Go Back
treacle tart

Bibi's Tempting Treacle Tart

This delicious treacle tart pairs a rich, syrupy, lemony filling with crisp, plain, melt-in-the-mouth shortcrust pastry.
Read our post above for detailed instructions, step-by-step pictures and tips.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Chilling time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours
Servings: 6 to 8 people
Course: Dessert, Sweet
Cuisine: British
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

For the shortcrust pastry
  • 180g plain flour
  • 45g butter (unsalted)
  • 45 g white vegetable fat
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 to 3 tbsps cold water
For the treacle tart filling
  • 500g golden syrup
  • 200g soft breadcrumbs bought or fresh made from white bread
  • 1 unwaxed lemon
  • 2 tsps ground ginger (optional)
To serve
  • Clotted or thick double cream

Equipment

  • 1 Loose-leaf or springform cake tin 20cm (8 inches)
  • 1 Rolling Pin
  • 1 sieve
  • Baking beans (optional)
  • 1 Lemon zester (optional)
  • 1 Large tin can (optional)

Method
 

For the shortcrust pastry
  1. For more detailed instructions see our pastry Tips - Dough Tip & Rolling Tip.
  2. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, and add a pinch of salt. Measure both fats onto a plate and cut into small cubes.
  3. Add the cubed fat to the flour. Rub in well, using your fingertips to pick up small pieces of fat & flour, rubbing gently and letting them fall back into the bowl. Continue until there are no lumps and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. See our rubbing in Tip.
  4. Add some cold water. Start with 2 tablespoons, then add more if needed. Stir, using a table knife or fork, until the mixture starts to clump into doughy lumps. Then use your hands to bring it together into a ball, which should leave the sides of the bowl clean.
  5. Turn the dough onto a floured board, and knead well to form a smooth ball. See our dough Tip.
  6. Wrap the dough in cling film, or place in a plastic bag, and rest in the fridge for at least 10 minutes and up to about half an hour. If you leave it in longer, remove from the fridge about 20 minutes before rolling out.
  7. While the dough is resting, very lightly grease the tin. This is to prevent the filling from making the tart stick if it bubbles. (For most tarts do not grease.) Also flour the board and your rolling pin.
  8. Remove the dough from the fridge and place on the board. Flatten it slightly, then roll out, turning the dough between every few rolls. It needs to be rolled large enough to fill the tin, including the sides, with some overhang. See our rolling Tip.
  9. Line the tin with the pastry, lifting it up on the rolling pin and draping it into the tin. Carefully fit the pastry into the tin. See our lining Tip. Trim off any excess pastry by rolling your pin over the top of the tin. Cover with cling film or a plastic bag, and rest in the fridge for at least an hour.
  10. If decorating the tart, collect up the dough scraps and form into a new ball. Roll out into a long, thin shape, at least the length the tart tin. Cut into strips and place on a plate. Cover with cling film or plastic and set in the fridge.
  11. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan). When the tart case has chilled, prick the bottom with a fork. Line the case with baking paper - scrunching it makes this easier - leaving some overhang. Fill with baking beans or a neutral weight like dried beans or rice. Place in the oven to bake blind for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and take out the paper & beans. Return the tart case to the oven for another 5 minutes or so, until the pastry looks dry, but still pale. See our blind baking Tip. Remove, and set aside to cool.
If making fresh breadcrumbs
  1. You can buy ready-made breadcrumbs, but choose ones marked as 'soft'. To make your own, leave enough sliced white bread out overnight on a plate or board to go stale - you will need more than 200g bread as you are removing the crusts.
  2. When the bread is stale and dry, remove the crusts and discard. Tear the bread into pieces, and add to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blizt into medium crumbs.
  3. If your bread is too wet to make crumbs in a processor, remove the crusts and rip the bread into tiny pieces. Put these on a baking tray and set in a low oven, about 120C (100C fan) until just very slightly crisp on the outside, about 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool, mixing them up on the tray to help them crisp. See the breadcrumb section of our post above for more details.
For the treacle tart filling
  1. Zest & juice the lemon, then cut the zest finer. See our lemon Tip
  2. Measure the golden syrup directly into a large saucepan. Add the zest, juice and ground ginger (if using). Set over a medium heat until just hot.
  3. Stir in the breadcrumbs, remove from the heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes for the bread to soak up the syrup.
  4. The filling is ready when the breadcrumbs are well soaked, and a little syrup remains in the trail of your spoon when you drag it through the mixture, Add a little more syrup if it seems too dry, just until the breadcrumbs no longer absorb it.
Filling, decorating & baking the tart
  1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Add the filling to the tart case, and smooth it down to form an even, flat surface.
  2. If decorating, twist the pastry strips once or twice and place on top of the tart to form a 'spoke' pattern, overlapping at the centre.
  3. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 180C (160C fan) and bake for about another 20 minutes, or until the filling is golden brown, and the pastry is crisp.
  4. Allow the tart to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin. We do this by placing the tart on a large can, and pushing the sides of the tart tin down. See our post above. The tart can be served hot or cold; we like it just warm.
  5. Slice & serve with clotted or thick double cream.
  6. Enjoy!