Apple Bakewell Tart #AppleWeek

A sweet almond cake with a ribbon of caramel apple jam, this Apple Bakewell Tart is a delicious fall twist on an British classic.

This post is sponsored on behalf of #AppleWeek. Our generous sponsors, Swiss Diamond, Envy Apples, Imperial Sugar, Nordic Ware, Rodelle Vanilla, Flahavan’s Irish Oatmeal, Nairn’s and The Spice House have provided us with products for recipe creation and a giveaway for our readers. As always, all opinions are my own.

A sweet almond cake with a ribbon of caramel apple jam, this Apple Bakewell Tart is a delicious twist on an British classic.

Today’s recipe will be my last recipe for #AppleWeek, and it’s a goodie. I’ve been waiting months to make it, and it did not disappoint!

You see, I’ve had a Bakewell Tart on my baking bucket list for a while. Not only are they always so pretty, but every blog or social media post promised a rich almond flavor – my personal favorite cake flavor. So when I received this gorgeous light blue-green quiche and tart pan from Nordic Ware, I knew instantly that a Bakewell Tart was going to happen. I just needed to tweak the traditional recipe a bit.

This tart stands out from others, with its rich almond flavor and a ribbon of jam that runs between the pastry crust and almond cake. It goes perfectly with coffee or tea, and was a fabulous breakfast, snack and dessert the other week.

A sweet almond cake with a ribbon of caramel apple jam, this Apple Bakewell Tart is a delicious twist on an British classic.

Recipe Notes

  • A traditional British Bakewell Tart has a pastry crust, a ribbon of raspberry jam, and topped with a sweet almond cake. Sliced almonds are optional, but appear to be common, based on my research. I’ve even seen one recipe with an optional drizzle of icing.
  • In the spirit of #AppleWeek and the slowly approaching fall, I used homemade caramel apple jam in this recipe.
  • The tart crust: I did not use the “plain, all-butter” dough recipe that was suggested in the recipe by Dorie Greenspan. I tried the first time and just couldn’t get the dough to work. I ended up with a sweeter dough, a Basic Tart Dough from Williams Sonoma (links to both below the recipe).
  • I used a couple of ingredients from our #appleweek sponsors in this recipe – sugar from Imperial Sugar and gourmet vanilla extract from Rodelle Vanilla. These are ingredients I’ve used in the past and loved, otherwise I would not be using them today.

A sweet almond cake with a ribbon of caramel apple jam, this Apple Bakewell Tart is a delicious twist on an British classic.

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A sweet almond cake with a ribbon of caramel apple jam, this Apple Bakewell Tart is a delicious twist on an British classic.

Apple Bakewell Tart

A sweet almond cake with a ribbon of caramel apple jam, this Apple Bakewell Tart is a delicious twist on an British classic.
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Servings 12
Author Liz

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Crust:

  • 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/3 c. granulated sugar
  • 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 Tbs. very cold water
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • cooking spray

Ingredients for the Apple Bakewell Tart:

  • 1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp. almond extract
  • 1 1/4 c. almond flour
  • 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 pinch of fine sea salt
  • 1 c. caramel apple jam
  • 1/3 c. sliced almonds

Instructions

Make the Crust:

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.

  2. Add flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment. Stir together on lowest speed until combined.

  3. Increase speed to medium and add butter, beating until butter is no larger than pea-shaped pieces.

  4. In a small bowl, lightly whisk egg yolk, water and vanilla until just combined. Add to dry ingredients and beat on medium speed until dough comes together.

  5. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured workspace. Form into a disk. Then, roll out dough evenly, flipping and rotating every so often so the dough doesn't stick to workspace (add more flour if needed). Roll into a circle, about 1/8-inch thick.

  6. Transfer dough to a tart pan that is 10-inches in diameter and has a removable bottom. Press along bottom and sides, using your fingers to trim off any excess dough. Spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and place on top of dough. Top with pie weights. Place filled tart pan on top of a cookie sheet, for baking.

  7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove pie weights and foil and return to oven, baking for another 3 minutes, until just starting to brown. Remove from oven and set on a wire rack to cool.

Make the Filling:

  1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer still running, add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down sides of the bowl and add almond extract.

  2. Reduce speed to low and add sea salt, baking powder, almond flour and all-purpose flour, a little at a time. Mix until just incorporated. Scrape down sides of the bowl and give one more mix, with a rubber spatula, if needed.

