Strawberry, Lemon and Almond Hungarian Tart

A delicious, crumbly shortbread base and crumble encase a jammy, strawberry middle.

Whilst the origins of its name is unclear, the Hungarian Tart is synonymous with Diwali and is included in many parcels which are gifted to friends. No Diwali was complete for me, without receiving a parcel containing a Hungarian Tart.

The layers of buttery shortbread and delicious crumble sandwich a jammy middle that is a true delight. I often do find some tarts far too sweet however, so I have added fresh strawberries to the mix to bring some brightness and balance.

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FOR THE BASE AND THE CRUMBLE

• 200g salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 270g cake flour (approx. 2 1/4 cups)
• 30g cornflour (approx. 1/4 cup)
• 125g caster sugar (approx. 1/2 cup plus a tablespoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• zest of half a lemon (optional)
• 40g flaked almonds

FOR THE JAM AND FRUIT LAYER

• 120g strawberry jam
• 120g fresh strawberries, rinsed
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 teaspoons icing sugar

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven and prepare the tin: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Grease and line the base of a 20cm square baking tin. The jam can cause some sticking, especially along the sides of the tin, so please do not skip this.
2. Make the base: Place all the ingredients, except the melted butter and flaked almonds into a large mixing bowl. Pour in the melted butter and cut through the mixture with a butter knife until it comes together. The mixture can be clumpy, but this is fine and is wanted for the crumble.
3. Set aside the crumble: Remove 130g of the dough and set in the fridge to use as the crumble, later.
4. Bake the base: Press the base down into the tin. Dock the base with a fork (ie. poke little holes in with a fork) and place in the oven to bake. Bake for 25 minutes, until the base is nice and brown.
5. Prepare the strawberries: Whilst the base is baking, and the crumble is chilling, begin by preparing the strawberries. Dice the strawberries into little cubes, you do not want them to be too chunky. Add in the lemon juice and icing sugar and mix to combine. Set aside to macerate.
6. Lower the oven temperature: Remove the base once baked and reduce the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
7. Add on the jam and strawberries: Spread half of the jam onto the base. Then add the strawberries onto the jam, being mindful to remove any excess liquid from the strawberries. This will make the base soggy. Finally, spread on the remaining jam over the fresh strawberries.
8. Add on the crumble and bake: Remove the remaining dough from the fridge and sprinkle over the jam. Try not to crumble it too finely as you want some texture. Then throw on some flaked almonds for additional texture. Bake for 20 minutes until the top begins to turn brown.
9. Dust with icing sugar and serve: Let the hungarian tart cool completely before lifting out of the tin. Then dust with a bit of icing sugar, slice into squares and serve.

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com