Sugar Free Bakewell Tarts

These sugar free Bakewell tarts are perfect for a tasty treat that is totally worth a little bit of faff. Convince the sugar free skeptics in your life with these sweet tartlets!

A few weeks ago, I told my husband I wanted to try and make a sugar free version of a Bakewell tart and immediately sent him out to buy a ton of ground almonds and fruit.

I decided to make a classic raspberry version using frozen raspberries, but I have also successfully replaced the raspberries with the same amount of chopped fresh plums if you want a slightly different Bakewell with a fun twist!

This twist on the classic has all of the usual delicious flavours, but is full of fresh ingredients and none of the sugar. When I brought it to a gathering of sugar-eating friends, family & strangers, it went down very well, so it’s a perfect recipe to make for any sugar eating skeptics. One of my friends even said it tasted sweeter than the other sugary treats that were on the table, so feel free to reduce the sweetener even further if you want to. I certainly will next time.

I tried making a Bakewell tart with the classic icing on top using xylitol ground in a coffee grinder mixed with some milk and sugar free vanilla extract, but to be honest, I believe it is far too sweet and tastes far better without so I decided not to include it in the recipe as it’s not worth the faff and extra sweetener in my opinion. However, if you want to give it a go, you are very welcome to follow the same method – it does work! If you are happy with none, I would definitely recommend sticking to just raspberries and frangipane as below though.

After all, you can still get cravings for and addiction to sweet things if you are eating a lot of sweet-tasting goodies, even if they are sugar free! So we tend to feel less is more every time…

I am sure Mary Berry would call these sugar free Bakewell tarts “informal” in presentation, but since this was pastry rolled just before bed, coulis drizzled while kids clung to my legs, and cream melting by a warm oven, I’d be pleased with “informal” to be honest!

Little hands can:

• make the pastry by adding ingredients to the blender and pushing the buttons
• roll the pastry out (with help)
• spread the jam and frangipane in the case
• drizzle with the coulis and top with raspberries

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Sugar Free Bakewell Tarts

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Total Time

1 hr 20 mins

 

A sugar free take on a classic Bakewell Tart, still totally delicious and full of fresh ingredients.

Servings: 1 large tart, or 8 mini ones

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 1 and 1/4 cups (175g) plain flour (or a mix of wholemeal and plain)
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (90g) cold butter
• 1 tbsp xylitol, optional
• 1 egg, beaten

Jam:

• 1 cup (175g) frozen raspberries
• 2-3 tbsp xylitol
• 2-3 tsp cornflour, it needs to be a fairly thick jam but not solid!

Frangipane:

• 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp (100g) butter
• 3/4 cup (100g) ground almonds
• 1/3 cup (60-70g) xylitol (use less each time you make it if you can)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp almond extract or Amaretto (more to taste if you want a strong almond flavour)
• fresh or frozen raspberries, to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 190C/375F/gas 5.
2. Make pastry: combine flour and butter in a mixer and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (about 10 secs), add xylitol and egg, and blitz until the dough just comes together, adding a little ice cold water if necessary. Bring dough into a ball with your hands, flatten into a disc and cover in cling film. Chill in the fridge for half an hour while you make the jam.
3. Make jam: Tip plums or raspberries into a saucepan with the xylitol and heat oven medium heat until the fruit starts to break down and the xylitol is dissolved. Mix the cornflour in a separate bowl with just enough water to make a paste, then whisk in to the jam mixture and allow to simmer until it is the desired consistency , checking on it and stirring regularly to make sure it doesn't catch (repeat cornflour process with additional cornflour if it is struggling to thicken). Pour jam into a cold bowl and allow to cool, then chill in the fridge while you bake the pastry.

4. Bake pastry: Roll out the chilled dough and line a lightly greased 23cm (9") tart tin with it (or 8 mini tart tins). Place greaseproof paper or tin foil on top of the pastry case and fill with ceramic baking beans or rice and blind bake in the preheated oven for 10 mins, until the sides are just starting to go a light golden colour. Remove the paper and beans, and put the pastry case back in the oven for another 5-10 mins, until the whole thing is lightly golden. Allow to cool while you make the frangipane.

5. Make the frangipane: Cream together all of the ingredients until you have a smooth, slightly grainy mixture.
6. Assemble the tart: Get your cooled pastry case and spread the jam in a thick layer on the bottom. Top gently with the frangipane (if you want to, piping it may help avoid the jam and frangipane mixing, but this is not necessary).

7. Turn the oven down to 180C/350F/gas 4 and bake the tart for 25-30 mins (0r 20-25 mins for mini tarts), turning halfway through so that the tart is beautifully golden all over.

8. Allow the tart to cool completely. Serve topped with fresh or frozen raspberries, either as they are or pushed through a sieve to make a coulis. Cream is also yummy with this!

Looking for more fun bakes that are a little more challenging than a basic 15-30 minute one? Check out our weekend bakes here.