Assemble & Bake the Tart

  1. With a thin spatula or butter knife, spread jam along the bottom of the crust, covering the bottom as best as possible.

  2. Top jam with tart filling, doing your best to spread evenly across the top. It's ok if a little jam peeks out - it'll settle in baking.

  3. Top with slivered almonds.

  4. Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes, checking partway through. If the top is browning too quickly, cover edges with aluminum foil. The tart is done when the top is firm and is puffed up all the way to the center. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

A sweet almond cake with a ribbon of caramel apple jam, this Apple Bakewell Tart is a delicious twist on an British classic.

The tart dough was adapted from Williams Sonoma. The Bakewell Tart recipe was adapted from Dorie Greenspan via the New York Times.

A sweet almond cake with a ribbon of caramel apple jam, this Apple Bakewell Tart is a delicious twist on an British classic.

Friday #AppleWeek Recipes:

Friday #AppleWeek Recipes

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Disclaimer: Thank you AppleWeek Sponsors: Swiss Diamond, Nordic Ware, Envy Apples, Imperial Sugar, The Spice House, Rodelle Vanilla, Flahavan’s Irish Oats and Nairn’s  for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The AppleWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Seven (7) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The AppleWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the AppleWeek posts or entry.

{Guest Post} Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

This chocolate peanut butter pie was included in Food & Wine’s Best of the Best cookbook compilations. The creator of the pie says that this pie is always included in her restaurant, The Loveless Cafe in Nashville.
 
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
 
If you’re looking to indulge, or simply to drool over some gorgeous photos of desserts, I highly recommend checking out Eva Bakes. I first teamed with Eva when she reached out about doing a bake along from the Bouchon Bakery cookbook. She ended up with a perfectly formed rum cake. I ended up with one that fell apart and turned into a rum cake trifle. Since then, I’ve watched her post baked goods that I’ve consistently bookmarked and added to the stack of recipes I had to try.  Eva, thanks for joining me and my readers today! I can’t wait to try out this recipe as well!
 

Hi everyone! My name is Eva, and I blog over at Eva Bakes. I want to thank Liz for allowing me guest post on her blog today.

I’m willing to bet that most of you reading this are peanut butter fans. Am I right? How about chocolate peanut butter? That’s supposed to be the ultimate peanut butter combination, as I hear. Well, I am one of those very strange birds that doesn’t like peanut butter. This has nothing to do with allergies. I just don’t like the taste or texture of peanut butter. That’s OK – more for you.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Anyway, my husband bought me a cookbook by Food & Wine called Best of the Best. It’s a compilation of the 25 best cookbooks they found in 2012 (yes, I know… I am making this recipe 3 years late. Sigh). Since I am a dessert blogger, I went straight to the dessert section.
 

Since my husband is a peanut butter fanatic, I wanted to make this pie for him. He was gone on a business trip for a few days, and my 4-year and I decided to surprise him with this pie. The pie was actually easier than I imagined to put together and didn’t take as much time as I originally thought. When my husband returned from his trip, he was excited to find this pie in the refrigerator and asked when he would be able to eat a slice.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

If you enjoyed this recipe or are a fan of sweets, I hope you’ll stop by my blog sometime and check out all my desserts!
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

This chocolate peanut butter pie was included in Food & Wine's Best of the Best cookbook compilations. The creator of the pie says that this pie is always included in her restaurant, The Loveless Cafe in Nashville.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10
Author Liz

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Crust:

  • 1 c. graham cracker or vanilla wafer crumbs you can use chocolate sandwich cookies too
  • 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
  • 3 Tbs. unsalted butter melted

Ingredients for the Filling:

  • 1/2 c. light brown sugar packed
  • 3/4 c. light corn syrup
  • 1/2 c. heavy cream
  • 1/2 c. smooth peanut butter do not use natural or homemade
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs

Ingredients for the Ganache:

  • 8 oz. dark chocolate chopped finely
  • 1 c. heavy cream

Instructions

Make the Crust:

  1. Process the crumbs in a food processor or high-powered blender. If you don't have either of these, you can put the cookies in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin or other cylinder-like object (like a bottle of wine). Transfer to a medium bowl and add the sugar. Mix well. Then add the melted butter and mix until the crumbs resemble wet sand. Transfer the crumbs to a 9-inch pie pan and press the crumbs on the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Set aside.

  2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the Filling:

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, corn syrup, cream, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth and free of lumps. Add the eggs until well incorporated and pour the batter into the prepared crust.

