Vegan Bakewell Tart

This cherry vegan Bakewell tart is sweet, nutty and elegant. You won’t notice the difference! A dairy-free shortcrust pastry filled with cherry conserve and eggless frangipane, it makes the perfect Autumn/Winter dessert.

I have a confession to make…

Although I’m very British, a frequent baker and lover of all things sweet, I have never followed the Great British Bake Off on television. Shocking, I know.

I’d caught a few odd clips here and there when other people had it playing in the background. But I could never tell you who was in it or what was going on. I had nothing against the show, I’d just never made a point of watching it.

So I recently decided it was time. Time to watch my first episode of the GBBO. I figured I could use some inspiration and it would probably help me to learn a lot about various baking techniques.

I watched an episode from a few years ago, when Mary Berry was still on the show. And I’m glad to say that I loved it! I loved it so much that I watched a whole series in the space of 2 days. Oops.

During one of the episodes, the bakers made a tasty looking cherry Bakewell tart. And that’s what inspired today’s recipe.

I decided to make an egg-free cherry Bakewell tart as I hadn’t been able to taste that cherry and almond deliciousness since going vegan over 2 years ago! I missed it a lot.

In case you’re not familiar with what a Bakewell tart is, it consists of shortcrust pastry, a layer of conserve and a layer of frangipane (in this case it’s eggless frangipane!). It’s also usually topped with flaked almonds but it can be topped with a layer of icing instead, if you so wish.

Looking for more sweet vegan tart recipes? Try these:

• Chocolate orange tart
• Mini strawberry tarts
• Old school caramel tart
• Jam tarts

Sadly, the original recipe contains a lot of animal products. So I did my best to make a dairy-free, eggless cherry Bakewell tart without sacrificing any of the flavour. And not to toot my own horn, but I think I did a pretty good job! Let me show you how I did it…

How To Make Vegan Bakewell Tart

Step 1:

The first step to making your vegan cherry Bakewell is to prepare your dairy-free shortcrust pastry. This is a super easy recipe that I use every time I make a tart of any kind.

Add 215g of plain flour into a large bowl. Rub 135g of vegan margarine into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Then stir in 15g of icing sugar.

Add 1 tablespoon of ice cold water into the mix, and stir it gently until a dough starts to form. Use your hands to gently press it into a ball. It’ll look crumbly at first but it will come together.

Cover the dough and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F. If you’re using a fan or convection oven, set it to 180°C/350°F instead.

Step 2:

After the 30 minutes are up, remove the dough from the fridge.

Press the dough in your hands to get rid of any large cracks. Roll it out onto a floured surface until it’s large enough to fit over a 9-inch tart tin, rotating and adding more flour as needed. Make sure you roll it out to fit the tin, not stretch it. Otherwise, the pastry will shrink back into place while baking.

Drape the dough over the tin and use clean fingers to gently press it into and up the sides. You can cut off any excess that hangs off the sides using a knife or scissors.

Step 3:

Dock the dough by poking small holes over the base using a fork. This will help steam to escape in the oven.

Cover the bottom of the tart with baking paper, then pour over baking beans or uncooked rice until the bottom is covered. This is what’s called “blind baking”. The rice or baking beans act as a weight and will prevent the pastry from puffing up or rising when it bakes.

Bake the pastry for 15 minutes. Then remove the baking paper and beans/rice and place it into the oven for a further 15 minutes. The tart should be looking nice and golden brown.

At this point, you can also turn down your oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C/325°F for fan or convection ovens) for the next step.

Step 4: vegan frangipane!

Eggless frangipane was actually a bit more tricky to make than I thought. I had originally used an adapted recipe but since I was giving this recipe a makeover, I figured it was also time I figured out how to make my own egg-free frangipane. After multiple tests, I finally got one that I’m happy with!

In a large bowl, cream together 120g of vegan margarine with 150g of caster sugar. Make sure all of the sugar has dissolved nicely into the margarine. Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract and stir again.

Next, add in 200g of ground almonds, 50g of plain flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 50ml of plant-based milk. I used soy milk but you can use whichever type of milk you prefer. Mix everything together well until you have a thick mixture that sort of resembles the texture of a sticky mashed potato.

Step 5:

Place 250g of cherry conserve into a small bowl and give it a good mix to loosen it up. Then spread it over the base of your cooked pastry crust. The one I used contains cherries and berries, because I preferred the colour, but you could use a black cherry one if you prefer.

