Cherry Bakewell flapjack is a happy union of two classic British bakes. This easy to make traybake combines almond flapjack with cherry jam and a drizzle of glacé icing to match up to the cherry Bakewell name.
For a classic take on this sweet traybake pick up my brown sugar flapjack recipe.
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Cherry Bakewell flapjack is a great bake that takes a traditional flapjack recipe and spins it around to morph into a hybrid bake. The inclusion of almond and cherry goodies in this traybake allows flapjack to meet cherry Bakewell tart in a fun, delicious and very easy way. A batch won’t hang around for long.
The best drink to accompany this almond and cherry flapjack, aside from a cup of tea, would be an oatmilk honey latte as it’s not too sweet.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick & easy – expect it to be in the oven in around 15 minutes
- Feed a crowd – you’ll easily cut 12 generous portions from this traybake.
- Appearance – this screams of cherry Bakewell. The icing drizzle and cherry pieces give the game away and make for a very attractive flapjack.
- Taste – expect the gentle, sweet and subtle nutty taste of almonds to sparkle against the robust oaty flavour in your jammy cherry flapjack. The generous layer of cherry jam adds a zing of freshness to the bake whilst that drizzle of sweet glacé is just the right level of extra sweetness.
What is cherry Bakewell flapjack?
Cherry Bakewell flapjack is an almond and cherry flapjack based on the flavours present in cherry Bakewell tart. This tart, which is not to be confused with Bakewell pudding, comprises shortcrust pastry, jam, almond frangipane, glacé icing and glacé cherries. It’s an iconic British bake!
With this in mind, my recipe for Bakewell flapjack sandwiches a sticky layer of cherry jam between layers of sweet and nutty almond flapjack made with oats and ground almonds.
The glacé icing drizzle is highly recommended. Initially, I thought this topping would be too sweet, but it’s not at all. It’s the ideal garnish for this cherry flapjack recipe. And it enables the bake to be decorated with pieces of glacé cherries, just like the tart.
I’ve got numerous flapjack recipes knocking around now. Biscoff flapjack is a real crowd-pleaser, but don’t miss my cocoa flapjack as it has so many additional extras thrown in to make it exciting.
Ingredients notes
Oats: always use rolled oats (small oats) when making flapjack. They are easier to press into the tin more compactly than jumbo oats and therefore result in a flapjack that holds together well.
Almonds: use ground almonds (almond meal) plus a dash of almond extract to flavour your almond and cherry flapjack.
Jam: use quality cherry jam with a fruit content of at least 50%. You can either buy a jar or use my recipe for cherry jam, leaving out the alcohol.
Golden syrup: this is an essential ingredient in this almond and cherry flapjack recipe. Golden syrup is readily available from UK supermarkets but can be hard to find in other countries. The best substitute would be corn syrup.
Equipment notes
Bake your flapjack in a square baking tin approximately 20cm x 20cm (8 x 8 inches). Don’t forget to line it with baking parchment to make removing your flapjack a cinch.
Step by step instructions
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Put the butter, sugar and syrup into a large pan and heat it gently, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Give the liquid a thorough stir to blend the ingredients.
Step 2. Stir in the almond extract then mix in the oats and ground almonds.
Step 3. Spread half of the oaty mixture into the prepared baking tin. Level the surface, pressing down firmly with the back of a metal spoon.
Spoon the jam onto the mixture and spread it out to within 1cm of the edge of the tin.
Step 4. Spoon the remaining oaty mixture over the top of the jam and use a fork to spread it out, covering the jam entirely, then press it down using the back of a spoon.
Bake the flapjack in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling. Remove and set aside to cool completely (though you can score the top to mark out portions).
Step 5. When the flapjack is cold make the icing by mixing the icing sugar with the almond extract and a small amount of water to form an icing that can be drizzled.
Use a spoon or blunt knife to drizzle the icing over your flapjack.
(Yes, I did bake my flapjack for a few minutes too long – yikes!)
Step 6. Roughly chop the cherries and press them into the icing randomly. Scatter the almond flakes over the top.
Leave the icing to set for around 30 minutes then slice the flapjack.
Expert Tips
Top Tip: never use jumbo oats when making this recipe for cherry Bakewell flapjack (or any other flapjack recipe). Small, rolled oats hold together far better.
