Another birthday this past weekend meant only one thing, another cake! Or should I say, tart! This is a beautiful twist on a vegan Bakewell tart recipe. The added apricots give a sweet/ sourness to the crumbly pastry and the added frangipane centre is just so soft and yum.
I prefer desserts that aren't too sweet, so limit the sugar a little bit but if you want a bit more sweetness in your life feel free to up the amount.
This recipe makes about 8-10 portions
For the pastry:
250g plain flour
40g icing sugar
Pinch of salt
150g vegan block butter (MUST be the solid kind not the spreadable kind.) cold and diced
Cold water if needed, optional
For the frangipane:
80g vegan butter, melted
130g caster sugar
60g plain flour
1 Tbsp cornflour
90ml non-dairy milk
200g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp almond extract
For the jam:
300g apricots (+ about 4/5 more to chop and decorate with)
1 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp caster sugar, or more if you like it sweeter.
Juice of 1 lemon
Begin with the pastry. Start by combining the flour, icing sugar and salt in a bowl and mix well together.
Add the cold, diced vegan butter and rub in to the flour using your fingertips until it is a crumbly mixture.
If needed, gradually add small amounts of the cold water to bring the pastry together into a ball.
Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a circle big enough to line your tart tin. Press the pastry right into the corners then roll over the top with a rolling pin to trim off the excess.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Prick the base of the pastry shell all over with a fork then place in the freezer for 20 minutes until solid.
Line the pastry case with tin foil, pressing it right into the corners then fill with baking beans or dried rice, making sure that the foil goes up the sides of the tart.
Bake for 20 minutes then remove the tin foil and baking beans and return the tart shell to the oven for a further 10 minutes until pale golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
To make the Jam, dice the apricots, put a pan on a low heat and add all of the jam ingredients. Stir continuously until it starts to thicken and the juice starts to evaporate. Turn off the heat and allow to cool before transferring to the fridge. It should set like Jam in an hour or two.
To make the frangipane, whisk together the melted butter and the sugar then whisk in the flour and cornflour. Gradually whisk in the milk then finally add in the ground almonds, baking powder and almond extract. Whisk until everything is combined well.
Spread a layer of the apricot jam over the base of the pastry shell then spoon the frangipane on top and spread it level. Slice up your apricots and decorate the top of your tart with the pieces.
Bake the tart for 30-45 minutes until golden and the filling is set. You can loosely cover the tart with tin foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking if it starts to get too dark before the filling is cooked.
Allow to cool before serving. The tart is best eaten on the day it is baked but will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
