Benjamina Ebuehi's raspberry, cardamom and mascarpone tart. Photograph: Rita Platts/The Guardian. Food and prop styling: Lucy Turnbull. View image in fullscreen Benjamina Ebuehi's raspberry, cardamom and mascarpone tart. Photograph: Rita Platts/The Guardian. Food and prop styling: Lucy Turnbull. The sweet spot Food Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for raspberry, cardamom and mascarpone tart This fruity summer dessert combines taste and texture with its layers of soft frangipane, crunchy sugar crust and a silky topping
Benjamina Ebuehi Fri 17 Jul 2026 07.00 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google I f there’s one thing I’m very likely to have in my freezer, it’s a pack of ready-rolled puff pastry. And especially so during the warmer months, when I can use it for quick sweet or savoury tarts, be it a casual midweek bake or a fancier dinner party dessert. Layering texture is key, and here we’ve got crisp pastry; soft, slightly chewy at the edges frangipane; a crunchy demerara sugar crust; a silky mascarpone topping and squidgy raspberries.
320g sheet ready-rolled puff pastry 2 large eggs , 1 beaten to make an egg wash 80g unsalted butter , softened 100g caster sugar ½ tsp freshly crushed green cardamom , from 5-7 pods 100g ground almonds 225g fresh raspberries 2-3 tbsp demerara sugar 220ml double cream 120g mascarpone 1 tsp vanilla extract 1½ tbsp icing sugar
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Unroll the pastry, keeping it on its baking paper, and put it on a large baking tray. Use a sharp knife to score a roughly 4cm border all around the edge, then use a fork to prick all over the pastry inside the border.
Lightly egg wash the pastry border, then put the tray in the oven for 10 minutes, until the pastry is puffy. Remove, tap down the middle and leave the pastry to cool a little. Turn down the oven to 180C (180C fan)/350F/gas 4.
In a bowl, mix the butter, sugar and cardamom until smooth (the mix doesn’t need to be pale and fluffy), then mix in the egg, followed by the ground almonds. Spread this frangipane all over the pastry inside the border of the tart, then top with 175g of the raspberries. Brush the border again with more egg wash, sprinkle the demerara sugar on top, then bake for 20-25 minutes, until the frangipane is lightly browned and the crust is deeply browned. Leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile, whip the cream, mascarpone, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl, until just thickened. Spoon swoops of the mascarpone mix on top of the cooled tart and finish with the remaining 50g raspberries.