour
4 tbsp ground almonds
Milk
Apricot jam
Method
1. Put butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat together
with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy.
2. Add the egg yolk all at once, beating continuously to stop the
mixture curdling.
3. Stir in the flour and ground almonds with a metal spoon and
add a splash of milk to get the mixture to a soft, dropping
consistency.
4. Whisk the egg whites till stiff in a separate, much smaller bowl
– don’t bother to clean the blades first – then fold into the rest
of the mixture.
5. Spread the bottom of the flan case with a thick layer of jam
then fill to the top with the cake mixture.
6. Bake in the oven at Gas Mark 5 (190ºC) for about 25 minutes.
Allow to cool and dust with icing sugar.