Bakewell Pudding - Victorian Recipe

Oven: 200 deg.C (Gas 6) - approx. 45 mins to 1 hr.
Ingredients: Serves 4-5

225g of Puff Pastry (or shortcrust) *
5 eggs - medium
125g (4ozs) caster sugar
125g (4ozs) unsalted butter - melted
50g (approx. 2oz) ground almonds
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. almond essence
Strawberry, Raspberry or Black Cherry Jam

1. Roll out the pastry (use a piece of Klingfilm**, top and bottom, so it doesn't stick - - - or flour your surface)
2. Line a greased flan tin with the pastry, prick the base with a fork, and trim off the excess ***.
3. Spoon the jam on to the pastry base - spread over using the back of the spoon.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar, for a minute or so, until frothy, and stir in the butter, the almonds plus a few drops of the essence.  Mix well.
5. Carefully pour this mixture into the pastry case, almost to the top, and bake until the filling is 'set' and becoming golden brown.  Carefully cover with foil if getting too brown.

 don't be tempted to put too much jam on

the pastry base



Excellent eaten warm :)

* Ingredients for a Sweet Short Crust Pastry
225g plain flour
50g lard (white vegetable lard is fine) - cut into small chunks
50g butter - as above
1/4 teaspoon of salt : 1/2 tsp sugar
 3 - 6 tablespoons very cold water
keep everything as cool as possible when making
Chill the pastry while making the filling.

** You can also use a plastic bread bag, cut so that it's a flat sheet, and roll out  pastry on this.  Don't forget to cover the top of the pastry too - this makes it much easier to roll out and wont stick. 

*** Use the extra pastry to make some little biscuits (cookies).  If you have any extra filling you could make some small tarts.



TIP: Have a metal baking sheet in the oven while it is heating up and place the Bakewell Pud on this, so that the pastry base gets cooked through.

Essentially England - link to some traditional recipes