Vegan Cherry Bakewells

Vegan cherry Bakewells - this vegan version of the classic British bake are easy to make and taste just like you remember!

A crisp shortcrust pastry case is filled with jam and vegan frangipane, and topped with icing and a glacé cherry. Just like Mr Kipling!

Cherry Bakewells are a classic British treat consisting of a mini tart filled with jam and almond frangipane and topped with icing and a glacé cherry.

They are a version of traditional Bakewell tart. Cherry bakewells are not what would be considered a 'proper' Bakewell tart but they are nevertheless delicious and a childhood favourite.

My vegan cherry Bakewells taste just like I remember Mr Kipling ones did before I went vegan - crisp shortcrust pastry, sweet jam, soft almond frangipane, sticky icing and a cherry on top!

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Cherry Bakewells?:

Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour. Don't swap it for wholemeal. I haven't tested these gluten-free and you would need to find your own gluten-free pastry recipe, but I think that a plain gluten-free flour blend would work well in the frangipane.

Vegan butter: For the best results you really need to use a block butter/margarine, not the spreadable kind in a tub. Especially for the pastry. I use Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Butter.

Sugar: You will need both icing (powdered) sugar and either caster or granulated sugar. These vegan Bakewell tarts cannot be made with sweeteners or unrefined sugars.

Vinegar: A little bit of vinegar in the pastry helps to give it a flaky texture. You can use lemon juice instead or just omit it if you want.

Vodka: Vodka is my (not-so) secret trick for crispy pastry. Because it has a lower water percentage than well, water; using a bit of vodka rather than water to bind the pastry makes for crispier pastry as the alcohol burns off when it cooks.

You can't taste it at all and you can absolutely use water instead if you prefer, but if you happen to have a bottle of vodka lurking in the cupboard I urge you to give it a try!

Ground almonds: This is what forms the base of the frangipane. I believe that in the US it would be called almond flour rather than ground almonds.

Cornflour: I like to add a bit of cornflour (cornstarch) to the frangipane for additional binding but you can swap it for more plain (all-purpose) flour if you want.

Milk: I recommend using soy milk as it has the highest protein content and is best for baking. Any kind of non-dairy milk will work however, but do go for unsweetened if possible.

Baking powder: Just a smidge in the frangipane to replace the lift that would usually be provided by the eggs.

Almond extract: Without it I don't think that these tarts would taste almondy enough so don't omit it. I also like to add a drop to the icing for extra flavour.

Jam: You can use any kind of jam you like really but it should ideally be red. I use Bonne Maman cherries and berries conserve. Mr Kipling Bakewell tarts use plum and raspberry jam.

Glacé cherries: It aint a cherry Bakewell without a glacé cherry on top! The bright red, artificially coloured ones are traditional but you can use natural coloured ones if you want. Most glacé cherries are vegan, just avoid any that use E20 as the colouring.

How To Make Vegan Cherry Bakewells:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Start by making the pastry. Place the plain flour, icing sugar and salt in a large bowl and whisk to mix or place them in a food processor and pulse until combined.

Add the cold diced vegan block butter and rub it in using your fingers or blend with the food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of fat remain.

Add the cold vodka (or water) and vinegar and mix; drizzle in a little cold water as needed to bring the pastry together into a ball.

Cover the pastry and pop it in the fridge for half an hour until it has firmed up a bit.

Once the pastry has chilled, roll it out thinly on a floured surface. Use an approx 10-11cm cutter to cut out rounds (I use a small fluted tart tin as I don't have a cutter big enough).

Line a 12 cup muffin tray with strips of baking parchment - this makes it easy to get the baked tarts out of the tin. Gently press the pastry rounds into the prepared tin.

Place the muffin tray in the freezer for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven and prepare the filling.

To make the frangipane, whisk together the ground almonds, plain flour, cornflour, baking powder and sugar.

Add the milk, melted butter and almond extract and whisk until smooth.

Place a teaspoon of jam in the bottom of each of the pastry cases. Divide the frangipane evenly between the cases and spread it level, making sure that the jam is fully covered.

Bake the tarts for 25 minutes until golden. If the frangipane has puffed up too much, gently press it back down a little.

Once the tarts are cool make the icing. Place the sifted icing sugar in a bowl and add a drop of almond extract. Stir in a little cold water, a drop at a time, until you have a stiff but spreadable icing.

Spread a spoonful of the icing over the top of each tart and place half a glacé cherry on each.

Allow the icing to set before serving.

Top Tips:

As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

For the best, crispy pastry, make sure that you don’t overwork it or let it get too warm. Freezing the tart shells prior to baking helps to make the pastry crisp and stops it from shrinking too much.

Using a bit of vodka instead of water to bind the pastry also helps to keep it crisp, as vodka has a lower water percentage. You can use water if you don’t want to use vodka though (you can’t taste it and the alcohol burns off during baking).

You will probably have a bit of waste pastry, but it is better to not have to re-roll it too many times to cut out enough rounds. Overworked pastry is tough.

If you want to save time you can use shop bought shortcrust pastry instead. Many are vegan friendly - Jus Roll pastry is vegan (apart from the 'all-butter' one).

The icing needs to be very thick so that it doesn't run off the tops of the tarts. It should be quite stiff but still spreadable and if you stir it the top should smooth out after about 7 seconds.

It may be a good idea to ice one tart, give it a minute for the icing to settle and then see how it looks. If the icing is too runny then stir in some more sifted icing sugar, and if it is too thick then add a drop of water (literally a drop at a time!).

How To Store Vegan Cherry Bakewells:

Store the vegan cherry Bakewells in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.

If it is very hot out then you may wish to keep them in the fridge.

Can I Freeze Them?

You can freeze them but the icing may become sticky upon defrosting.

Freeze them in an airtight container for up to three months. Allow to defrost at room temperature before serving.

More Classic British Bakes:

You can find all of my vegan versions of classic British bakes on my British page. Here is a selection of them!

• Vegan angel cake
• Vegan sticky toffee pudding
• Vegan Battenberg
• Vegan Earl Grey tea loaf
• Vegan shortbread fingers
• Vegan scones

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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