Biscoff cookies + extra berries = a new Bakewell cake recipe

A fun spin on the British classic

Dec 10, 2024

∙ Paid

Hello! Hello!

It all started with the blueberries. It was a few days after Thanksgiving and Michael opened the fridge and asked, “What are you going to do with all these blueberries?” Never mind that “all these blueberries” were his blueberries. He’s the one who likes them as a snack and who tosses them into yogurt. He’s the one who bought them. He’s the one who bought so many of them because he was on a quest — he was trying to find the blueberries he’d bought a week ago and liked so much. Those were crisp, they popped when he bit into them, and they were sweet and acidic at the same time. Neither of us could remember where he’d found them or under what brand and five boxes of berries later, we admitted defeat. All that was left was regret and the what-to-do-with-them quandary. That I decided to mix them with cranberries, in a true mismatch of seasons, doesn’t make much sense, but it did make for a good sauce/filling/condiment/spread, which I decided to put in a cake.

If you follow me on Instagram (if you do, thanks), then you may have seen the picture I took of the cake when it came out of the oven — it’s a poorly lit picture because, while it’s hard to shoot anything nicely in my kitchen, it’s almost impossible when the sun goes down. Although the picture doesn’t do justice to the cake, I did like the way the cake looked. I always like plain, golden brown cakes.

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And then the next day, I posted a picture of the cake cut in half, so that I could show the three layers. That the cake looks like it was made with yellow cornmeal is not a fluke of lighting, but the effect of egg yolks that were Veuve-Clicquot yellow. If you have time, skim the comments — I love my readers! The smarties in the group knew immediately that the cake was inspired by a Bakewell tart.

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“The” Bakewell

I had my first Bakewell tart — it’s usually made in a buttery crust — in Paris many years ago. I’d cooked dinner for a bunch of friends, and one of them, a Brit, brought a tart for dessert. When her daughters saw it they were thrilled and said, “Mom’s brought the Bakewell!” It was the “the” that fascinated me — apparently, in their family, this tart, the original having come from grandmother, was so specific and so beloved that it was always referred to as THE Bakewell. I loved the title and I loved the recipe.

A classic Bakewell — so classic that it’s been a challenge on the Great British Bake Off — is a crust, a layer of raspberry jam, a layer of almond cake and, depending on the family, a smattering of sliced almonds, or a dusting of powdered sugar, or both. Sometimes it’s even got a drizzle of icing.

Steph’s Bakewell Tart from *Baking with Dorie*, photographed by Mark Weinberg

As soon as I made the cranberry jam, I thought of the Bakewell. And then, when I realized I’d have to make a crust, my enthusiasm dipped. I love crusts, love making them, but what I’d had in mind was something a bit simpler/easier/faster to make. And then I spied the open pack of Biscoff cookies — the perfect stuff for a tasty crumb crust, especially one pressed into the bottom of a springform pan.

The jam is what takes longest to make — and even that’s only 15 minutes — and so with the jam done, the Biscoff cookies on the counter (I turned them into crumbs with my newest favorite small tool) and the rest of the ingredients in my fridge and pantry, it was quick work to flip an inspiration into that night’s dessert.

Handshake-worthy? Hmm …

As I cut into my Bakewell, I thought about how it would fare on the Great British Bake Off. It’s not traditional — well, except for the cake layer, but I even tweaked that: Because I wanted both the crust and the jam to have a lot of flavor, I made the cake layer a little thicker than usual. Oh, and because the cake and cookie crust are sweet, I sharpened the tartness of the jam. Hmmm. Judge Prue Leith might find it an interesting twist, but it’s doubtful that Paul Hollywood, Bake Off’s other judge, would give me one of his famous handshakes. For sure, I’d lose points for my cake’s homey look. But I’m fine with that — I’ll take smiles around the table over handshakes across a counter any day. And the Bakewell brought smiles chez me.

I hope it will bring smiles chez you.