Spoon your vegan frangipane on top of the conserve in dollops. Then gently spread it evenly to the edges of the tin, trying not to let it bleed into the conserve. It’s quite sticky so be careful!

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flaked almonds over the top.

Step 6:

Cover the edges of the tart with tinfoil, to prevent them from burning while baking.

Bake the whole thing for around 50 minutes until it’s golden brown all over. You can check that the tart is ready by placing a toothpick through the centre. If it comes out dry, it’s ready. If you find that the frangipane is still a little bit wobbly but is already golden brown, turn down your oven slightly and continue baking, checking every 5 minutes or so.

Step 7:

Allow your vegan cherry Bakewell tart to cool completely in the tin. Dust with icing sugar and top with chopped glace cherries before cutting into slices.

This yummy dessert can be served with vegan whipped cream or homemade custard.

Bakewell FAQ:

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know how you like it by leaving a review or comment below. I love to hear your feedback! Happy baking! xo

5 from 20 votes

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Vegan Bakewell Tart

A dairy-free tart filled with cherry conserve and eggless frangipane.

Course Dessert

Cuisine vegan

Keyword vegan bakewell tart

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Chilling time 30 minutes

Servings 12 slices

Calories 393 kcal

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 215 g All-purpose flour (~1 + ¾ cups)
• 135 g Vegan margarine* (½ cup + 1 tablespoon)
• 15 g Icing sugar (1 tablespoon)
• 1 Tablespoon Ice cold water

For the filling:

• 250 g Cherry conserve or jam (¾ cup, can sub for any other flavour you like)
• 120 g Vegan margarine (½ cup)
• 150 g Caster sugar (¾ cup)
• 1 Teaspoon Almond extract
• 200 g Ground almonds (2 cups)
• 50 g All-purpose flour (~3 tablespoons)
• 1 Teaspoon Baking powder
• 50 ml Soy milk (~3 tablespoons)
• 2 Tablespoons Flaked almonds

To top:

• 1-2 Tablespoons Icing sugar (to dust)
• Handful Chopped glace cherries

Instructions

For the shortcrust pastry:

1. Add the flour into a large bowl then rub the margarine in until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the icing sugar.

2. Add the cold water into the breadcrumb mixture and stir until it starts to stick together. Use your (cold and clean) hands to gently press it into a ball. It'll look crumbly at first but will come together.

3. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

4. While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F (or 180°C/350°F for fan or convection ovens).

5. When the 30 minutes are up, gently press the dough in your hands to remove any large cracks, being careful not to overwork it (this will result in tough pastry). Roll it out on a floured surface until it's large enough to cover a 9-inch tart tin. Rotate and add more flour as needed while rolling.

6. Drape the dough over the tin and use your fingers to gently press it into the sides. Cut off any excess around the edges.

7. Dock the dough by poking small holes all over it using a fork. Place some baking paper over it then pour some baking beans or uncooked rice on top. This will act as a weight to prevent the dough from puffing up while baking.

8. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans/rice and baking paper then return it to the oven for a further 15 minutes. It should be golden brown when it's done.

9. When you're done baking the pastry, turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F (160°C/325°F for fan or convection ovens) in preparation for the filling.

10. Stir the conserve thoroughly in a bowl to loosen it up. Spread it over the bottom of the tart.

Frangipane:

1. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar. Stir in the almond extract.

2. Next, add the ground almonds, flour, baking powder and soy milk. Mix well until you have a thick mixture that resembles sticky mashed potato. This is your vegan frangipane.

3. Spoon the frangipane into the tart in large dollops and carefully spread it out to the edges. It's quite sticky so be careful not to let it bleed into the conserve. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.

4. Cover the edges of the tart crust with tin foil before baking. This will prevent it from burning.

5. Bake for around 50 minutes until golden brown all over. You can check the filling is cooked all the way through by inserting a toothpick through the centre. It will come out clean when it's done. If the top is golden brown but the filling is still wet, turn down the oven slightly and continue baking until done.

6. Allow the tart to cool completely in the tin. Dust with icing sugar and top with chopped glace cherries, then cut into slices and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• Use the spreadable style of dairy-free margarine, not the blocky style. I used Vitalite.
• Cup measurements are an estimate. Use a scale for best results.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Bakewell Tart

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 393 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Sodium 56mg2%

Carbohydrates 42g14%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 25g28%

Protein 6g12%

* All values are an estimate only and will vary depending on the food brands used.