Fig and almond bakewell | Recipe of the week

I’ve been out on a bike ride, trying to keep the waist intact and to stop people thinking Mrs Murphy has shrunk my cycling kit. I get home, open the fridge and the choice is easy – cake!

If the decision is to eat the cake, then let’s make it worthwhile with this lovely fig and almond bakewell.

Ingredients

Pastry: 150g plain flour; 75g butter; 25g sugar; 1 egg

Jam: 14 dried figs chopped; 60g caster sugar; 100ml water

Topping: 120g sugar; 90g butter; 4 eggs; 150g ground almonds; 50g self raising flour; 50g flaked almonds

Method

1. Make the pastry by rubbing the flour and butter together until it resembles bread crumbs

2. Add the sugar and stir before adding the egg. Bring the mixture together to form a dough.

3. Allow to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes before rolling out 5mm thick and allow to rest again.

4. Cook the pastry blind in a preheated oven at 180C, gas 5, for 12 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool. Cut the pastry so that it fits the bottom of your tart case.

5. While the pastry is resting and cooking, heat the figs, sugar and water in a saucepan until thick and jammy. Allow to cool.

6. Make the topping by beating the sugar and butter together until soft, then add all the other ingredients and beat together.

7. Spoon fig jam on to the pastry and the mixture on top. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top of that.

8. Cook in a preheated oven at 160C, gas 4, for 50-65 minutes until browned and cooked.