- Weigh ingredients accurately using digital scales and gram measurements. The cup measuring system is wildly inaccurate so I don’t recommend it.
- Use the correct sized tin – in this instance you will need a 20cm x 20cm tin. Using a smaller/ larger tin affects the depth of the bake and the required cooking time.
- Don’t be tempted to double the glacé icing as your flapjack may end up too sweet.
- Don’t leave out the almonds. This is not a classic flapjack recipe, so leaving them out will adversely affect the texture of your bake.
Frequently asked questions
It is best to let your flapjack cool completely before attempting to cut into it. Warm flapjack is not fully set, so if it is cut into it may fall apart.
Using jumbo oats rather than rolled oats is a common reason for crumbly flapjack. Another reason your flapjack has crumbled could be that it was not pressed into the tin firmly enough prior to baking. Finally, if you did not line your tin with baking parchment then removing it from the tin will be much harder and mean that your flapjack will be more prone to fall apart in the process of releasing it from the baking tin.
Wrap your cherry and almond flapjack in foil and store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
If you would like to freeze this flapjack it is best to do so before adding the icing. Let it defrost at room temperature before decorating and consuming.
I’m afraid this cherry and almond flapjack is not healthy. There are large quantities of sugar and butter in this recipe, so it is not remotely healthy. It should be enjoyed in moderation as a treat.
More recipes garnished with cherries
Have you made this recipe for almond and cherry flapjack? Please give the recipe a rating or leave a comment – I love to hear how you get along with my creations.
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📖 Recipe
Cherry Bakewell Flapjack
Equipment
- 1 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin
Ingredients
- 225 g Butter
- 175 g Soft light brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons Golden syrup or corn syrup
- 250 g Rolled oats do not use jumbo oats
- 90 g Ground almonds
- 4 tablespoons Cherry jam
- ½ teaspoon Almond extract
Decoration
- 75 g Icing sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Almond extract
- 4 Glacé cherries
- 1 tablespoon Flaked almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/ 325°F/ GM 3.
- Grease a 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin lightly with butter then line the base with baking parchment.
- Put the butter, sugar and syrup into a large pan and heat it gently, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Give the liquid a thorough stir to blend the ingredients.
- Stir in the almond extract.
- Mix the oats and ground almonds into the liquid.
- Spread half of the oaty mixture into the prepared baking tin. Level the surface, pressing down firmly with the back of a metal spoon.
- Spoon the jam onto the mixture and spread it out to within 1cm of the edge of the tin.
- Carefully spoon the remaining oaty mixture over the top of the jam. Use a fork to spread it out, covering the jam entirely, then press it down using the back of a spoon.
- Bake the flapjack in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling. Remove and set aside to cool completely (though you can score the top to mark out portions).
- When the flapjack is cold make the icing by mixing the icing sugar with the almond extract and a small amount of water to form an icing that can be drizzled (Add the water in ¼ teaspoon increments to avoid adding too much).
- Use a spoon or blunt knife to drizzle the icing over your flapjack.
- Roughly chop the cherries and press them into the icing randomly. Scatter the flaked almonds over the top. Leave the icing to set for around 30 minutes then slice the flapjack.
Notes
- Top Tip: never use jumbo oats when making this recipe for cherry Bakewell flapjack (or any other flapjack recipe). Small rolled oats hold together far better.
- Weigh ingredients accurately using digital scales and gram measurements. The cup measuring system is wildly inaccurate so I don’t recommend it.
- Use the correct sized tin – in this instance you will need a 20cm x 20cm tin. Using a smaller/ larger tin affects the depth of the bake and the required cooking time.
- Don’t be tempted to double the glacé icing as your flapjack may end up too sweet.
- Don’t leave out the almonds. This is not a classic flapjack recipe, so leaving them out will adversely affect the texture of your bake.
- It is best to let your flapjack cool completely before attempting to cut into it. Warm flapjack is not fully set, so if it is cut into it may fall apart.
- Storage: wrap your cherry and almond flapjack in foil and store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Jane Coupland
I hope that you enjoy this recipe. It’s a sweet and sticky version of flapjack that was a joy to create.