Blackcurrant and Bay Leaf Bakewell-Style Almond Tart
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Blackcurrants sulk in most gardens until midsummer, when their translucent black berries hang in heavy strigs against the shrub’s musky, resinous leaves — a scent that clings to your fingers long after picking. Their sharpness is often drowned in sugar, but here it cuts through a dense almond frangipane, with bay leaf steeped into the fruit for a low, herbal warmth. Make this while the bushes are laden and the berries taste of nothing else.
1¼ cups (160g) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
½ cup plus 1 tbsp (125g) cold unsalted butter, diced, divided
⅓ cup (40g) icing sugar
1 large egg, plus 2 large eggs for the frangipane
1½ cups (200g) fresh blackcurrants (frozen work; do not thaw)
2 fresh bay leaves (or 1 dried)
½ cup (100g) caster sugar, divided
¾ cup plus 1 tbsp (100g) ground almonds
⅓ cup (75g) caster sugar for the frangipane
2 tbsp (15g) flaked almonds
½ tsp almond extract
Pinch of fine salt
The Recipe
Make the pastry: rub 100g of the cold butter into the flour, icing sugar and salt with your fingertips until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs, then bind with 1 beaten egg. Work it only until it clumps — overworking develops gluten and gives you a tough, shrinking shell. Flatten to a disc, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes so the butter re-firms and the pastry rolls without cracking.
While it chills, cook the blackcurrants: put the berries, bay leaves and 50g caster sugar in a small pan over medium heat. Cook for 6–8 minutes until the berries burst and the juices thicken to a loose jam that mounds slightly on a spoon — you want it reduced, not watery, or it will make the frangipane soggy. Fish out the bay leaves and cool completely.
Roll the pastry on a floured surface to about 3mm thick and line a 9-inch (23cm) loose-bottomed tart tin, pressing it into the corners without stretching it. Trim the edge, prick the base with a fork, and chill again for 15 minutes — a cold shell holds its shape in the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Blind-bake: line the shell with baking paper and fill with baking beans or dried rice, then bake 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake a further 5 minutes until the base looks dry and pale gold. Do not skip this step — the frangipane is wet, and an unbaked base stays raw and pale underneath.
Make the frangipane: beat the remaining 25g butter with 75g caster sugar until pale and light, about 3 minutes, then beat in the 2 eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of the ground almonds with each to stop the mixture curdling. Fold in the rest of the ground almonds and the almond extract until smooth and thick enough to hold soft peaks.
Assemble: spread the cooled blackcurrant jam over the base in an even layer, then spoon the frangipane on top and smooth it gently to the edges — spreading roughly drags the fruit up and streaks the surface. Scatter the flaked almonds over the top.
Bake for 30–35 minutes until the frangipane is set, deep golden, and springs back when pressed lightly in the centre. If the almonds brown too fast, tent loosely with foil at the 25-minute mark. Cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes before releasing — the frangipane firms as it cools and slices cleanly only when warm, not hot.