  2. Bake in your preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the edges are puffy and the center is soft (it may appear underbaked, which is OK).
  3. Allow the pie to cool while you prepare the ganache.

Make the Ganache:

  1. Placed the chopped chocolate in a medium sized bowl. Microwave (or heat in a saucepan) the heavy cream until very hot. Pour over the chopped chocolate and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate together until smooth. Pour this over the pie. If desired, garnish with chopped peanuts. Allow the pie to cool and the ganache to set completely. You can also serve with dollops of whipped cream.

  2. Any leftover pie should be stored in the refrigerator and will keep for several days.

Recipe Notes

Yield: One 9-inch pie, about 8-10 servings

Source: Slightly adapted from Alisa Huntsman, via Food & Wine: Best of the Best; pages 105-106.

This chocolate peanut butter pie was included in Food & Wine's Best of the Best cookbook compilations. The creator of the pie says that this pie is always included in her restaurant, The Loveless Cafe in Nashville.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie on Books n' Cooks

Blackberry Coconut Macaroon Tart

I bookmark a lot of recipes. A LOT. Way more than I ever get to make.

It’s sad really. There are so many fabulous sounding recipes out there and because of time, energy, various dietary restrictions, general pickiness… I only get to try a small fraction of those that I bookmark, and often a long time after I bookmarked it. This recipe (and the last recipe I blogged) were both on my to-make list for over two years. It’s such a shame that I am not able to spend more time in the kitchen because both recipes were winners in my book.

This blackberry coconut macaroon tart tasted amazing. I loved the coconut taste but I’ve never thought to pair a berry with it. The burst of freshness from the blackberry was refreshing, but, I’m happy to say, didn’t outshine the wonderful coconut flavor. My only complaint about the tart was that it was very crumbly. I noted in the directions below where I’d add a little extra butter to help remedy the problem.

Since I’ve recently pulled two (fabulous) recipes buried deep within pages of bookmarks, I thought I’d ask whether there are any recipes that took you forever to make, that you loved once you did get around to making it? Are there any recipes that you’ve had bookmarked forever, and still haven’t gotten around to making? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Blackberry Coconut Macaroon Tart

Blackberry Coconut Macaroon Tart

Adapted from Super Natural Every Day (by Heidi Swanson) via Smitten Kitchen

Makes 1 tart

Ingredients for the Crust:

  •  1 c. plus 2 Tbs. white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 c. plus 1 Tbs. unsweetened finely shredded coconut (I found it in the organic food aisle)
  • 1/2 c. plus 1 Tbs. natural cane sugar (such as Sugar in the Raw)
  • Heaping 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
  • 6 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted (more if your dough doesn’t come together)
  • Additional unsalted butter for greasing the pan

Ingredients for the Filling: 

  • 1 1/2 c. unsweetened finely shredded coconut
  • 6 Tbs. natural cane sugar
  • 3 large egg whites
  •  6 oz. fresh blackberries

Make the Crust: Ensure a rack is positioned in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom with parchment paper. Generously grease the parchment paper and sides of the pan. 

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, coconut, sugar and salt. Stir in melted butter until well combined. If your crust is too dry, add 1-2 Tbs. more melted butter (add 1 Tbs. at a time). Press into prepared ban so that mixture firms a solid layer across the bottom, like shortbread.

Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile prepare the topping. Stir together coconut, sugar and egg whites.

When crust has cooled slightly, scatter blackberries evenly over the crust. Using your fingers, dollop topping around and over blackberries. Make sure at least some blackberries remain at least partially uncovered.

Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, until tart is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.

Serve at room temperature.

Cranberry Pear Tart

My hubby’s family does pecan pie and pumpkin pie every Thanksgiving. For Christmas, my mother-in-law makes piles upon piles of her “candies,” my favorites being the peanut butter balls and the Oreo truffles. My family makes this. At both. Because it’s just that good, and we only can enjoy cranberries for so long.

