Bakewell pudding is an English dessert consisting of a flaky pastry base with a layer of sieved jam topped with a filling made of egg and almond paste.

Name

thumb|left|A breadcrumb-based recipe given by Mrs Beeton

References to "Bakewell pudding" appear earlier than the term "Bakewell tart", which entered common usage in the 20th century. This is, however, erroneous as no recipe for "Bakewell pudding" (or indeed Bakewell tart) appears in the 1826 edition. A recipe for "bakewell pudding" does, however, appear in the 1847 edition.

History

thumb|Three shops in Bakewell claim to own the original recipe of the Bakewell pudding. The origins of the pudding are not clear, but a common story is that it was first made by accident in 1820 (other sources cite 1860) by Mrs Greaves, who was the [[landlady of the White Horse Inn (since demolished). She supposedly left instructions for her cook to make a jam tart. The cook, instead of stirring the eggs and almond paste mixture into the pastry, spread it on top of the jam. When cooked, the egg and almond paste set like an egg custard, and the result was successful enough for it to become a popular dish at the inn. Additionally, Eliza Acton provides a recipe for 'Bakewell pudding' in her book Modern Cookery for Private Families which was published in 1845, making the pudding's proposed latter creation date of 1860 impossible. Eliza Acton published a recipe in her 1845 work Modern Cookery for Private Families and Mrs Beeton published two recipes for Bakewell pudding, one which used a pastry base and one which used breadcrumbs, in her Book of Household Management in 1861.

See also

  • List of pastries

References

  • "Bakewell pudding" on About.com
  • Some Early Bakewell Pudding Recipes on Food History Jottings