Bakewell pudding is an English dessert that originated in the Derbyshire town of Bakewell. It's made from a deliciously flaky puff pastry base, with a layer of jam and topped with an egg and almond filling. It's a dessert that many of us grew up eating, so why not try making it yourself?
More of an afternoon tea item, than a dessert, a slice of this is the perfect pick-me-up with a cup of tea. A light and gelatinous sugary eggy filling on top of sweet raspberry jam. It looks more complicated than it is, as it's actually a really simple dessert to make.
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Why you will love it
- A delicious traditional English dessert
- Really easy to make
- Save time with store bought pastry
- Bakes in just 40 minutes
Ingredients needed
- Puff pastry - We used store bought to save ourselves time. You honestly can't taste the difference, but if you want you could make your own.
- Raspberry jam - We used seedless, but that really is a preference thing.
- Fresh raspberries - These are crushed up and put on top of the jam, but you could skip this step.
- Butter - Use unsalted.
- Sugar - We used caster sugar, as it gives volume and makes this Bakewell pudding light.
- Eggs - The fresher the better and try to go for organic of free range.
- Almonds - We used whole almonds and ground them in a food processor. You can buy already ground almonds if you want.
- Almond extract - Although this recipe already contains a lot of almonds, the almond extract gives it an extra punch of flavour.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step by step
Prep: Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Grease a 23cm/9in loose-bottomed tart tin.
One: Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry over the tin.
Two: Gently press the pastry into the edges and prick the bottom with a fork (this is known as docking the pastry).
Three: Place a piece of baking paper over the pastry and fill with baking beads. Blind bake for 15 minutes, until the pastry is firm.
Four: Take out of the oven and remove the baking beads (careful - they will be hot!). Return the pastry to the oven and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Five: Carefully spread the raspberry jam evenly over the pastry base. Add the fresh raspberries and lightly crush them. Set aside.
Six: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (a). Whisk the eggs together and gradually stir them into the butter and sugar mixture (b).
Seven: Add the almonds and almond extract (a) and mix well (b).
Eight: Pour the filling mixture into the pastry case and gently spread it evenly over the raspberry layer (a). Bake the tart on the middle shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the surface is golden-brown (b).
Nine: Allow to cool and then dust with icing sugar. Serve with the remaining raspberries and flaked almonds. This goes great with a dollop of clotted cream
What is the origin?
The earliest reference of a Bakewell pudding dates back to 1826 where it was actually made by accident, where a cook poured the egg mixture over the jam, rather than mixing it into the flour mixture. I have always stood by the fact that the best recipes are made by accident.
It is thought that this desert actually dates back to medieval times as far as the 15th century that that it was a dessert for noblemen, as it was made with costly ingredients such as almonds, butter and sugar.
FAQs
A pudding uses a puff pastry crust, whereas a tart is more like a pie and uses a short crust base.
Yes! You need to dock the pastry as this allows the steam to escape so that the pie crust doesn't puff up in the oven. This is done before blind baking and then filling the pastry.
Yes, you need to blind bake the pastry first for this recipe. This is because the filling has a shorter bake time than the crust. Blind baking is also used to keep pie crust from becoming soggy due to a wet filling.
If you don't have baking beads, you can use many dried foodstuffs as baking weights. Thing such as rice, lentils, dried peas, beans or many other pulses can be used instead.
This is really a preference thing. We like it served warm, fresh out of the oven. However you can also serve leftovers cold.
Traditionally you would serve Bakewell pudding with a big dollop of clotted cream. It makes it deliciously indulgent. However, you could also serve it with a scoop of ice cream. You could even go the unconventional route and serve it with custard - but you might offend quite a few people from Bakewell.
Extra tips
• You don't have to add the crushed raspberries on top of the jam, but that is just our little twist on this Bakewell pudding.
• We have used a full 375g pack of puff pastry in the recipe, however you won't need to use all of it as you trim some of it off. The nutritional information reflects this.
