This Strawberry Almond Tart is not just a stunner, it’s also a wonderful way to use a bounty of berries and is perfect for a picnic since it is best at room temperature.If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere with strawberries all year round and peak seasons twice a year, like I do, then this is a delicious way to get your strawberry fix.

Birdseye view of a slice of strawberry tart on a white dessert plate with a dessert fork in front.

One of the first desserts I ever made and loved enough to keep making was a gorgeous Lemon Almond Tart, with a layer of lemon curd and a rich almond filling in a tart shell. I love that recipe so much and then lost it. Later I learned, the almond filling that I loved so much was actually called frangipane and now I make it often.

Since then, I’ve used it in many recipes including here, here, here and here and more. I just can’t get enough of it. This French almond filling is rich and creamy and works well with so many fruits as well as being the base of many other tart recipes.

For instance, this Strawberry Almond Tart is actually my take on a bakewell tart.

Birdseye view of a baked tart filled with fresh strawberries on a white plate. Some strawberries and dessert plates surround it.

What is a bakewell tart?

A bakewell tart is an English dessert composed of a of a shortcrust tart shell covered in a layer of cherry jam then in a layer frangipane and baked until golden. A classic bakewell is then covered with a layer of icing but to keep the sweetness down, I left the top un-iced.

Because this is such a flexible little tart, you could even use tinned fruits if you’re in a rush and guests are about to start knocking at your door, just make sure to drain them and dry them of on paper towel first. This also means you can make this type of tart any time of year. 

How to serve Strawberry Almond Tart

This tart is best served warm or at room temperature so make sure to take it out of the fridge at least half an hour before serving or with 20 minutes of coming out of the oven. You can reheat it in the oven too.

Serve it with fresh pouring cream or whipped cream, custard or creme anglais or with ice cream. I served this one with this Homemade Strawberry Topping.

birdseye view of a strawberry tart on a white plate. A cake slice sits in front and dessert plates are set around it

How to make Strawberry Almond Tart

This gorgeous almond tart recipe is easy. I start with my easy sweet shortcrust pastry recipe, which comes together in minutes in the food processor, then;

  1. Beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy
  2. Add eggs and beat them through
  3. Finally, add almond meal (finely ground almonds or almond flour) and a little flour and mix it all together.

To put this fresh strawberry tart together you just spread a layer of jam in the par-baked tart shell, top it with the frangipane mixture and then lay some strawberry halves and almonds all over the top. Now bake it until it’s golden and slightly puffed up.

Do I need to blind bake this tart?

It’s really up to you. The base of the pastry shell won’t cook crisp if you don’t blind bake the tart. That being the case, it will be cooked through but just soft as opposed to crisp and flaky.

The other difference I’ve noticed is flavour. Both ways of baking the tart results in a lovely tart but the flavour is definitely better in the tart with blind baked shell.

Substitutions

The real beauty of a frangipane tart is that you can use just about any flavours you like.

  • Fruit curds like this lemon curd or blood orange curd are great spread over the base before topping with the frangipane filling as are jams and fruit spreads or preserves.
  • Nice big plump pieces of fruit are lovely too like berries, plums, cherries, pears, apples – this list goes on and on and on 🙂 I’d give just about any fruit a go.
  • You can use any of your favourite nuts to make the filling. Just place them in a blender or food processor and process them until they resemble a grainy flour.
  • If you don’t feel like making your own pastry, you can use store-bough shortcrust but I urge you to make it from scratch. It’s actually very easy and the flavour is far superior to any shop-bought brands.

Can you freeze bakewell tart / almond tart?

Yes. Make sure to wait until it’s totally cooled before wrapping well in plastic wrap and placing in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight.

Kept in the fridge, this tart will keep well for 3-4 days. It’s possible to leave this at room temperature if the weather is cool for 4-5 hours but after that, it’s best kept refrigerated due to the fresh fruit. 

More lovely strawberry recipes

Birdseye view of a baked tart filled with fresh strawberries on a white plate. Some strawberries and dessert plates surround it.

Strawberry Almond Tart

Yield: 12 serves
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Resting time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
5 from 5 votes
This Strawberry Almond Tart recipe is filled with fresh strawberries and a soft almost chewy French almond filling. It’s easy to make, an absolute family favourite dessert and the perfect summer fruit tart.
Print Rate Pin

Ingredients

FOR THE TART PASTRY

  • 115 g unsalted butter cubed & chilled, 1 stick / ½ cup
  • 195 g plain (all-purp) flour (1 ½ cups / 6.9oz)
  • 2 tablespoons icing sugar (notes)
  • 2 egg yolks from large eggs
  • 2-3 tablespoon cold milk only as much as needed

FOR THE FRANGIPANE FILLING

  • ½ cup white granulated sugar
  • 115 g unsalted butter softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup almond meal (almond flour)
  • ¼ cup plain (all-purp) flour
  • ½ cup strawberry jam
  • 1 ½ cups halved strawberries
  • 2 tablespoons flaked / sliced almonds

Instructions
 

FOR THE TART PASTRY

  • Place the flour and icing sugar in a food processor and blitz to combine. Add the butter and process for about 20 seconds until the butter pieces are about the size of a pea.
  • Add the egg yolks and, with the processor running on the lowest setting, start pouring in the milk. Only use as much milk as you need for it to start clumping.
  • Tip the dough out onto a sheet of baking paper and use the edges of the paper to help pull it together (so you don't warm it up with your hands). Gently pull it into a disk shape, wrap it in the baking paper and place it in the fridge for at least half an hour.
  • Dust a clean work surface with flour and place the cold dough on top, then dust the top of the dough with a little flour too. Roll it out to a 10 inch circle about 5mm thick.
  • Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan forced.
  • LIne the base of an 8 inch fluted tart tin with baking paper. Roll the dough over top of the rolling pin, then lift it and lower it over the baking tin and unroll it. Press the dough into the corners and up the sides. Roll the rolling pin over the top to trim off the overhang.
  • Line the tart shell with baking paper and fill it with rice (or pie weights), making sure to press it right into the corners, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and rice and bake for a further 10 minutes.

FOR THE FRANGIPANE FILLING:

  • While the tart shell cools a little, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
  • Sift over the flour, then add the almond meal and beat them in (until just combined).
  • Once the tart shell has cooled for at least 15 minutes, spread the strawberry jam over the base. Dollop the frangipane filling all over the top and then spread it out level all the way round.
  • Randomly place the strawberry halves over the top, then sprinkle the almonds around in the gaps.
  • Bake for 40 minutes until nicely golden on top and cooked in centre. The centre should not feel soggy when you gently press it.

Notes

Equipment used: 8 inch fluted tart tin, pie weights
  1. I use a standard 20ml Australian tablespoon (= 4 teaspoons worldwide)
  2. All ovens vary – always test for doneness 3-5 minutes before the recipe suggests
  3. For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
Want more pies and tarts? Click here
Calories: 339kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Sweets
Cuisine: British, French, World
Have you tried this recipe?Rate or comment below and let us know how it was!

A strawberry tart on a white plate