Treacle tart is one of most enduring, and popular, traditional English desserts. This is celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s recipe for treacle tart. It comes from his cookbook Gordon Ramsay’s Great British Pub Food with Mark Sargeant (pub. Harper Collins, £20) and appears here with permission. This rich, sweet tart tastes even better a day after baking, when the breadcrumbs have had time to absorb the moist filling. Serve slices with whipped cream or crème fraiche.
Gordon Ramsay’s Treacle Tart – Recipe
Ingredients – Serves 8
- 300g sweet flan pastry (see below)
- 450g golden syrup
- 85g white breadcrumbs
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 60g butter, melted
- 3 large egg yolks
- 70ml double cream
- ½ tsp black treacle
Ingredients to make the sweet pastry – (makes about 500g-you can freeze any excess for a day or so)
- 125g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 90g caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- 250g plain flour
- 1 tbsp ice-cold water (if needed)
Method
To make the sweet pastry:
- Place the butter and sugar in a food processor and whiz until just combined. Add the egg and whiz for 30 seconds.
- Tip in the flour and process for a few seconds until the dough just comes together. (Do not over-process or it will become tough.) Add a little cold water if the dough seems too dry.
- Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface and shape into a flat disc. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes before rolling out.
To make the treacle tart:
- Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a large round, the thickness of a £1 coin. Use to line a 23-24cm round shallow tart tin, with removable base, leaving some excess pastry overhanging the rim. Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5.
- Line the pastry case with baking paper and dried or ceramic baking beans and bake ‘blind’ for 15-20 minutes or until the base is cooked through. While still warm, cut off the excess pastry to level with the rim of the tin. Lower the oven setting to 140°C/Gas 1.
- For the filling, gently heat the golden syrup by immersing the bottle or tin in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. Mix the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and ground ginger together in a large bowl and make a well in the middle.
- Pour in the warm golden syrup and add the butter, egg yolks, cream, treacle and lemon juice. Stir well to mix.
- Pour the filling into the pastry case. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top has just set, but the centre is slightly wobbly when you shake the tin gently. It should still feel slightly soft in the centre.
- Let the tart cool completely before slicing and serving, with cream or crème fraiche.
Now try this recipe for Sussex Pond Pudding, a traditional English dessert.
Rebecca Ford - I'm a UK based freelance travel writer and photographer - and the country I most like to visit is Italy. That's not just because of the ...