More dessert recipes
If you’ve tried this Bakewell Pudding recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Bakewell Pudding
Ingredients
- 375 g (18 oz) Puff pastry
- 4 tablespoon Seedless raspberry jam
- 90 g (1.25 cups) Raspberries
- 75 g (3.5 oz) Butter - unsalted; plus extra for greasing
- 30 g (0.5 cups) Caster sugar
- 2 Eggs - whisked
- 40 g (1.33 cups) Ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon Almond essence
- Icing sugar - for dusting; optional
- Clotted cream - to serve; optional
- Flaked almonds - to serve; optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C(fan)/375°F/Gas 5. Grease a 23cm/9in loose-bottomed tart tin.
- Using a rolling pin, roll 375 g Puff pastry over the tin. Gently press the pastry into the edges and prick the bottom with a fork (this is known as docking the pastry).
- Place a piece of baking paper over the pastry and fill with baking beads. Blind bake for 15 minutes, until the pastry is firm. Take out of the oven and remove the baking beads (careful - they will be hot!). Return the pastry to the oven and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Carefully spread 4 tablespoon Seedless raspberry jam evenly over the pastry base. Add 90 g Raspberries and lightly crush them. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together 75 g Butter and 30 g Caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Whisk 2 Eggs together and gradually stir them into the butter and sugar mixture.
- Add 40 g Ground almonds and 1 teaspoon Almond essence and mix well.
- Pour the filling mixture into the pastry case and gently spread it evenly over the raspberry layer. Bake the tart on the middle shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the surface is golden-brown.
- Allow to cool and then dust with Icing sugar. Serve with the more raspberries, Flaked almonds and a dollop of Clotted cream.
Recipe tips
- You don't have to add the crushed raspberries on top of the jam, but that is just our little twist on this Bakewell pudding.
- We have used a full 375g pack of puff pastry in the recipe, however you won't need to use all of it as you trim some of it off. The nutritional information reflects this.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Liz Mays
Oh yum, that does sound like a great dessert. I'd be glad to have a slice after some hard work painting.
Jess
I love trying regional dishes and bakewell pudding is definitely a favourite for me - and Bakewell is such a beautiful village!
Love the idea of a freezer full of cake ready for when baby arrives <3
Kelly
So fun that you are painting the nursery! Can't wait to hear more on that! I've tried a Bakewell pudding once when we were visiting London a few years ago and loved it! This one looks fantastic!
kate @ VeggieDesserts
Lovely nostalgic Bakewell Tart, Dave, and nice work on the nursery! I love self catering holidays - they're really the best option when you have kids.
Sarah
Looks delicious - definitely a classic! x
Ana De- Jesus
Well done for joining the blog full time! I like the sound of bakewell pudding because I do love Mr Kipling bakewells and I bet this tastes even better
Sisley White
You can never go wrong with anything Bakewell in my mind. Definitely trying this over the weekend. YUM YUM YUM
Erin
Looks delicious - I'm getting serious food envy just from your photos!
Cecilia Keinapel
Omg this looks so tasty!! I just had cake with my tea, need to try this recipe one day! :) Thank you for sharing!
MissPond
What a delicious dessert! I love the idea of the dollop of clotted cream on top too ;)
Sarah
I have heard of this pudding, but never actually tasted it before!
It looks delicious!
Jade
That looks so nice I will be handing this recipe over to my mum to bake
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
This is so pretty, Dannii! I've never heard of this pudding before, but I love the flavors in here. Sounds like this would be perfect for those summer parties!
Victoria
We went on a self catering holiday last summer and we didn't do a lot of cooking to be honest, but it was nice to have the option.
I am craving pudding after seeing this, so I am adding the ingredients to my shopping list for this weekend.
Mary Larcey
I had forgotten all about this dessert. I love that you have such a balance outlook when it comes to food too - it's refreshing to see.
Sarah Bailey
oh my goodness this sounds like it would just be the perfect summer treat <3 x
Kristina
wow this looks so yummy! I love baking so I might try this :)
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Oh my goodness. That looks delicious and so decadent! How exciting you started painting the nursery. Can't wait to see the final product.
Emma @ Adventures of a London Kiwi
..and what a delicious treat indeed! I love Bakewell pudding/tart/anything...
anna nuttall
Yum I love bakewell pudding, however I don't seem to have it very often. I want one now. xx