Recently, I started testing desserts for a fun international food event to be held at 14 Mill Market in Nixa. The event is called “Around the World Food and Drink Festival” and it will be held on Saturday, April 26th from 12-5. Passports can be purchased at 14MillMarket.com.
The winner dessert from my tests was a lovely British tart called a Cherry Bakewell. It is a handheld dessert with layers of short crust, tart cherry jam, almond flavored frangipane (almond cream), a simple white icing and an adorable little candied half cherry. I truly believe that whether you are a Midwestern American, lover of all things British or a true Brit, you will love this handheld dessert. If you love cherries and almond, you must come try it at 14 Mill Market and become a part of a British tradition. Yum! There is a reason the Brits love this dessert.
The name Cherry Bakewell sounds good, doesn’t it? Something that is cherry that is “baked well”? Who could say no? The “baked well” part of the name doesn’t actually come from how well it is baked though. Research reveals that the Cherry Bakewell started as a large tart called a Bakewell Tart. And that tart was originally from the town of Bakewell in Derbyshire, England. In contrast to the handheld Cherry Bakewells, a Bakewell Tart is typically the size of our normal pies in America and served in slices. It too, is a layered dessert with a short crust, jam (traditionally raspberry versus cherry), frangipane and a topping of powdered sugar and sliced toasted almonds instead of the icing and cherry.
While Cherry Bakewells won out in my testing, I have also noticed that we have had some special requests for Cherry Bakewell’s from our Facebook followers since our trip to Cornwall last year. It is there where we ate a Cherry Bakewell in a muffin form—not traditional but as a riff on the Cherry Bakewell, really quite good. We also ate a traditional prepackaged version from a shop in St. Ives, also very good!
The Cherry Bakewell is a big hit with the Brits and I think it will be for you too. To try one of our handmade Cherry Bakewells, come see us at 14 Mill Market in Nixa on April 26th and take a bite out of Britian. “Around the World Food and Drink Festival” is a day to gather your friends and bring your appetite to this wonderful food hall in Nixa. Look for our iconic red phone booth in front.