This traditional Terrific Treacle Tart is one of Britain’s famous desserts. It has a buttery crust with a lemon-infused filling, and its recent claim to fame is that it is Harry Potter’s favorite dessert.
Want a few more tart recipes? Try our Summer Key Lime Tart, Delicious Chocolate Tart with Raspberries, or Super Easy Rhubarb Tarts.
Harry Potter Treacle Tart
This traditional British dessert is baked to a beautiful golden brown and is a must for any J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter fans. The tart is either baked by the Hogwarts elves or by Harry’s own elf, Kreacher, so it is seen in many of the books and is Harry’s favorite dessert. Our daughter has been a huge fan forever of this series, so this dessert was a must to make.
Helpful Items For This Recipe
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What is in Treacle Tart?
Most of the ingredients can be found in any grocery store, but the golden syrup that is traditional in this tart is a bit more difficult to find. I, therefore, have provided you with an Amazon link for this syrup above.
First, a shortcrust is made, and then it is filled with a mixture of treacle (golden syrup) that is mixed with lemon and breadcrumbs. The flavor is sweet from the syrup with a lovely hint of lemon. It is baked in a loose-bottomed tart pan for easy serving.
Ingredients
Filling
1 cup syrup, golden (see affiliate link for this British syrup above)
2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4-2 cups bread crumbs
The zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
2 Tbsp. fancy molasses
Pinch of salt
Shortcrust Pastry
1 1/3 cup flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 Tbsp. cold water or more
How to Make Treacle Tart
The tart is easy to make, and I have provided you with some pictures and step-by-step instructions so that you get the best results every time.
For the crust, in a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt.
Add in butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pulse in egg yolk and add the water a little at a time until the dough comes together.
Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 min. Don’t let the dough get too cold, as it will be harder to work with.
Then on a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry dough to a 13-inch circle and then place in a 10-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Press dough into the pan and make sure the sides have lots.
Take a rolling pin and roll over the top of the tart tin, slicing the excess dough off. With a fork, prick bottom of the tart all over and let rest in the refrigerator for 20 min.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Take the tart out of the refrigerator and line the bottom with foil. Fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake the tart shell for 20 min. then remove weights and foil and bake for a further 5 min.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Making The Filling
In a bowl, stir together syrup, molasses, and eggs. Add salt and breadcrumbs, then lemon zest and lemon juice.
Mix well and then pour into baked crust. Bake at 325 degrees F for 40-45 min. until puffed and browned. Let cool in pan on a rack, and then remove the tart from the pan and place on a cake stand.
Serve with whipped cream, or in Britain, it would be clotted cream. Clotted cream is similar to a high-quality unsalted butter with a texture somewhat like whipped cream cheese and a richness somewhere between butter and whipped cream.
A high-quality vanilla ice cream can be served with the tart, too, but it is not as traditional as whipped cream or clotted cream.
Why is it Called Treacle Tart?
Does treacle tart contain treacle? A treacle tart is made with a treacle syrup. Treacle is any syrup derived from the making of sugar. It is golden syrup to dark treacle (which is not as dark as molasses). Black treacle is molasses. This type of syrup is common in Britain and used as a condiment and sweetener. To make a true treacle tart, you need authentic golden syrup. I have an affiliate link above for this syrup.
The earliest known recipe for a treacle tart is found in a cookbook by Mary Jewry from the late 19th century. Sometimes the tart is presented with a lattice topping too.
Is Treacle the same as Corn Syrup?
No, treacle is different from corn syrup. Corn syrup is made from the starch of corn, whereas golden syrup or treacle is made from cane sugar or beet sugar. It is sweeter than sugar but also has a lovely caramel flavor in its golden color. Therefore, I really recommend getting actual treacle to make this tart.
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Treacle Tart
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 cup syrup golden
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 3/4-2 cups bread crumbs
- The zest of one lemon
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 Tbsp. fancy molasses
- Pinch of salt
Crust
- 1 1/3 cup flour
- 3 Tbsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. cold water or more
Instructions
- For the crust, in a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt.
- Add in butter and pulse until coarse crumbs.
- Pulse in egg yolk and add the water a little at a time until the dough comes together.
- Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 min.
- Don’t let the dough get too cold, as it will be harder to work with.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry dough to a 13-inch circle and then place in a 10-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom.
- Press dough into the pan and make sure the sides have lots.
- Take a rolling pin and roll over the top of the tart, slicing the excess dough off.
- With a fork, prick bottom of the tart all over and let rest in the refrigerator for 20 min.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Take the tart out of the refrigerator and line the bottom with foil.
- Fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake the tart shell for 20 min. then remove weights and foil and bake for a further 5 min.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F
- In a bowl, stir together syrup, molasses, and eggs.
- Add salt and breadcrumbs, then lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Mix well and then pour into baked crust.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 40-45 min. until puffed and browned.
- Let cool in pan on a rack.
- Serve with whipped cream.
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