Bakewell Tart With Cranberry Sauce

By Clare de Boer

Bakewell Tart With Cranberry Sauce
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
About 2½ hours, plus chilling
Rating
4(104)
Comments
Read comments

A layer of cranberry sauce below orange-scented almond frangipane is the perfect balance of tart and sweet. It’s a holiday play on Britain’s beloved Cherry Bakewell tart that gives you a reason to make extra sauce — or a good excuse to use up leftovers. Temperatures are key to the result: The cranberry sauce needs to be slightly warm to spread over the prebaked pie crust, and the frangipane must be fridge-cold to prevent it from splitting in the oven.

Featured in: The Shortcut to Crisp, Tender Pie Crust

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Ingredients

Yield:One 11-inch tart (about 10 servings)

    For the Crust and Serving

    For the Almond Frangipane

    • 1¼cups/285 grams unsalted butter (2½ sticks), at room temperature
    • 1½cups/300 grams granulated sugar
    • 1teaspoon fresh orange zest (from ½ navel orange)
    • 3large eggs
    • 2½packed cups/285 grams fine almond meal

    For the Cranberry Sauce (see Note)

    • 7ounces/200 grams fresh or frozen cranberries
    • ½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
    • 1tablespoon fresh navel orange juice
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the Shortcut Pie Crust through Step 3.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the almond frangipane: In a food processor, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and orange zest until pale and fluffy, about 30 seconds. With the machine running, add eggs one at a time, emulsifying each one fully before adding the next, and scraping down the sides of the work bowl as needed. Fold in the almond meal and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

  3. Step 3

    Working over an 11-inch fluted tart shell, prepare the Shortcut Pie Crust through Step 4, then chill, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. (This can be done ahead.)

  4. Step 4

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chilled crust until just cooked but not browned, about 15 minutes. (The crust will continue to cook while the tart bakes, so expect it to darken in color when it bakes the second time.) Set aside to cool completely, about 1 hour, while you make the filling.

  5. Step 5

    If you are making your own cranberry sauce, combine cranberries, granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries fully break down, 20 to 25 minutes. Add orange juice near the end of cooking. Set aside. (You should have about ¾ cup sauce.)

  6. Step 6

    Spread the cranberry sauce in an even layer over the base of the cooled crust. It is easiest to do this when the cranberry sauce is slightly warm. (If you are using chilled sauce from the refrigerator, warm it slightly first before spreading.) Scoop the almond frangipane on top of the cranberry sauce. (Don’t try to spread it; it will distribute itself evenly as it cooks.)

  7. Step 7

    Bake the tart on a baking sheet at 350 degrees until it’s golden brown and fully set in the center, 60 to 75 minutes. Cool completely, then remove from the pan and serve with crème fraîche.

Tip
  • You can also use ¾ cup homemade or store-bought cranberry sauce in place of the cranberry mixture here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
104 user ratings
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Comments

Ellen

This tart was absolutely delicious, from the crust to the cranberry sauce to the frangipani. My only complaint, and it's a major one, is that between the making of the crust, the chilling of the crust, the making of the frangipani, the chilling of the frangipane, the baking of the crust, the cooling of the crust, the assembly of the tart, the baking of the tart, and the cooling of the tart, this was a 7+ hour project. I will have to retire to have the time to make this tart again. I can't wait!

Wendy

Can this be made a day or so ahead? And would pressing the crust work just as well? Thanks!

Walter

Made this for Thanksgiving; it turned out great. The dough for the crust, as many have noted, did not come together in the food processor, so I took others advice and added a tablespoon of water, which did the trick. A great crust, like a French Sable cookie or shortbread. I used an 8" tart pan, so I had extra filling, though not so much extra crust dough. I spread the cranberry fairly thin, though not see-through, and it was perfect. This tart loves creme fraiche with it.

Laurie

I have made for the last four out of 5 Thanksgivings. I love the combination of the tart frangipane with the cranberries. I use almond flour.

Iain

I grew up in Bakewell and this is a sort-of Bakewell pudding - a tart is covered with icing and is a 20th Century invention.

k

How I condensed steps (and used cherries, not cranberries): made a quick cherry jam, set aside to cool. Made the crust with a food processor, pressed into pan, stuck in freezer. Made the filling in the processor. Baked the crust, stuck in fridge to cool a bit. Assembled, chilled, baked. Took less than three hours. Also, it’s delicious.

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