Homemade Treacle Tart Recipe

Treacle tart: Harry Potter's favorite dessert. A very simple and delicious homemade tart recipe made with golden syrup, fresh breadcrumbs, and lemon juice.

EASY TREACLE TART RECIPE (HARRY POTTER INSPIRED)

Every person who ever read Harry Potter has heard of the famous treacle tart, it is mentioned in several books of the series, either baked by the Hogwarts elves or by Harry's own elf, Kreacher.

When deciding to make this Harry Potter series, I knew I had to give this dessert recipe a go, it is one of the most famous foods mentioned in the book, butterbeer and pumpkin juice being probably the only ones that get mentioned more frequently than the tart.

And I am so glad I did bake it, I liked it so much more than I thought I would.

Although using so much golden syrup, the pie is not overly sweet, the lemon juice mixed with the syrup and the breadcrumbs make all the difference, cutting through the sweetness and adding a delicious tanginess and lemon aroma.

And what I liked most is the fact that this homemade treacle tart is almost cookie-like in the end, when cold and set (and especially the next day) it feels and tastes like a lemony jam cookie, my favorite kind of cookie.

What is the tart made of?

• This traditional British pie or tart consists of a shortcrust pastry filled with a mixture of breadcrumbs, golden syrup and a lot of lemon juice to cut through the sweetness of the syrup.
• The dessert was created after the invention of golden syrup towards the end of the 19th century and it has become very popular not only because it tastes great, but also because it is very cheap to make.

Is treacle the same as corn syrup?

• No.
• Corn syrup is a by-product of making cornstarch, a sugar that has been extracted from corn and processed to become liquid. It has a mild flavor and prevents crystallization, that is why it is often used to make syrups, ice cream or sorbets.
• Treacle, also called golden syrup or light treacle is a different product. It is an inverted sugar syrup made from sugar cane or sugar beet. It is 25% sweeter than sugar, it has a beautiful golden color and a slight caramel taste.
• It is not to be confused with black treacle, which is similar to molasses and which has an even more pronounced flavor. Black treacle is often used to make toffee, puddings, and cakes.

HOW TO MAKE TREACLE TART?

Pastry:

I used a barely sweetened crust, the one that I used for making the Pumpkin Pasties as well.

• Always use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients, especially when baking.
• Cut the butter into small cubes. Place them in one layer on a plate and freeze them for about 15 minutes, they should not be frozen but get really cold.
• In the meantime place the flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor/stand mixer. Mix well.
• Add the butter cubes and process shortly, about 10 pulses. The dough should just resemble breadcrumbs.
• Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the very cold water, and pulse a few times again until the dough comes together.
• Add the third tablespoon of water if necessary, sometimes I do add it, sometimes not, it depends on how exactly you weigh the flour and sometimes on the brand of the flour itself.
• The dough should hold together when you press a little bit of it between your fingers.

Filling:

To make the filling I used a recipe found in the unofficial Harry Potter cookbook.

• Remove the crust from the toast bread, weigh the 110 g/ 4 oz needed and make breadcrumbs in your food processor.
• Zest and juice the lemon.
• Place the golden syrup into a small saucepan and warm gently until it is runny, it will not take long.
• Combine the syrup, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, and lemon juice very well.

Dish:

• It is preferable to use a loose-bottomed pie dish, it will make things easier when removing the tart from the form. A regular dish works as well, but you will have to be more careful when taking the pie out of the form.
• Alternatively, you can use a ceramic pie dish, so you can cut and serve the tart directly from the dish.
• The pie form should have a diameter of about 23 cm/ 9 inches, so the pastry should be rolled into a circle of about 26 cm/10 inches diameter.

Assemble:

• Roll out the larger disc of pastry into a circle large enough to cover the bottom and the edges of your pie form. Press the dough into the fluted edges of the pan.
• Roll out the second disc of pastry into a circle of about 3 mm/ ⅛ inch thickness and a diameter of about 23 cm/ 9 inch. Cut the pastry into long strips for the lattice topping.
• Pour the filling into the prepared pie dish and level the top. Lay half of the strips over the filling in one direction and the other half of the strips in the other direction to form a lattice. Trim the edges.
• Mix the egg and the water and brush the lattice and the edges of the pie with the mixture.

Harry Potter decoration:

• If you want to decorate the homemade treacle tart to resemble Harry Potter, cut out the glasses, the scar and the mouth.
• You will have leftover pastry in this case. You can cut it into biscuits and bake them separately until golden. Or freeze the leftover pastry for making a small pie some other time.
• Pour the filling into the prepared pie dish and level the top.
• Place the Harry Potter decorations on top.
• Brush the decoration with egg wash and bake.

Bake:

• Bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then reduce the heat to 180 degrees Celsius/ 360 degrees Fahrenheit and continue baking for another 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling puffs up in the center.
• The filling should still be slightly jiggly.

