Traditional Easy Treacle Tart Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (2024)

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Hi Bold Bakers!

geWHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE:A traditional English treacle tart with a simple lemon filling, buttery crust, and a distinctive, pleasing texture. It’s very simple to make — and it uses myfoolproof piecrust thatanyone can handle.

In my early 20s, I used to cook for retired priests in a priory in Dublin. It was my job to make them lunch, dinner, and, of course, dessert. I would spend the entire daybakingfor them — and thiseasy treacle tartrecipe was always high on their wish list.

With its comfortingflavor, unique texture, simplicity, and charming British heritage, treacle tart is an invitation to explore a culinary tradition that spans centuries. And the best part? It’s surprisingly easy to make, making it the perfect dessert for both beginners and seasoned bakers. So, why wait? Treat yourself and your loved ones to a slice of homemade heaven, you won’t regret it!

Table of Contents

• What is Treacle Tart?
• Tools You Need
• Treacle Tart Recipe Key Ingredients and Why
• How to Make Treacle Tart
• How to Store Treacle Tart
• Can I make a Treacle Tart in advance?
• FAQs
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Enjoy More Irish Pies and Tarts

What Is Treacle Tart?

• Treacle tart is atraditional British dessertknown and loved for its buttery crust cradling a sticky, gooey, and zesty lemon filling sweetened with golden syrup (orlight treacle).
• It’s rich in history, from its earliest documented recipe in the late 19th century to appearing in the classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to being known as Harry Potter’s (and also maybe Harry Potter fans’) favorite food. The first treacle tart recipe is believed to be by Mary Jewry, which was actually printed before the invention of golden syrup! Back then, Mary used black treacle, which is darker than golden syrup and has a stronger, slightly bitter, flavoring.
• The secret to achieving the tart’s distinctive texture lies in the inclusion offresh breadcrumbswithin the luscious fillingmixture, and I prefer to use myhomemade breadcrumbsfor an extra touch of artisanal quality. If you find yourself without treacle, fear not; you can easily craft agolden syrup substituteat home.

• Measuring cupsandmeasuring spoons
• Measuring jug
• 9-inchshallow pie panortart tin
• Rolling pin
• Pie weights
• parchmentpaper
• Mediumsaucepan
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk

Treacle Tart Recipe Key Ingredients and Why

• 1 recipe ofBestPie CrustRecipe

• Golden syrup

  • Golden syrup or light treacle, is a popular baking ingredient in Ireland. It is a thick, amber-colored syrup and deep buttery flavor that you would use in recipes that include corn syrup.
  • Golden syrup is a form of inverted sugar syrup, which is made in the process of refining sugar cane or sugar beet juice into sugar. It has the same consistency as honey and looks similar as well. If you can’t find golden syrup, you can make a homemade substitute versionor use dark corn syrup.

• Lemon juice

  • Lemon juice balances the sweetness and gives the tart a refreshing citrus flavor.

• Breadcrumbs

  • Breadcrumbs absorb and retain moisture, creating a moist, tender, and slightly chewy interior.

• Heavy cream:

  • Heavy cream enriches the flavor and contributes to a silky smooth filing texture.

• Egg

  • Eggs can bind other ingredients together and add richness from egg yolks to the tart.

How to Make Treacle Tart

• Blind bakethe crust

  • Preheat theovento 375°F (190°C).

  • Roll out thepie crustand line a9-inch(23cm) shallowtart panwith it.

  • Prick the bottom of thepastrywith afork, line withparchmentand pie weights, andbakefor 15 minutes.

  • After 15 minutes, remove the parchment and pie weights and bake the crust for another 5 minutes, until pale golden brown. (Learn more aboutBlind Baking here)

• Make the filling:

  • In a mediumsaucepan, over low heat, cook thegolden syrup,lemon zest, and juice until the syrup is warm and runny.

  • Remove from the heat,stirin thebreadcrumbs, and let cool for 5 minutes thenwhisk in the cream andegg.

  • Spread the filling evenly into thepar-cooked crust, return to theovenandbakefor 20-25 minutes, until the filling isgolden brown.

• Serve

  • Let cool for at least 20 minutes and serve warm with a dollop of freshlywhipped cream.

How to Store Treacle Tart

Store treacle tart leftovers loosely covered withcling filmat room temperature for up to 2 days.

Can I make a Treacle Tart in advance?

Yes, you can prepare a treacle tart ahead of time.

• Freeze an unbaked tart:
  • Follow this recipe up to the point where you would normallybakeit. Wrapan assembled tart tightly incling filmor aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. A raw treacle tart can be stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
  • When ready tobake, preheat theovenper this recipe andbakeit directly from frozen. You may want to cover the edges with foil to prevent over-browning while the center thaws andbakes.Add a few extra minutes until the filling isgolden brown.
• Freeze a baked tart:
  • Once the treacle tart has cooled to room temperature,wrapit carefully to prevent freezer burn and maintain its freshness.
  • Freeze on a flattrayuntil firm the transfer treacle tart into an airtight bag or container and freeze it for up to 2-3 months.
  • When ready to eat, defrost it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Bake at 300°F(150°C)until warm throughout.

FAQs

What Is BlindBaking?

For this recipe, you have to blindbakeyourpie crust.Bakingblind is a method ofbakingin which apie crust, or otherpastrywithout the filling, is partially or fully baked before adding in the filling.Learn more about blindbakinghere.

Can I use maple syrup?

You can use maple syrup but do expect a different result.

• The tart will have a pronounced mapleflavorwhich differs from golden syrup’s caramel-like taste.
• Maple syrup will add an amber hue to the tart.

What kind of crust can be used to make a treacle tart recipe?

You can use apie crust,Buttermilk PieCrust,Flaky Sour Cream PieCrust Recipe,Pâte Brisée(FrenchPie Crust),Easy PuffPastry Crust,CookiePie Crust, orPâte Sucrée Recipe (FrenchSweetShortcrust Pastry).

Can I make mini treacle tarts instead of one large tart?

Yes, you can make mini treacle tarts by using smaller tart pans or molds. Monitor thebakingtime andoven temperaturecarefully, then use the telltale sign from this recipe.

Can I make this treacle tart recipe gluten-free?

Yes, you can make a gluten-free treacle tart by usingThe Flakiest Gluten-FreePie Crust.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Traditional Treacle Tart

• If you don’t have pie weights, driedbeans, lentils, or rice work just as well.
• Be sure to check out more detailed tips and step-by-step instructions inHow to BlindBakea Crust.
• It’s important to usefresh breadcrumbsfor this recipe – dried, pre-packaged breadcrumbs are too fine and won’t give you the right texture. Easily make your ownHomemade Breadcrumbshere.
• You can play around with variations on this tart by adding a teaspoon of fresh, grated ginger or a ½ a teaspoon of a dry spice, like cinnamon. You can even try replacing thelemon zestand juice with the zest and juice of an orange.
• Serve this fan-favorite warm with a nice scoop ofclotted cream,homemade crème anglaise, orhomemadevanilla ice cream!

Enjoy More Irish Pies and Tarts!

• Authentic Irish Apple Amber Pie
• Classic Irish Apple Tart
• Traditional Mince Pies
• Banoffee Pie
• Homemade Mincemeat

And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Every Day!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe was updated and improved on 10/12/2023, to include a new step-by-step tutorial video, explanation of key ingredients, answers to the most frequently asked questions, and Pro Chef Tips.