This gluten free Bakewell tart is a classic. Golden, buttery pastry, filled with sweet frangipane and topped with feathered almond icing. Its easy to make but looks super impressive.
First make the pastry. Add the flour, xantham gum, salt, sugar and butter to a large mixing bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until it starts to look like breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and water to the mixture and using a fork, push together until it begins to form a smooth ball. If it looks a little dry then add some extra water, 1tsp at a time, until it is the desired consistency. Roll into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and chill for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 180'C/Gas 6. Remove the cold pastry from the fridge, and roll it out between two pieces of clingfilm dusted with a little extra gluten free flour. You want it to be between 0.5-1cm thick.
Take a 23cm (9 inch) flan tin, remove the top layer of clingfilm and then wrap the pastry over the rolling pin. Lay the pastry over the clingfilm with the second sheet of clingfilm still on top. Remove the clingfilm and gently press into the tin, making sure to handle it as little as possible.
Trim the edges (see note 1), prick the base with a fork and then line with baking paper. Use baking beans/weights (or dried lentils/rice) and blind bake the pastry for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the baking beans and then bake for a further 5 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside to cool slightly. Turn the oven down to 160'C/Gas 4
Meanwhile make the frangipane by adding the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beating until pale. Then add the almond, almond extract and egg and beat together until combined.
In the bottom of the pastry case, evenly spread the raspberry jam, then top with the frangipane. Spread out smooth until the whole base is covered. Place back in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden, and a skewer comes out clean from the centre. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
For the icing, mix the icing sugar, almond extract and water together to make a smooth, thick paste. Set aside 2-3 tbsp in a small bowl and add the pink food colouring. Spread the white icing evenly over the tart until covered. Then, using a piping bag and thin nozzle, pipe pink lines across the white icing. Drag a cocktail stick through them (at a 90' angle to the lines) to create a feathered effect.
Leave to set and then serve.
Notes
1: You want to make sure you allow a little space for shrinkage, this video by the BBC is really helpful in showing you the best way to trim pastry and it is how I now do it all the time!