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    Home » Recipes » Cakes

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    Congress Tarts (easy mini Bakewells)

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    With an almond cake topping, a sweet pastry shell and a layer of sweet raspberry jam, Congress Tarts and an absolute delight for the taste buds and also incredibly pretty.

    congress tarts next to flowers and jam

    Congress Tarts originate from Cornwall in the UK and are really their own version of Bakewell Tarts.

    I chose to make my Congress Tarts in egg tartlet cases, partly because they look so pretty and but also because I wanted to have them as a dessert with some custard. I used these tart cases previously for my popular Coconut tarts with strawberry jam recipe, so the temptation to use them again was too great!

    close up of cut tart

    If you want your Congress Tarts to be smaller, you can use a cupcake tin instead. I wouldn't recommend using a muffin though, as they tend to be quite deep.

    Jump to:
    • Why are these Congress Tarts so good?
    • Ingredients and Substitutions
    • Instructions
    • Top Tips
    • Variations
    • Storage
    • FAQ
    • Linked Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    If you like coconut and cherries you will truly love these Coconut tarts with strawberry jam

    Why are these Congress Tarts so good?

    Sweet short pastry case✔️

    Hiding a raspberry jam centre ✔️

    Topped with almond flavoured cake✔️

    Perfect hot or cold✔️

    Freeze well, defrost as needed✔️

    stack of congress tarts

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    Plain flour: used for the pastry case and the cake topping. You can use self-raising flour for the cake topping and leave out the baking powder.

    Eggs: one is used to enrich the pastry, and an egg yolk is used in the cake topping.

    Unsalted butter: needs to be cold, i.e. straight from the fridge for our pastry and softened for the cake topping.

    ingredients for congress tarts

    Icing sugar: used to sweeten the pastry and give it its shortness.

    Baking powder: to help the cake topping rise.

    Ground almonds: added for flavour and to add moisture to the cake topping. You can use almond flour instead, however, if your final cake batter is quite stiff you may need to add a little milk to soften it.

    Fine salt: added to help bring out flavours.

    Caster sugar (superfine sugar): or you can use golden caster sugar, fine sugar is needed for the cake topping rather than coarser granulated sugar, because it melts quicker when baked.

    Almond extract: try to use a pure almond extract, for the reasons given below. I always use Nielsen-Massey

    Flaked almonds: just a few for decoration.

    Instructions

    See end of post RECIPE CARD for precise quantities and instructions.

    Picture 1: add your flour to your food processor bowl and cover with grated. cold butter. Then whizz until breadcrumb-like in texture.

    • butter grated landscape
      Picture 1

    Picture 2: add your icing sugar and whizz again. Then add your egg yolk and cold water and whizz until its starts to clump together a little.

    Picture 3: bring your dough together into a ball, then flatten it, cover within clingfilm (plastic wrap) and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

    • icing sugar added to flours and butter
      Picture 2
    • dough ready to be chilled
      Picture 3

    Picture 4: split the dough into 18 balls, flatten into circles and then press into your tartlet cases, pushing the dough up the sides of the case and into the groves. Add raspberry jam to each one and chill again.

    Sift together your flour, baking powder and salt together and then mix in your ground almonds.

    Picture 5: to make your cake batter, first cream together your butter and sugar until soft and light, then add your whole egg along with a little sifted flour mixture and beat on low until combined. Repeat with your egg yolk.

    • pastry cases for congress tarts
      Picture 4
    • egg and flour added to creamed butter and sugar
      Picture 5

    Picture 6: mix in your almond essence and then the rest of your flour. Beat everything on medium for about 10 seconds until fully combined.

    Picture 7: add about a dessertspoonful of cake batter to your tartlet cases. and spread out to cover the jam. Decorate with flaked almonds or cut pastry strips and lay them over the top in a criss-cross.

    • cake mixture for congress tarts
      Picture 6
    • jam and cake batter added to tartlet cases
      Picture 7

    Bake on a pre-heated baking tray for about 20 minutes until golden all over.

