Dulce de Leche Bakewell Tart

Several months ago, the Daring Bakers baked up just about a zillion versions of the Bakewell Tart. Of course, I did the same in a timely manner but just never shared the deliciousness of my creation with you. Why share it now? Well, the short story is, I am thinking of baking another one. The long story is that I found pumpkin butter at Trader Joe’s and I have a weakness for things that are not year-round items. It is sort of an obligatory purchase.

You see, after all those years of living in Peru, I would discover things that happened to be stocked on the shelves of the grocery store. Often times, they were a mistake or just a test. During my first Thanksgiving in Peru, way back when, I saw cans of cranberry sauce on a shelf and was so elated I was dizzy. A friend had mentioned that if things sell out, the people that are stocking are more likely to buy and stock more than if those odd, once-in-awhile items sit on the shelf month after month. So I bought the cranberry sauce. Every last can of it. Years later I still had a seed of regret when I looked at the cans in the back of my cupboard wondering what came over me that afternoon at the grocery store. I mean, really…who eats can after can of cranberry sauce?

Okay, so back to the pumpkin butter. I didn’t need it, wasn’t looking to buy it. But somehow the jar made it’s way off the shelf, into my hand, my cart and eventually through the hands of the cashier. It is not that I don’t like pumpkin butter. It is just that I don’t “eat it”. I would bake with it, but I wouldn’t likely spread it on toast in the morning.

So how does this relate to the Bakewell Tart? Oh, I am so glad you asked. You see, I am wondering what this same recipe would taste like with pumpkin butter tucked in between the crust and almond topping. You have already tasted it you say? Well, fill me in! What did you think?

Anyway, when I was looking for the recipe, I came across the pictures of the original Bakewell Tart that I made with a layer of creamy dulce de leche. Fresh out of the oven, the dulce de leche was a bit runny but this screamed rich & delicious for breakfast the next morning!

Dulce de Leche Bakewell Tart

Sweet shortcrust pastry
1 cup of dulce de leche
Frangipane (see recipe below)
1/2 cup of blanched, flaked almonds

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Make the sweet shortcrust pastry base and press into 9” tart pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

3. Prepare the frangipane.

4. Remove pastry base from freezer, spread an even layer of dulce de leche onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes.

5. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and sprinkle with flaked almonds and return to the oven for the last five minutes of baking.

Frangipane

11 tablespoons of butter, softened
125g of powdered sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
125g of ground almonds
30g of flour

1. Cream butter and sugar together, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on low, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour, continuing to combine well. The mixture will be soft, look slightly curdled and have a yellow color.