Inspired by the Great British Bake Off ‘Pastry’ episode combined with a burning desire to create something cherry bakewell themed, here’s a cross between a tart and a crumble. Why not combine two dessert favourites? A buttery pastry, cinnamon-infused cherry filling and crunchy, almond crumble on top – this gluten and dairy-free, no added sugar treat that is sure to go down well at this time of year!
Ingredients:
For the pastry –
- 1 cup gluten-free flour (I used Dove’s Farm Plain)
- ¼ cup almond flour (I used Sukrin) or ground almonds
- ¼ cup instant polenta
- 2 tablespoons stevia (I used Truvia)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or dairy-free spread (Pure Free From is a good option)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 egg
For the cherry filling –
- 2 cups frozen cherries
- 3 tablespoons no added sugar cherry jam (I used St Dalfour Black Cherry spread)
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
For the crumble topping –
- 3 tablespoons rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons flaked almonds
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- Drop of almond extract
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (I used Meridian)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (I used Lucy Bee)
Get baking!
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and place 4 loose-bottomed tartlet tins on a baking tray.
- First make the pastry: Mix together the flours, polenta and stevia in a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingers to create a crumble-like texture. Beat the egg and almond extract, then pour into the dry ingredients and stir to create a soft dough.
- Divide between 4 and press the pastry dough into each tartlet tin to evenly cover the base and the sides of the tin. Prick each base with a fork.
- Place a small sheet of baking paper over each and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice – bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove then bake for a further 5-8 minutes until lightly golden.
- Meanwhile make the filling: Place the cherries and jam in a small pan, bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes, allowing the jam to melt. Mix the cornflour with a little water to form a paste, then stir in with the cinnamon and continue to cook on a medium heat, stirring continuously to thicken. Remove from the heat.
- When your pastry cases have baked, spoon some of the cherry filling into each to cover the base.
- Mix together all of the crumble ingredients to form a slightly sticky mixture, then sprinkle some over the cherry filling on each tartlet.
- Bake for a further 10 minutes until golden, then leave to cool completely in the tins.
- When you’re ready to serve, pop out of the tins and enjoy!
Keep any remaining tartlets in the fridge for up to 1 day.