    Top Tips

    How to make pastry

    Please, please don't be put off making your own homemade pastry. I spent many years trying way too hard to get pastry right, assuming there was some sort of magic involved that I just hadn't mastered. I will never forget that doomed batch of mince pies one Christmas Eve firmly wedged into the tin and refusing to disembark....

    congress tarts on cake stand next to a cut tart

    Then I realised you just need to stick to a few rules to achieve great pastry results:

    • stick to the quantities in the recipe, getting pastry right is an exact science;
    • if you can, use a food processor, it makes making pastry so simple;
    • use butter straight from the fridge and coarsely grate it, this ensures that it is in very small pieces that will quickly churn into the flour before they warm up;
    • likewise, ensure your egg yolk is also straight from the fridge;
    • use 3-4 tablespoons of ice cold water;
    • ALWAYS chill your pastry before rolling it out, this sets the butter and prevents it from shrinking in your pastry cases;
    • once you have cut out your pastry cases and added them to your tin(s) chill again for 10-15 minutes to reset.

    Variations

    Add cold pure orange juice instead of water for a fruity hit to your pastry cases.

    Make your own raspberry jam, see recipe for Victoria Sponge, Raspberry Jam and Vanilla Buttercream. Homemade raspberry jam is totally amazing, it has a freshness and a zing to it that you just don't get in shop-bought jam.

    congress tarts from above

    Storage

    Congress Tarts will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container, you may find that the pastry softens a little after a couple of days, but they are still delicious.

    Wrap your Congress Tarts individually in clingfilm (plastic wrap) before you freeze them. The tarts should be consumed within 2 months.

    Did you try this recipe?
    Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the Recipe Card below.

    FAQ

    What is the difference between almond extract and almond essence?

    Almond extract is made with natural ingredients whereas almond extract is made synthetically from chemicals. Pure almond extract is the only one that is actually made from pure oil of bitter almond containing actual benzaldehyde.

    Can I use bought shortcrust pastry for sweet tarts?

    The shortcrust pastry used in tarts is often sweetened with icing (confectioners) sugar and held together with egg, this gives it a crumbly texture, whereas shop-bought shortcrust pastry is just normal plain pastry and is not sweetened.

    Linked Recipes

    Coconut Tarts with Strawberry Jam
    Pretty little coconut tarts made from a light pastry, with a sweet strawberry jam base, a layer of coconut cake and topped off with a cherry.
    Take Me To The Recipe!
    coconut tarts featured image row of tarts
    Apple Crumble Tartlets
    An apple and sultana filling, spiced with cinnamon and maple syrup, surrounded by a soft, sweet pastry and topped with an oat and almond crumble.
    Take Me To The Recipe!
    featured image of tartlets cooling
    Cherry Flapjacks
    Chewy, soft oaty flapjacks bursting with glistening cherries and speckled with flecks of white coconut. And incredibly easy!
    Take Me To The Recipe!
    featured image cherry flapjacks

    📖 Recipe

    Congress Tarts

    These easy Congress Tarts encompass a sweet, short pastry, a layer of raspberry jam and an almond flavoured cake topping. Great hot or cold.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin CLICK STARS to Rate this Recipe
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: English
    Keyword: almond tarts, bakewell tarts, ground almond tarts, raspberry jam
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Chilling time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
    Servings: 18 tartlets
    Calories:
    Author: Ella's Better Bakes
    Tried this recipe?Follow at @ellasbetterbakes or tag #ellasbetterbakes!
    TOGGLE TO ALTER SERVINGS (metric only) 18 tartlets
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    Here's what you'll need...

    • Food processor optional
    • Grater
    • Clingfilm (plastic wrap)
    • 18 Egg tart cases
    • Pastry brush
    • Hand mixer
    • Large baking tray
    • Large mixing bowl
    • Fine mesh sieve
    • Measuring Spoons

    Ingredients you'll need...

