Simple Treacle Tart Recipe

Treacle Tart with Whipped Cream – Jessica Case/Tasting Table

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If you live in or have ever visited the UK (or if you’re a big “Harry Potter” fan), there’s a good chance you’ve heard of the Treacle Tart. The classic British treat is a sticky sweet delight that recipe developer Jessica Case describes as “irresistibly delicious”! Thanks to her simple treacle tart recipe, you can enjoy the dessert anywhere and anytime, as long as you have golden syrup, a caramel-like syrup that is also well-loved in the UK.

Of course, the treacle tart doesn’t just have golden syrup — it also has a buttery tart crust, and combined with the sweet filling, Case can’t stop herself from raving about this delightful dessert. “My favorite thing about this dish is its buttery shortcrust base and gooey filling made with golden syrup, breadcrumbs and lemon juice,” she says. With a simple garnish of powdered sugar and whipped cream, Treacle Tart is the ooey-gooey confection you didn’t realize was missing from your dessert stash.

Read more: 15 British baked sweet treats you’ll want to try

Gather the Ingredients for This Simple Treacle Tart

Ingredients for Treacle Tart – Jessica Case/Tasting Table

The crust part of this recipe comes together thanks to flour, brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and butter. The filling consists of white breadcrumbs (made fresh from white bread), heavy whipping cream, an egg, lemon rind and juice, and of course golden syrup. ,[The] The special ingredient is golden syrup which is a thick, amber-colored invert sugar syrup made from sugar, water, and citric acid,” explains Case. “It has a deeply caramelized, buttery flavor. You can’t make this tart without it.” Luckily, you can buy pre-made golden syrup, making this recipe even simpler.

Make Tart Crust

Tart Crust in Baking Dish – Jessica Case/Tasting Table

Preheat your oven to 375 F, then focus on making the tart crust. Mix flour, brown sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl. Then add the vanilla and cubed butter and break the butter into the dry ingredients until the entire mixture is very crumbly. Grab a piece with your fingers and pinch it to make sure it sticks together and doesn’t fall apart – this means you’ve distributed the butter evenly.

Pour the crust mixture into a 9-inch tart baking pan and use your hands to press it into all the crevices. Cover the top of the crust with a piece of parchment paper and then fill the crust with dried beans or pie weights. Transfer the crust to the middle shelf of the oven and bake for the initial 10 to 12 minutes; At that point, remove the parchment paper and beans, then bake for 5 minutes longer, until the crust is golden brown.

Combine golden syrup and filling ingredients

Boiling syrup in a saucepan – Jessica Case/Tasting Table

Before you start making the treacle tart filling, make sure your breadcrumbs are ready to use. To do this, simply pulse the white bread in a food processor until you get coarse crumbs.

Now, place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and add the breadcrumbs, golden syrup, heavy cream, lemon peel, lemon juice, and egg. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and stir continuously to avoid sticking or burning. Once the syrup mixture comes to a boil, reduce the flame slightly and cook for 2 more minutes.

Bake a Tart

Treacle Tart with Syrup Filling – Jessica Case/Tasting Table

Pour the syrupy filling into your slightly cooled tart crust, then pop the whole thing in the oven to bake for about 25 minutes. You’ll know the tart is cooked when the filling is nicely browned. Once you’ve taken the tart out of the oven, let it cool completely before diving in.

Decorate your treacle tart with whipped cream

Treacle Tart with Whipped Cream – Jessica Case/Tasting Table

Once your treacle tart has completely cooled, you can optionally garnish it with powdered sugar or some whipped cream. Otherwise, go ahead and cut and serve this sticky sweet delight. “Definitely pair it with freshly whipped cream or ice cream,” advises Case. As far as beverages go, “It’s a British dessert, so we know tea works great with it.”

There’s a risk of leftovers with any full-sized dessert, but luckily, you can refrigerate leftover tart slices. Case notes, “It stays good for up to 4 days in the fridge.”

Treacle Tart with Slice – Jessica Case/Tasting Table

Preparation Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 45 mins Yield: 8 slicesMaterial

1 ½ cups flour
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
7 slices white bread (or enough to make 1 cup breadcrumbs)
1 ¼ cup golden syrup
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 lemon, peeled
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg

Alternative content

powdered sugar, for serving
Whipped Cream, for serving

guidance

Preheat the oven to 375F.
Mix flour, brown sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and melted butter and mix until crumbly. When the mixture is cooked it looks like large streusel-like pieces. Try pressing some between your fingers to see if it will hold together.
Pour crust mixture into 9-inch pie tart. Use your hands or the back of a spoon to press the crust firmly and evenly into the pan.
Cover the crust with parchment paper and fill it with dried beans or pie weights and place the tart on the middle shelf in the oven.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, then remove the parchment paper and beans. Bake for 5 more minutes until it turns golden brown. Let it cool down.
Use a food processor and pulse the bread. Pulse a few more times until the bread resembles coarse crumbs.
In a medium saucepan, add the golden syrup, heavy whipping cream, breadcrumbs, lemon peel, lemon juice, and egg. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.
When the syrup comes to a gentle boil, reduce the flame and cook for 2 more minutes. remove from heat.
Pour filling into baked shortbread crust. Bake for 25 minutes until the filling is nicely browned.
Remove the tart from the oven and let it cool completely.
Optionally garnish the tart with powdered sugar and whipped cream, then slice and serve.