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+ servings

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
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:
Alter quantities (metric only) 18 tartlets

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...