    Congress Tart Sweet Pastry

    • 225 g Plain flour all-purpose flour (1 Cup+ 9 tablespoons)
    • 115 g Unsalted butter cold - plus extra to grease tartlet tins (1 stick of butter)
    • 50 g Icing sugar confectioners sugar - (½ Cup)
    • 1 Large egg yolk cold (extra-large if in US)
    • 3 tablespoon Very cold water

    Congress Tarts Filling

    • 70 g Plain flour all-purpose flour (½ Cup)
    • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon Fine salt
    • 70 g Ground almonds (⅔ Cup)
    • 70 g Unsalted butter at room temperature (5 tablespoons)
    • 70 g Caster sugar super fine sugar (5 tablespoons)
    • 1 Large egg at room temperature (US = extra large)
    • 1 Large egg yolk at room temperature (US = extra large)
    • ½ teaspoon Almond essence
    • 135 g Seedless raspberry jam 18 teaspoons
    • 1 tablespoon Flaked almonds

    Here's what we do...

    Congress Tarts Sweet Pastry (see notes below for pastry tips)

    • Place your flour into your food processor so that it evenly covers the base of the processor bowl. Or place in a large bowl.
    • Grate your cold butter and sprinkle it evenly over your flour.
    • Pulse the food processor about 20-25 times to turn the flour and butter into a breadcrumb-like consistency. Alternatively, rub the butter into the flour by rubbing between your fingers.
    • Mix in your icing sugar by again pulsing a few times, or mix in with a wooden spoon if making pastry by hand.
    • Add your cold egg yolk and evenly sprinkle over 3 tablespoons of cold water.
    • Pulse again about 10 times until the mixture just starts to become a bit clumpy.
    • Remove your pastry dough and bring it all together into a ball, then flatten the ball so that it is about 1½ inches thick and cover with cling film (plastic wrap).
    • Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
    • Grease your tartlet tins using your pastry brush, with some spare butter.
    • Split your chilled pastry into 18 balls, they should weigh about 28-30 grams each.
    • Press the dough ball out flat, so it forms a circle about 5cm in diameter. I do this in the palm of my hand.
    • Pop the dough circle into your tartlet case and gently press it into the base and then, moving in a circular motion and starting at the base, push the dough up into the groves, filling all of the tartlet case right to the top.
    • Place a teaspoon of raspberry jam (about 7.5 grams) into the base of each tartlet case, and spread out a little to cover the base.
    • Place in your refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes, whilst you make your tartlet filling.

    Congress Tarts Filling

    • Heat your oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F/Gas mark 4.
    • Place your large baking tray in your oven to heat.
    • Sift together your flour, baking powder and salt and then mix in your ground almonds.
    • With your hand mixer beater attachments fitted (not the whisk), beat together your softened butter and caster sugar until light and smooth, this can take a few minutes to achieve.
    • Add your full egg and a heaped dessertspoonful of your flour mixture and beat on a low setting until all of the mixture is fully incorporated.
    • Repeat the above step with your egg yolk.
    • Add your almond essence and beat in on low until just incorporated.
    • Add the rest of your flour mixture and beat on a low setting until no flour remains, then turn up your hand mixer to a medium-high setting and beat for about 10 seconds.
    • Place a level tablespoon of your filling mixture into each tart and level out slightly, making sure that none of the jam is showing, be gentle so as not to push the jam up the sides of the tart.
    • Either decorate with a few flaked almonds or use some of your spare pastry to cut 2 strips of about 5mm and lay them in a criss-cross pattern across the tart. Push the edges onto the pastry at the sides to ensure that they stick.
    • Place the tartlets onto your heated baking tray and then bake for 20 minutes, or until golden on top.
    • Remove from your oven and leave to cool in the tartlet cases until cool enough to handle, then invert them onto your cooling rack to cool entirely.
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    Supporting Notes

    Tips for making pastry:
    • stick to the quantities in the recipe, getting pastry right is an exact science;
    • if you can, use a food processor, it makes making pastry so simple;
    • use butter straight from the fridge and coarsely grate it, this ensures that it is in very small pieces that will quickly churn into the flour before they warm up;
    • likewise, ensure your egg yolk is also straight from the fridge;
    • use 3-4 tablespoons of ice-cold water;
    • ALWAYS chill your pastry before rolling it out, this sets the butter and prevents it from shrinking in your pastry cases;
    • once you have cut out your pastry cases and added them to your tin(s) chill again for 10-15 minutes to reset.

    Make Your own Notes on this Recipe here...

    Click here to add your own private notes.

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