Lighter Bakewell tart

Angela Nilsen slashes the fat and sugar content of this tea time classic shortcrust pie with fresh raspberries and iced topping

Prep:25 mins
Cook:50 mins

Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 280
fat 16.2g
saturates 3.9g
carbs 27.2g
sugars 12.8g
fibre 1.1g
protein 5.9g
salt 0.4g

Ingredients

200g shop-bought shortcrust pastry (we used Jus-Rol)
flour, for dusting
100g fresh raspberries
1 tbsp raspberry conserve or jam
1 tbsp flaked almond
1 heaped tbsp icing sugar
50g ground almonds
50g polenta (cornmeal)
50g golden caster sugar, plus 2 tsp
½ tsp baking powder
2 medium eggs
100g natural yogurt
scant ½ tsp almond extract (see tip below)
2 tbsp rapeseed oil

Tip

What if I...
Used 200g homemade pastry made with butter? The fat remains virtually the same as my healthy version, but the saturated fat rises to 5.7g per slice. Used 85g butter in the filling instead of yogurt and rapeseed oil? The fat would increase to 21.8g (9g sat fat) per slice.Flavouring tip
It’s worth using almond extract, as it has a genuine almond flavour, whereas almond essence is a cheaper version and quite unlike the real thing.How we made it healthier
To reduce the saturated fat, I used shop-bought pastry made with vegetable oil, which was pliable and easier to roll out thinly, so used less; We reduced the total fat further by using polenta to replace some of the ground almonds, then enhanced the flavour with almond extract; We swapped butter for yogurt and rapeseed oil, which reduced more fat, especially saturated fat. We also used less egg, choosing medium instead of large.

Method

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Thinly roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Line a 20cm round x 4cm deep fluted flan tin with the pastry, easing it into the tin and the flutes carefully so you don’t stretch it. Roll a rolling pin over the top of the tin to trim off any excess pastry. Prick the base lightly with a fork. Put the tin on a baking sheet.
Line the pastry with foil and baking beans, and bake for 12 mins until the pastry is set. Meanwhile, to make the filling, heat a small, dry non-stick pan, tip in the ground almonds and gently heat, stirring often, for 2-3 mins to lightly brown. Transfer to a medium-sized mixing bowl to cool. Remove the foil and beans from the pastry case and bake for 5 mins more until pale golden. Remove and reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Using a fork, roughly mash the raspberries in a small bowl with the jam, so they are still in small pieces and not completely mashed. Evenly spread the raspberry mixture over the pastry base. Put the polenta, sugar and baking powder in the mixing bowl with the almonds and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre. Beat the eggs in a bowl, then beat in the yogurt and almond extract. Tip this mixture, along with the oil, into the dry ingredients, and briefly and gently stir together with a large metal spoon so everything is just combined – don’t overmix.
Pour the almond filling over the raspberry mixture and scatter the flaked almonds over the top. Bake for 30 mins or until the top is risen and pale golden. Cool slightly, then remove from the tin.
Mix the icing sugar with a few drops of cold water to make a thick-ish icing, then use a teaspoon to drizzle it over the cooled tart. The tart is even softer when eaten the next day. Will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.