This Mincemeat Bakewell Tart is the ultimate Christmas Frangipane Tart - a festive mix of buttery pastry crust, almond flour mixture (a.k.a frangipane) and (leftover) mincemeat! A sweet and nutty Christmas treat that's sure to be a special treat for your holiday gatherings.
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British Classic With A Festive Twist
A Bakewell tart is one of those quintessential British desserts that everyone knows and loves. Whether it's the charming traditional tart with a thin layer of jam and almond frangipane or the shop-bought Cherry Bakewell Tart with its white icing and a token glacé cherry, it's a treat that's stood the test of time. And we love our Cherry Bakewell Porridge based on precisely this dessert.
You can find a pack of 6 mini Bakewell tarts in almost every corner shop in the UK, making it a super popular and convenient indulgence.
Traditionally, a Bakewell tart recipe starts with a buttery shortcrust pastry base, a spread of raspberry jam (sometimes cherry jam), and a rich almond frangipane topping, baked until golden. But here's where the festive fun begins - we've swapped the usual jam for a layer of spiced, fruity British mincemeat to create a delicious Christmas Bakewell Tart.
It's a beautiful way to give a seasonal makeover to this traditional Bakewell tart, making it the perfect choice for holiday gatherings.
So, what exactly is British mincemeat? It's a sweet and tangy mix of dried fruits, spices, citrus zest, and often a splash of brandy. Despite its misleading name, there's no meat involved, just a comforting mix of flavours that screams Christmas. It's what makes this Christmas Frangipane Tart a standout dessert for the festive season!
Love desserts with frangipane? We have plenty of treats for you to try next time:
And if you are looking for a tart to take you down memory lane, try our Easy Cornflake Tart!
Ingredients and Substitutes
- ready-rolled shortcrust pastry: or you can make your own by following the recipe below.
- unsalted butter: softened.
- caster sugar: or white granulated sugar.
- almond extract: optional, but highly recommended. If you wish, you can add some vanilla bean paste instead.
- eggs: we used large eggs in the UK, so you may need extra-large in the US.
- ground almonds: also known as almond flour or almond meal.
- mincemeat: good quality mincemeat is of utmost importance here. You want to taste the brandy in it.
- flaked almonds: also known as slivered almonds.
- icing sugar: a.k.a confectioners' sugar or powdered sugar.
Find the ingredient quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional values in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
NOTE ON EQUIPMENT: We use an electric handheld mixer, but the filling can be made in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. What is more, instead of a loose-bottomed tart tin, you may use a quiche dish, but you won't be able to remove the tart from the tin.
Fancy Making Your Own Pastry?
Place 175g of plain flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add 85 g unsalted butter, cubed. Make sure to use cold butter.
Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs (you can also use a food processor - just blitz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs).
Add 2-3 tablespoons of cold water: just enough to bind the mixture into a dough. Alternatively, add a lightly beaten egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water (egg yolk will make your pastry richer, melt-in-the-mouth texture, but less sturdy). For the best results, knead the pastry just enough to bring it together.
Flatten the pastry dough out a bit (it will make it easier to roll out later), wrap it in plastic wrap (we highly recommend Kirkland Signature cling film) and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes. You can then roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface and carry on lining your tart tin as you would with a ready-rolled shortcrust pastry.
NOTE: I find that shopbought pastry can be used without blind baking it first, but if you are making your own, blind bake it with pie weights for 10-15 minutes, then without the weights for another 5 minutes.
Alternatively, if you keep a sourdough starter, try this tart with Sourdough Pie Crust Pastry (Shortbread Crust). We don't recommend making a sweet pastry shell, as this Christmas frangipane tart already has heaps of sweetness in it.
Step-By-Step Method
1. Take the shortcrust out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before rolling it out to bring it to room temperature, otherwise, it may crack as you unroll it.
2. Preheat the oven to 180° C Fan. Grease the tart tin with a little butter.
3. Unroll the pastry, and, using a rolling pin, roll it out a little so that it is wide enough to line your tart tin.
4. Line grease tart pan with the shortcrust pastry making sure to push it into the corners and fluted edges. Trim any overhanging excess pastry with a sharp knife to be flush with the rim of the tart tin. Then prick the pastry base with a fork. Then place the tart shell in the freezer for 30 minutes.
5. In the meantime, make the frangipane filling. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the almond extract and one at a time, add the eggs, and beat until well combined.
6. Finally, using a rubber spatula, fold in the almonds.
7. Spread the mincemeat in a thin layer on the bottom of the blast-chilled pastry case.
8. Spoon the almond filling on top in an even layer.
9. Scatter flaked almonds all over and place the Bakewell tart in a preheated oven for 40 minutes. The middle should be set and the top should be golden brown.
10. Leave the tart to cool down in the tart tin before slicing. Dust with a little bit of icing sugar and serve.
Serving Suggestions
If you have a really sweet tooth, serve your Christmas Bakewell tart slightly warm with ice cream or vanilla custard.
For me the warm sweetness of the frangipane is a little too much (and I do think I have an extremely sweet tooth!), so I like to enjoy it at room temperature with a dollop of clotted cream or creme fraiche, or a generous amount of unsweetened pouring cream.
Storage & Leftovers
Your Mincemeat Bakewell Tart can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, making it perfect for planning ahead or enjoying as leftovers.
If you want to keep it longer, the tart freezes beautifully. Simply wrap individual slices or the whole tart tightly in cling film, then pop it into the freezer for up to 2 months. To enjoy, thaw it at room temperature and give it a quick warm-up in the oven if you prefer it slightly warm.
More Christmas Baking Recipes
Have leftover Christmas cake? Try our Christmas Cake Cheesecake next!
Christmas Bakewell Tart
Equipment
- 23cm Tart Tin
Ingredients
- 320 g (0.71 lb) ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
- 130 g (4.59 oz) unsalted butter softened
- 120 g (1 cups) caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 2 large eggs
- 150 g (1⅓ cups) ground almonds almond flour
- 180 g (¾ cups) mincemeat
- 30 g (¼ cups) flaked almonds
- icing sugar to dust
Instructions
- Take the shortcrust out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before rolling it out to bring it to room temperature, otherwise, it may crack as you unroll it.
- Preheat the oven to 180° C. Grease tart tin with a little butter.
- Unroll the pastry, and roll it out a little so that it is wide enough to line your tart tin.
- Line grease tart pan with the shortcrust pastry making sure to push it into the corners and fluted edges. Trim any overhanging pastry with a sharp knife to be flush with the rim of the tart tin. Then prick the pastry base with a fork and place the tart shell in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the frangipane filling. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the almond extract and one at at a time, add the eggs, and beat until well combined.
- Finally, using a rubber spatula, fold in the almonds.
- Spread the mincemeat in a thin layer on the bottom of the blast-chilled pastry.
- Spoon the frangipane on top in an even layer.
- Scatter flaked almond all over and place the bakewell tart in a preheated oven for 40 minutes.The middle should be set and the top should be golden brown.
- Leave the tart to cool down in the tart tin before slicing. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Nutrition
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