Does treacle tart need to be refrigerated?

• There is nothing in this recipe that spoils easily, the tart can be kept at room temperature for a couple of days.
• If you have leftovers for longer than that, you might want to place them in a container and then in the refrigerator.

How to serve?

• Traditionally, you should serve it warm with custard, clotted cream or whipped cream.
• You could also have it with ice cream.
• We had the homemade treacle tart plain and as I've mentioned above I liked it, even more, the next day, when the tart was set and almost cookie-like.
• But that is a matter of taste, serve it as you like best.

MORE HARRY POTTER RECIPES

Hagrid's Rockcakes with Mixed Dried Fruits 

English Chicken and Ham Pie 

Fruit Mince Pies with Homemade Mince Pie Filling

Moist Chocolate Gateau or Cake with Chocolate Cream Filling

Harry Potter's Pumpkin Pasties

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Harry Potter's Treacle Tart

Harry Potter's favorite dessert: treacle tart, a very simple and delicious homemade tart recipe made with golden syrup, fresh breadcrumbs and lemon juice.

4.50 from 20 votes

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Course: Pies and Cheesecakes

Cuisine: English

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 593kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

• ▢
  Loose-bottomed pie dish

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

• ▢ Pastry:
• ▢ 280 g unsalted butter 10 oz/ 1 cup + 2 ½ tablespoons , Note 2
• ▢ 350 g all-purpose flour 12.4 oz/ scant 3 cups
• ▢ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 5-6 tablespoons very cold water
• ▢ Alternative: 2 ready-made pie crusts
• ▢ Filling:
• ▢ 315 g golden syrup 11 oz/ ⅞ cup + 1 tablespoon , Note 3
• ▢ 110 g fresh breadcrumbs 3.8 oz/ 2 ¼ cups , Note 4
• ▢ 1 organic lemon
• ▢ 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water for brushing the pastry

Instructions

Pastry:

• Chill butter: Cut the butter into small cubes, place them in one layer on a plate, and put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes, they should not be frozen but get really cold.
• Mix flour, sugar, and salt in the stand mixer.
• Add the butter cubes and process shortly, about 10 pulses, but it depends on the machine you are using. The dough should resemble breadcrumbs.
• Dough: Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of icy water, and pulse a few times again until the dough comes together. Add the third tablespoon of water if necessary, sometimes I do add it, sometimes not, it depends on how exactly you weigh the flour and sometimes on the brand of the flour itself. The dough should hold together when you press a little bit of it between your fingers.
• Refrigerate: Form a ball, divide it into two discs, one a bit larger than the other, and wrap the discs tightly in plastic foil. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Filling:

• Make breadcrumbs: Remove the crust from the bread, weigh the 4 oz7 110 g needed and make breadcrumbs in your food processor.
• Zest and juice the lemon.
• Combine filling: Place the golden syrup into a small saucepan and warm gently until it is runny, it will not take long. Combine the syrup, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, and lemon juice very well.

Assemble the treacle tart:

• My pie dish has a diameter of 9 inches/ 23 cm, so I rolled the dough into a circle of about 10 inches/ 26 cm in diameter. It is loose-bottomed (like a springform), which makes things easier for me when removing the pie from the form. A regular dish works as well, but you will have to be more careful when taking the tart out of the form. Or use a ceramic pie dish, so you can cut and serve the tart directly from the dish.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/ 200 degrees Celsius.
• Roll dough: On a lightly floured surface roll out the larger disc into a circle large enough to cover the bottom and the edges of your pie form. Place the rolled-out pastry sheet into your dish, pressing the dough into the fluted edges of the pan.
• Lattice: Roll out the second disc of pastry into a circle of about ⅛ inch/ 3 mm thickness and a diameter of about 9 inches/ 23 cm. Cut the pastry into long strips for the lattice topping.
• Harry Potter decoration: If you want to decorate the treacle tart to resemble Harry Potter, cut out the glasses, the scar, and the mouth. You will have leftover pastry in this case. You can cut it into biscuits and bake them separately until golden. Or freeze the leftover pastry for making a small pie some other time.
• Assemble tart: Pour the filling into the prepared pie dish and level the top. Lay half of the strips over the filling in one direction and the other half of the strips in the other direction to form a lattice. Trim the edges.
• Egg wash: Mix the egg and the water and brush the lattice and the edges of the pie with the mixture.
• Bake the tart for 10 minutes at 200 degrees/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then reduce the heat to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue baking for another 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling puffs up in the center. The filling should still be slightly jiggly.

Notes

1. A digital kitchen scale will give you the most precise measure ensuring the best bake possible.
2. European style butter is best, it has less water.
3. Also known as treacle or light treacle. Not to be confused with corn syrup or black treacle. Grafschafter Heller Sirup for Germany.
4. Made from crustless white toast bread.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 403mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g

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