Teatime Treats – Mini Raspberry Bakewells

There is nothing nicer to enjoy with a cup of tea of an evening (or any time of the day really!!) than a homemade Raspberry Bakewell.  For those of you who like to stick to tradition, you could of course replace the raspberry jam/topping with cherry jam and glace cherries.

Apologies for the mix in ingredients between metric and cups but this recipe has come together over time using various recipes which I have come across.  I particularly like this filling as it doesn’t have a very strong almond flavour which means my children will all eat them (they don’t like that marzipan flavour which the almonds give) but you could add some almond extract if you like, to suit your own taste.

This might sound strange but I have always wanted to make mini Bakewells which looked just like the perfectly formed Mr Kipling ones that you can buy and I think these come pretty close!!!

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
200g Plain Flour
100g Chilled Butter, Diced
1 tablspn Icing Sugar
1 Egg, lightly beaten

Filling:
¼ Cup Butter
¼ Cup Caster Sugar
¼ Cup Ground Almonds
1 Egg
1 tablspn Plain Flour
6 teasp Raspberry Jam

Topping:
1 Cup Icing Sugar
2 – 3 tablspns Water
12 Fresh Raspberries

Method:

1. To make Pastry (I use my food processor but you can make it by hand if you wish) – put flour, butter and icing sugar into food processor and pulse until it looks like fine breadcrumbs.  Add in beaten egg and I usually then add a tablespoon of water into the cup I used to beat the egg and add this slowly to the food processor until the pastry comes together in a ball.  Tip the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly until it all comes together and is smooth.
2. Preheat your oven to 180ºC, 350ºF, Gas Mark 4
3. Roll out the dough into a large circle and stamp out 12 rounds using a 3½ inch (9cm) round cutter.  Carefully press pastry into the holes of a muffin tin.  Chill for 30 minutes.
4. Bake the pastry for 10 – 15 minutes until the sides are set.  Leave in the tin and on a wire rack  to cool.
5. To make the filling – Cream the butter and sugar until soft.  Beat in the ground almonds, egg and flour until smooth and set aside.
6. Spread ½ teaspoon of Raspberry Jam into the base of each pastry case and spread out.  Divide your filling equally between each tart and spread to cover the jam underneath.  Put tin back into the oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes until lightly golden.  Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer the tarts to your wire rack again to cool completely.
7. To make Icing – Mix the icing sugar with about 2 tablespoons of water until you have a thick paste.  Spoon on top of the tart cases and using a knife gently guide it to the inside edge of the pasty case if you need to.
8. Top each tart with a fresh raspberry, dust with icing sugar, serve and enjoy