Classic Congress Tarts Recipe

Congress Tarts are one of those amazingly tasty treats that have been a little forgotten. They’re tasty morsels of almond frangipane and raspberry jam encased in delicious buttery pastry.

Depending on where you’re from, they might be called Congress Tarts, Congress Curd Tarts, Mini Bakewell Tarts, or even just Almond & Raspberry Tarts.

If you’re lucky enough to have tried them, it’s a recipe that might you right back to your childhood, being served Congress Tarts by a Grandma or loved one on a visit.

They’re perfect alongside a good cup of tea and deserve to be as famous and loved as other traditional bakes such as the similar Bakewell Tart, Almond Slice and the delicious Butterscotch Tart.

Why Make Congress Tarts?

If you don’t have nostalgic memories of Congress Tarts, then it’s time to make some.

They’re easy to make, generally involve ingredients you’ll have in your baking cupboard, make a perfect afternoon tea treat, freeze well, and are a great alternative to a Christmas Mince Pie!

Are Congress Tarts Scottish?

We’re always asked this question whenever we post a recipe that’s not obviously from Scotland.

While many of our recipes still have some connection, like Sticky Toffee Traybake, or Date Scones, we’re going to admit that these ones are just British, or in fact, English, originating from the West Country and Cornwall. They are not Scottish.

Don’t worry; we have plenty of Scottish Sweet treats here if you’d prefer something closer to home! If you want something Scottish, try Eccelfechan Tarts or Pineapple Tarts.

So why are we making them? We’re called Scottish Scran, after all? We believe the world would be a very dull space if we didn’t venture beyond what we know from time to time. A Congress Tart recipe is a classic, and we love classics that can take people back in time to a happier place.

That being said, the simple Congress Tart is very similar to the Scottish Coconut and Jam tarts, again made by Grannies and, like Congress Tarts, a real throwback to childhood teas! It would seem that these Scottish grannies may have borrowed the Congress Tart and made it their own…

What is a Congress Tart?

Congress Tarts have a delicious almond filling on top of a layer of jam, held together in a sweet shortcrust pastry.

Traditionally they have a pastry cross on the top of the tart, but we’ve yet to find out why. It could represent the Cornish flag, it may be for religious reasons or simply because they had leftover pastry!

What does a Congress Tart taste of?

If you’ve had a Bakewell Tart, then you’re on the right track with what these taste like, just in miniature form.

You can imagine a beautiful mouthful of a Mini Bakewell Tart, full of sweet almonds and sticky jam with a delicate crunch of shortcrust pastry. That is a Congress Tart.

Surely almonds and jam is one of the most ‘British’ tastes there is? Instantly making you think of past experiences. In our case, it’s school bakes, community gatherings and visits to much-loved older relatives who laid on THE best spreads to accompany a cup of tea.

Is there Coconut in a Congress Tart?

Congress Curd was first mentioned by Robert Wells in ‘The modern flour confectioner’ back in 1891. This is the first print version of what is crucially the filling of a congress tart.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t include coconut, so neither does our recipe.

Coconut is a great addition, though and feel free to add some for that classic jam and coconut combo taste!

Things you’ll need to make this Congress Tarts Recipe

• Large Bowl
• Wooden Spoon for mixing
• Food Processor**
• Stand Mixer**
• Electric Hand Whisk**
• Approximately 8cm diameter cookie cutter, glass, etc.
• 12-hole muffin/cupcake tin – we have this one

** These are all useful if you want to make your own pastry but are not strictly necessary. It’s possible to use rice instead of baking beans, and you can use your hands (make sure they’re cold) to combine butter and flour and a fork to bring everything together. You can also use a wooden spoon rather than an electric hand whisk to mix the butter and sugar.

More detail in the recipe below! It will just take a bit longer and be more labour-intensive – but it’s worth it, we promise!

As a side note, we add sugar to our shortcrust pastry when making tarts to sweeten them a little, and the bought shortcrust pastry often doesn’t include sugar.

Ingredients for Congress Tarts Recipe

For the pastry

• 275g plain flour (2 cups)
• 125g unsalted butter (cold, cubed) (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1-2 tbsp cold water

For the filling

• 12-14 tsp seedless raspberry jam
• 60g caster sugar (1/3 cup)
• 60g unsalted butter (softened) (1/4 cup)
• 1 large egg (beaten)
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 60g ground almonds (2/3 cup)
• 30g plain flour (3 ½ tbsp)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt

To decorate

• Flaked almonds

What’s the difference between Almond Essence and Extract?

Generally, almond extract is made from natural ingredients, whereas almond essence is made using artificial flavourings. You can usually check on the ingredients list. We would recommend extract over essence for a better flavour.

How to make Congress Tarts – Step-by-Step Method

To make the pastry, first add the flour and butter to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. You can also rub together the flour and butter with your hands if preferred (just make sure they’re cold).

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the sugar and whisk briefly by hand to combine.

Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the egg and 1 tbsp of the water. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on a slow speed until it just starts to come together into a dough. If the dough is still looking too dry and crumbly, add the second tablespoon of water. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can also use a fork to bring everything together.

Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball. Don’t handle it more than you need to here or you may overwork the dough.

Wrap the dough ball in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Whilst the dough chills, prep the filling. Add the caster sugar and softened butter to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until smooth and fluffy. You can also do this by hand with a wooden spoon if preferred.

Slowly and gradually pour in the beaten egg, whisking as you go until it has been completely combined. Then briefly mix through the almond extract.

Sift in the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and add the salt. Fold gently with a wooden spoon until just combined.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to approximately 0.5cm in thickness. Use a 7.5-8cm cookie cutter to cut circles from the dough and push them carefully into the holes of a cupcake tin. If you would like to decorate the tarts with crosses, reserve a little pastry for this.

Once you have lined all of the cupcake holes with pastry, prick the bases with a fork a couple of times, then add 1 teaspoon of raspberry jam to the bottom of each tart.

Spoon approx. 1 heaped teaspoon of the filling on top, making sure the jam is covered.

Decorate by scattering over a few flaked almonds, or by slicing strips from your leftover pastry and creating crosses on top of the tarts.

Bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden.

Leave in the cupcake tin for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

How do you serve Congress Tarts?

You can eat Congress Tarts warm or cold. If you want to reheat them, you can do so in the oven. Preheat it to 180C/350F and place them on a tray in the middle of the oven for 5-7 minutes, until heated through.

They’re much like Christmas Mince Pies and make a great alternative if you don’t like mincemeat.

How do you store Congress Tarts?

You can keep Congress Tarts in an airtight container or tin for up to 5 days, although the pastry can soften a little over time.

If you’d like to freeze Congress Tarts, then wrap them individually in cling film first. Thaw by placing them on the bench for several hours before you wish to eat them, then eat cold or reheat them in the oven.

Preheat it to 180C/350F and place them on a tray in the middle of the oven for 5-7 minutes, until heated through.

Looking for more tart recipes? Try these!

• Ecclefechan Tart Recipe – Individual mini tarts or one large tart!
• Classic Butterscotch Tart
• Old School Cornflake Tart
• Scottish Pineapple Tarts

Happy baking!

Phil and Sonja x

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