A cranberry pear tart. It’s bright pink. It’s a little tart from the cranberries, but the pear mellows it out. But my favorite part is that little half a teaspoon of cardamon that’s in the fruit filling. So little spice but so much flavor. Cardamom is really an underused spice, but it really makes this tart stand out from almost all other pies and tarts that I’ve ever had. So snag the last bag of cranberries from your local grocer (and maybe an extra bag for the freezer) and give this tart a shot

Cranberry Pear Tart

Adapted from Fine Cooking No. 74 p. 71 (also online here)

Ingredients for the Walnut Shortbread Crust:

  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 Tbs. half-and-half
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 3 Tbs. granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 c. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
  • 1/3 c. walnuts, toasted and finely chopped (I use the food processor)

Ingredients for the Cranberry Pear Filling:

  • 3 large ripe pears, such as Anjou or Bartlett
  • 2 c. fresh cranberries, picked through and rinsed
  • 1 Tbs. brandy
  • 2/3 c. granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp.  all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. ground allspice
  • 1/8 tsp. salt

Ingredients for the Crumble Topping:

  • 1/3 c. plus 1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Make the Walnut Shortbread Crust:

  1. Ensure a rack is in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
  2. In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add butter one piece at a time, pulsing until mixture resembles peas. With the mixture running, slowly add egg yolk, half-and-half, and vanilla. Allow food processor to run until dough just starts to come together, 10-20 seconds. Transfer dough to bowl.
  3. Add walnuts to dough in bowl. With your hands, mix in walnuts. Dough will be crumbly.
  4. Turn out dough into a 9 1/2-in. round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press dough up first against the sides and then against the bottom to form a 1/4-in. thick crust.
  5. Pierce dough on the bottom of the tart pan with a fork, and then freeze for 10 minutes.
  6. Remove from freezer and set dough on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until crust begins to darken and bottom is set. Transfer to a cooling rack and lower temperature to 350°F.

Make the Fruit Filling & Crumble Topping:

  1. Prepare the fruit: Peel pears. Quarter them, core, and cut into 1/4-in. thick slices. Coarsely chop cranberries in a food processor.
  2. Assemble the filling: In a medium bowl, toss pears, cranberries, and brandy. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to fruit mixture and toss until all fruit is evenly coated. Spoon fruit into pie crust, evening it out and patting it down slightly with a spoon.
  3. Make the Crumble Topping: In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add melted butter and vanilla. Combine with a spoon (or your fingers) until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly on top of fruit.
  4. Bake for 50 minutes, until fruit is tender and the topping and edges of crust are beginning to brown. Remove from oven and set on a baking rack to cool.

Storage: Store at room temperature, covered in plastic wrap. Tart will keep 2-3 days.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

A friend made this recipe a couple years ago, my first ever pecan pie. Now that I’m in charge of Thanksgiving desserts, I figured we’d gift it a whirl for myself. The pie was good – it was all gone!

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Adapted from: Betty Crocker

Ingredients for the Crust:

* 1 c. all-purpose flour
* 1/4 tsp. table salt
* 1/3 c. plus 1 Tbs. shortening
* 2-3 Tbs. cold water

Ingredients for the Pecan Filling:

* 2/3 c. sugar
* 1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted (I used 1/4 c. unsalted butter, see note below)
* 1 c. corn syrup
* 2 Tbs. bourbon (optional)
* 1/2 tsp. table salt
* 3 eggs
* 1 c. pecan halves or broken pieces
* 1 c. (or 1 6 oz. bag) semisweet chocolate chips

Note: Betty Crocker says you can decrease the butter to 1/4 a cup and the pecans to only 1/2 a cup if you wanted to make this recipe a bit healthier. Nutrition information, compliments of Betty Crocker, is based on full portions of both ingredients.

Make the Crust:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Combine flour and salt. Then, using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until combined. The mixture will be slightly lumpy.

Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, “tossing” with a fork after each addition. The dough should be moist and will leave the sides of the bowl. If necessary, add an extra teaspoon of water.

Lightly flour the countertop. Pull dough into a ball and flatten on the prepared counter. The directions said to….. Roll the dough into a circle that is 2 inches larger than the upside-down pie plate (about 9 inches around) and then transfer to pie plate. Press dough against the bottom and sides. Leave a 1-inch overhang around the pie plate, and trim the rest off. Fold or roll the 1-inch overhang so that the dough is even with the plate….

But I had trouble rolling the dough, so instead flattened it as much as possible with my hand, and then manually fitted dough to the pie plate. It wasn’t the prettiest pie crust, but it was still nice and flaky, and was actually my favorite part!

Set the pie crust aside (nope, don’t bake yet!)

Make the Filling:

In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar, corn syrup, bourbon, salt and eggs until combined.

With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Pour filling into prepared pie crust.

Cover edge of pie with a 2-3 inch strop of foil to prevent burning. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until pie is set. Remove the foil after about 30 minutes of baking.

Let the pie cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until chilled, before serving.