Mrs Crimbles is a brand I like very much, which seems to specialize in yummy gluten free cakes, so when I saw some bakewell slices by her, I bought them without a second thought.
I’ve tried other brands of gluten free bakewell in the past – in that case it was tarts, which is the original concept. I found the ones I had before very disappointing, with little resemblance to the real thing. The topping, which is supposed to be frangipane (there’s a definition of this further on), was an over-sweet pasty mess, and all in all, I regretted buying them.
When I got home, I made a cup of coffee and treated myself to a couple of the Mrs Crimbles variety. I was not disappointed.
As I’m not a big fan of pastry, the slice version of bakewell tart suits me better. For those of you who don’t know what bakewell tart is, it’s a traditional confection consisting of a pastry case (much of which I usually break off and throw away, lol) with a layer of jam, covered with a thick layer of frangipane – which according to BBC Good Food is “A mixture of ground almonds, butter, sugar and eggs that is sometimes used to fill a tart”. So, you see, it should have a texture. In fact, it’s often more like a sponge than that sounds, but there is no chance at all of it being a smooth paste!
You can see from the picture that the pastry layer in Mrs Crimbles bakewell slices is very thin, and the jam layer even thinner. Not to worry, though as the frangipane on the top is very tasty and sweet, with a nice texture and full of flavor.
I give this product 5 stars. As a gluten free treat it succeeds just fine, and I would have no difficulty in passing off this product as “normal” food. Not only that, but as with all Mrs Crimbles products, the price is very fair: £1.47 for a pack of 4 slices. This is not expensive, in fact as gluten free products go, it’s dirt cheap! I would most likely pay more, but I’m glad I don’t have to. Recommended.
