Mini Jammy Bundt Tarts

These little tarts are a wee bit cheeky. The tin is a Nordic Ware petit fours style bundt pan, but I had other plans... I really liked the idea of using it for something other than cake. The enamel surface would be perfect for crisping up pastry, avoiding the dreaded soggy bottom.

They are perfect for making with children, but I quite liked the thought of a retro petit four. Who needs a dense truffle when you could have one of these cheeky mothers? They are light, crisp and deliciously sweet. What's even better, is they are quick, easy, and can be made from pastry scraps and a bit of store cupboard jam. I couldn't choose, so did four different types; blackcurrent, raspberry, rhubarb and ginger and lemon curd.

This recipe includes enough pastry to make a standard sized pie or my individual apple pies, however I use pastry scraps for these tarts. They're only little! You could make either of the above mentioned bakes and still have enough left for tarts. Alternatively, you could freeze the rest for another day...

Ingredients: 

Sweet shortcrust pastry 

• 400g plain flour
• 40g golden caster sugar
• 1/4 tsp mixed spice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 150g cold unsalted butter - cubed
• 100g cold vegetable fat - cubed
• 1 large egg - beaten
• 1 tbsp cold water

Filling

• A variety of jams or curds - whatever you have knocking about!

Method: 

1. Sift the flour, sugar and mixed spice into a large bowl. 
2. Stir in the lemon rind.
3. Tip in the fats and rub in until the mix looks like golden breadcrumbs. Chilly hands make better pastry. If you are a warm pawed creature, stick the cubed fats in the freezer for five minutes, or use a food processor. 
4. Stir in the beaten egg and water with a round bladed knife.
5. Stir for a couple of minutes or until it starts to form a ball. If there are lots of dry bits, add another tablespoon of water. 
6. Knead the ball about five times - it should look smoother. Do not over work it...
7. Cover with cling film and pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
8. Roll the pastry out to about 3mm thick.
9. Using a 2.5 inch ring cutter, stamp out little pastry discs, then ease them into the mini bundt moulds. You could always use mini muffin pans in the same way. 
10. Dollop a heaped teaspoon of jam into each, and bake at gas 6/200C for 10 minutes. 
11. They come out of the tin really easily after a few minutes, but be careful! Hot jam burns like Hades in the middle of summer.

Perfect for picnics, parties or pig of the week moments...

Join me on Facebook

Tweet me @dollybakes
Have a nosy at my pics on Pinterest