Quick Low FODMAP Bakewell Tart

If you’re dedicated you can make the pastry, marzipan and jam in this recipe by hand, but some days I like to cheat, because low FODMAP life is hard enough, and I want pudding in 45 minutes.

Because I'm obsessed with the inside of cakes

For the pastry case and lining

Half a block of gluten free shortcrust pasty (I used Genius)

80g marzipan

2 tablespoons of raspberry jam (check for glucose-fructose syrup and other lurky FODMAPs)

For the sponge

70g rice flour 

10g potato flour

40g maize flour (see witterings)

90g sugar

90g dairy free margarine (I used Vitalite, which has a high water content)

 5g baking powder

 5g olive oil

 2 medium eggs

 A splash of vanilla extract

Method

1.      Preheat the oven to 200C / 180C fan / 400F / gas mark 6

2.      Line a pie tin (or in my case a cake tin) with greaseproof paper. 

3.      Roll out the pastry using a dusting of flour and pop into the tin.  Some clever people combine these two steps and roll directly onto greaseproof paper, but it's never really worked for me.

4.      Prick the base several times with a fork.

5.      Put a sheet of greaseproof on top and fill with baking beads (if you don't have any then coins placed flat, rice or dried pulses will do, but you can't eat them afterwards - especially the coins).

6.      Blind bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

7.      In the meantime roll out a thin circle of marzipan on greaseproof paper to line your tin.

8.      Gently heat the jam using the stove or microwave, until it's a nice, spreadable consistency, you may need a splash of water.

9.      Once your case has cooled remove the baking beads and line it with the marzipan and jam.

10.   Cream together the sugar, margarine, oil and vanilla extract.

11.   Muddle your flours and baking powder together and add them to the bowl.

12.   Mix together, then mix in the eggs.

13.   Your batter should feel like a normal Victoria sponge

14.   Place dollops of the mix in your case, spreading over the case until you can't see any jam

15.   Bake for 25-30 minutes.

16.  Makes 8-10 slices, and will keep for up to 5 days.

Wittering

I hate machine-made, clown-nosed, gluten free bakewell tarts.  They're expensive, sugary, and usually contain cherries, glucose-fructose syrup and frangipane. 

They’re poison to anyone in FODMAP elimination, or with a sensitivity fructose and oligosaccharides. 

My recipe minimises FODMAPs, removing cherries and replacing frangipane with marzipan - equal parts sugar and almonds, giving an almond flavour within the 8-10g guidance.

Dairy:  This is dairy free because despite butter being lactose free and lacto-free products, I know some people still react to it.

Flour:  I mix flours to get a better texture (rice for lightness, potato for structure, maize to counteract graininess, olive oil to retain moisture), but experiment with it and see what comes out – let me know if you improve on the recipe!

Topping: Some people add almonds and.or icing.  It looks prettier, but I think it's sweet enough.